Grand Theft Auto

 Game Boy Advance
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 33
  3. Negative: 4 out of 33
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  1. Next Level Gaming
    90
    The game that we have been waiting for. It is the best GTA game on a portable system and it made a smooth transition from console to portable.
  2. Game Chronicles
    88
    If you are a sucker for pretty graphics and a rich narrative then you had better stick with the console versions of Grand Theft Auto, but anyone looking for an excellent handheld version of the game will delight in the complexity this title has to offer.
  3. IGN
    85
    This 2D Game Boy Advance design, at the very least, vastly improves on the originals, and fixes the game so much that it's now a great, recommended action title. It was definitely worth the long wait.
  5. GameZone
    84
    You'll love every minute of it. Its enormous free-roaming environments, plenty of cars and hundreds of missions will keep you busy for a really long time.
  6. Nintendojo
    82
    If anyone but Digital Eclipse had worked on this title, it could have ended in disaster. It was definitely worth the three-year wait to get a quality Grand Theft Auto title on a Nintendo handheld.
  7. Computer and Video Games
    82
    The whole game feels a bit slow at times. There are moments when the action chugs along slower than a milk float, particularly when you're being chased by the police.
  8. GameSpy
    80
    This game still overflows with adult themes, excessive violence, vulgarity, mild racism, and everything else that draws so much attention to the series.
  9. PGNx Media
    80
    The biggest problem with Grand Theft Auto Advance is that the game is so big and there is no in-game map to be found. There is the typical radar which has your mission points, but you won't be able to know where the hospital is, for example.
  10. PALGN
    80
    Despite the minor nitpicks that plague this game, Grand Theft Auto is a spectacular game that lives up to it's big-console cousins.
  11. Nintendo Power
    78
    The game's scope is massive, and the missions are varied and rewarding. [Dec 2004, p.148]
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  12. Game Informer
    75
    It's ultimately only a bare-bones reminder of a much greater work of art. [Jan 2005, p.148]
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  13. 3DAvenue
    75
    If you go in with a mindset of finding a 2D version of GTA3 with a few small problems you will probably enjoy the game.
  14. IC-Games
    75
    The only thing that really lets down this game is the poor sound effects and in-game "soundtrack'. No matter what vehicle you are driving around in the engine sounds horrendous.
  15. Jolt Online Gaming UK
    71
    So. It's GTA. On the GBA. But… it's just not GTA. Not really. Like Max Payne Advance before it, what you're getting is a watered-down experience, but still the closest thing you're going to get on the handheld (if that counts as a plus-point).
  16. Armchair Empire
    70
    If the overhead perspective doesn't frighten you off, Grand Theft Auto Advance is a good GTA game to take on the road.
  17. Yahoo!
    70
    The game can be repetitive and frustrating, and the graphics won't leave you breathless, but there's a ton of free-form gameplay to be had for those who dig the series.
  18. GamerFeed
    70
    Its old school style brings back lots of fond memories, and the huge amount of missions means that you'll be playing this game for a long time. While it's not as feature-packed as its big brothers, GTA Advance is a great stocking stuffer.
  19. The Sydney Morning Herald
    70
    There is less humour and mission variety than in recent GTA titles, plus twitchy car handling and a stuttering pace. But few handheld games offer as much depth.
  20. GameSpot
    65
    There's some nostalgic gameplay here, but by and large GTA Advance just isn't much fun.
  21. Games Radar
    65
    Not actually bad but you won't get lost in it either. For top-down, classic GTA, the original games are more fun to play on a TV. [GamesMaster]
  22. Gamer's Hell
    63
    Those that have fond memories of GTA past and a deep patience for moving a bit backwards in the control and visuals department will be fine here, with familiarity and a good deal more than two dozen plotline missions to complete.
  23. Eurogamer
    60
    It's just not the Grand Theft Auto experience most people will be gunning for, and certainly not for this price, not a chance in hell.
  24. GBA Central
    60
    The missions, characters, expansive city environment, sound and graphics all pull together to create an enjoyable experience. The game is, however, filled with minor flaws, and the camera causes frustration. With a weak story and minor technical faults Grand Theft Auto Advance was never going to be more than just a fun game.
  25. AceGamez
    60
    If the story had a bit more humour, if the gameplay wasn't so jerky and the action so hard to control, if the graphics had a little extra polish on them and if the sound wasn't so bad, it may have been a great port.
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  26. 1UP
    60
    It can't provide the immersive realism of its console counterparts, but it does manage to recreate all the fun of playing with ants and matchbox cars -- especially if you liked blowing them up and setting them on fire.
  27. Worth Playing
    60
    Goes back to those simpler times of morally questionable, top-down gameplay, but a lame story, shoddy control, and uncooperative camera derail any standards that its brethren have set.
  28. eToychest
    60
    All I can safely say about the target audience is I'm not in it, and dollars to donuts neither are you.
  29. My Gamer
    60
    With nothing truly new or original to be offered, many hardcore gamers may be put off, but if you're looking for light-hearted or semi-quick gaming sessions GTA: Advance is perfect.
  30. G4 TV
    60
    Other problems include a strange sense of physics where you can push or slide other vehicles away from you, intensely aggressive pedestrians and gang members who swarm like bees, and frustrating timed races that will have you contemplating whether or not you should use your GBA as a Frisbee.
  31. GMR Magazine
    40
    If you're looking for a faithful and compelling GTA adventure, you'll likely be disappointed. [Feb 2005, p.84]
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  32. games(TM)
    40
    The problem really lies with the game being far too stilted and linear, shunting players from one mission to the next without giving them much choice in the matter. In drawing the game back to its rawest roots, Rockstar has done the series an injustice by taking one step back too many. [Christmas 2004, p.116]
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  33. Thunderbolt
    40
    At least know this: I didn't enjoy my crime spree nearly as much as I should have.
  34. Warcry
    40
    I just can't find any redeeming qualities in this game. It's not overly exciting, it looks almost exactly like the original Grand Theft Auto, only much smaller, and the game lacks any humor or interesting content.

Awards & Rankings

40
#40 Best Game Boy Advance Game of 2004
12
#12 Most Discussed Game Boy Advance Game of 2004
9
#9 Most Shared Game Boy Advance Game of 2004

User Reviews

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User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 45 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 45
  3. Negative: 8 out of 45
  1. BenS.
    Jun 13, 2006
    8
    Not on a great game, but you got to admit its fun to go on rampage. GBA was one of my first systems except for sega and nitendo, and it was Not on a great game, but you got to admit its fun to go on rampage. GBA was one of my first systems except for sega and nitendo, and it was fun. The driving and the Timed Missions got me mad but in all it was kind of fun.**Especially fun to Rampage with the Flamethrower while driving the tank, ohh ya, that was fun**… Full Review »
  2. MattS.
    Nov 1, 2004
    8
    This a good GBA game, it lets you take the mayhem of GTA with you. It mocks the original GTA2fairly well, expect you cant go on roofs, the This a good GBA game, it lets you take the mayhem of GTA with you. It mocks the original GTA2fairly well, expect you cant go on roofs, the different gangs aren't marked clearly, and it seems as though it lost alot of passion, but it still has alittle bit of the magic, after all, they are having to cut stuff so it's on GBA. I would recommend getting it if you liked the original GTA2, but do not get it thinking it's a subsitute. Don't get me wrong, the City is huge, expecially for a GBA game, and there can be alot of action going on at once. I recommend this for GTA Vets.… Full Review »
  3. PatrykG
    Feb 15, 2013
    7
    The game that started it all. GTA I, long story short GTA I is the first game in GTA series and its a classic but I have to review the gameThe game that started it all. GTA I, long story short GTA I is the first game in GTA series and its a classic but I have to review the game as a game, the graphics are the gameplay OK and the story is OK. But its the classic and the really good thing about the game is you get to pick the protagonist, but now we have to go with (NIKO BELLIC). This GTA is even better than GTA IV or TLAD or even TBOGT. So is the good, yes really is, and probably the best Top-Bottom game ever made. I say GTA I is a great time. 7/10… Full Review »
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