Grand Theft Auto 2

Description

Grand Theft Auto 2, or GTA 2, is back. The cars are faster. The streets are busier. The bad guys are meaner. The police are angrier. And now the FBI and the army are getting involved...
7 ruthless gangs are locked in a brutal power struggle, and it's up to you to prove yourself and win the respect of the other groups. Grand Theft Auto 2, or GTA 2, is a game released in 1999 for the Playstation console. 25 years later, you can play this 2000s legend online, for free.

From wikipedia:

Grand Theft Auto 2 is an adventure game developed by DMA Design and released by Rockstar Games in October 1999 for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation, and in 2000 for Dreamcast and Game Boy Color. It is the sequel to 1997's Grand Theft Auto and the second main installment in the Grand Theft Auto series. The game is set in a retrofuturistic metropolis known as 'Anywhere City' and centres on players taking on the role of a criminal, roaming the open world, working for various criminal syndicates and free to do as they please to achieve their goals. The game's introduction is unique for a series title, as it features live-action scenes filmed by Rockstar Games.

Grand Theft Auto 2 received mixed reviews on most platforms and negative reviews on the Game Boy Color, but was a moderate commercial success. While the soundtrack and some elements of the game, such as the gang loyalty system, were praised, the graphics, controls and game environment received mixed reviews. The game was also criticised for failing to innovate on the formula introduced by its predecessor, despite a number of improvements it introduced. Grand Theft Auto 2 was followed by 2001's Grand Theft Auto III, which ushered in a new era for the series, and the game itself was re-released on Steam in January 2008.

Gameplay

Grand Theft Auto 2 is played in "twilight" on Windows
Like its predecessor Grand Theft Auto, the game focuses on players completing a series of levels, each of which requires a certain target score to progress to the next stage. Points are awarded for various criminal activities, such as destroying cars, selling vehicles and completing missions for various criminal syndicates, the latter activities being more rewarding than simple criminal activities. By creating chaos with his crimes, the player will be wanted by the police, who will search for him in order to arrest or kill him, with higher levels of wanted increasing the response rate. When arrested or killed, the player loses any equipment found and his multiplier bonus is affected.

The Grand Theft Auto 2 environment is unique to the series: a retro-futuristic metropolis called "Anywhere, USA", divided into three districts (Downtown, Residential and Industrial) which players can switch between as they progress through the game. The time period in which the game is set is not specified: conflicting sources suggest that it may be between "three weeks in the future" and 2013, although there are references to the "new millennium" coming up (which means that the game is set around 1999, when it was published).


The game introduced several features and improvements to the series. Players can save their game during a level by visiting the church where they start the game, but they have to pay a certain number of points to do so. The featured works are from three different syndicates - there are two unique syndicates in each level, plus a third syndicate that is present in all levels. By taking jobs for a syndicate and successfully completing them, the player gains respect in that syndicate, which allows him to take on more difficult jobs with sufficient dignity, but loses it among his main competitors, blocking them from the jobs and making syndicate members hostile to the player. Other improvements include greater interactivity of vehicles and pedestrians with the game environment, such as gang members engaging in fights with the police, the presence of other criminals (such as robbers), a health meter, garages where vehicles can be modified with special upgrades, a choice of side missions ranging from driving a taxi to driving a semi-trailer, and groups of "hidden" packages to be found throughout the level.