“All you had to do was play the goddamn game, CJ!” 5 GTA rip-offs from years gone by
Unless you’ve been living under a rock since the mid-90s, then chances are you’ve indulged your inner criminal mastermind in at least one Grand Theft Auto game. Whether it’s Fernando Martinez’ bizarre rants on various radio stations, the grand heists of GTA V, the unforgettable vibe and soundtrack of Vice City, or if you’re really into a bit of virtual sadomasochism, the “Wrong Side of the Tracks” mission from San Andreas, GTA has something for everyone and has rightly become a true gaming behemoth.
Of course, with such incredible success, it was only inevitable that Rockstar’s premier franchise would inspire seemingly more tribute acts that The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined.
So with that in mind, we thought we’d take a look back at 5 of the weirdest and wackiest GTA clones the gaming world has served up over the last 20 years or so.
Contents:
- The Getaway
- The Simpsons: Hit and Run
- Scarface: The World is Yours
- Driver 2: Back on the Streets
- Lego City Undercover
The Getaway
Awight, my old mucker! We kick things off this week by taking a trip way down south to London town with The Getaway, which was released back on PS2 just in time for Christmas 2002. Taking inspiration from classic British gangster films like Get Carter and Snatch, the action revolves around the adventures of ex-bank robber, Mark Hammond and Detective Frank Carter, whose plots run in parallel. So, in essence, you get to play as both a crook and the long arm of the law.
The Getaway was also notable for featuring quite a few licensed cars and a very detailed (for the time at least) rendering of London, the latter of which delayed the release of the game by 27 months due to sheer challenge of recreating London in high resolution.
The Simpsons: Hit and Run
We take a trip across the pond to sunny ol’ Springfield for, you’ve guessed it, The Simpsons: Hit and Run. Imagine a PG-friendly version of GTA with a Simpsons skin and you’ll understand pretty much what this game is, which was very handy for those who grew up wanting to play the real thing back in the early 00s, only to get a big fat “no” from mum and dad.
However, whilst it might lack the guns and gore of a traditional GTA game, there is something oddly compelling about being able to cause havoc on the streets of everyone’s favourite 90s cartoon town.
Scarface: The World is Yours
Vivendi Games were obviously going for the double rip-off crown back in 2006 with Scarface: The World Is Yours as parts of this game, such as the opening mission, bear a striking resemblance to Vice City. However, given how much Vice City borrowed from Scarface, you could argue that it was inevitable that the two games would be pretty goddamn similar.
However, to write this game off as merely a GTA clone is arguably doing it something of a disservice as it features a meaty story where you can say hello to your little friends in both Miami and Cuba.
Driver 2: Back on the Streets
Of course, Scarface: The World is Yours isn’t the only GTA rip-off where some of the action took place in Cuba, as Driver 2: Back on The Streets took you to Havana, as well as Chicago, Las Vegas and Rio. However, unlike GTA, in Driver 2 you controlled a cop, Detective Dennis Tanner as he completes missions in each of these cities and the focus is more on vehicles (well, duh, it’s called Driver) than organised crime.
Interestingly, GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas also poked fun at the Driver series of games with the inclusion of a character called Tanner, an undercover cop with a strange walk, which references the unusual way John Tanner moves in the Driver games.
However, the trolling didn’t stop there as Driver 2’s sequel poked fun at Vice City’s protagonist, Tommy Vercetti with the inclusion of minor character called Timmy Vermicelli, who is dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and inflatable armbands, a dig at the fact Tommy couldn’t swim.
We’ll leave it up to you to decide which parody is funniest.
Lego City Undercover
We round things off this week with a GTA clone that even kids can enjoy, Lego City Undercover. Whilst developers of other games might shudder at the mere mention of their pride and joy being thought of as a “clone”, this is most definitely not the case with this game as it wears its influences loud and proud.
Whilst it might be a “kids” game, Lego City Undercover is definitely capable of appealing to gamers of all ages, thanks to its unique humour and sharp writing. As if that’s not enough, it also features a mission where you get to ride a dinosaur down a highway.
Surely for that and that alone, this is one game that’s worth checking out, no?