One of the reasons why the Grand Theft Auto series, particularly the third game in this context, was so innovative is because of the risk it took with its soundtrack. San Andreas’ iconic title theme song was the exception to the rule. Until Grand Theft Auto 5, original tracks had limited use in this series.
Despite the trashy nature of most of the radio hosts and their content, the radio stations that were spearheaded by Grand Theft Auto 3 are a recurring element in the series that enriches the overall experience.
If playing as a morally ambiguous, if not downright depraved criminal is Grand Theft Auto’s bread and butter, listening to the various radio stations while driving a stolen vehicle is the series’ equivalent to fine wine. Significance of Grand Theft Auto's Radio Stations RELATED: Video Compares How Grand Theft Auto Games Ran on Vita Compared to Switch Not only are players unable to consistently explore the world as they please without encountering performance issues, they are also deprived from several classic songs that used to be present in each Grand Theft Auto soundtrack. One iconic aspect of the games absent in the remastered trilogy is the removal of several songs from the radio stations.
The disdain felt by fans for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition is mostly related to technical reasons, such as streamlined “polishing,” cartoonish character models, and glitches that were never in the original games to begin with. To many Grand Theft Auto fans, especially those on Metacritic, the remastered versions of three of the most popular and important video games of all time are remastered in name only.