Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition

 Switch
User Score
0.9

Overwhelming dislike- based on 784 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 784
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 784
  3. Negative: 719 out of 784

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  1. JB2021
    Nov 13, 2021
    5
    It’s not as bad as people are making it out but it’s far from being a remastered version at all. Rockstar calling this a remastered version is a joke and I think this is why people are angry. Comparing the switch version along with the original version on the PS2 then it can’t be called a remastered version. It’s feels as though it is just the PS2 version played on the switch with someIt’s not as bad as people are making it out but it’s far from being a remastered version at all. Rockstar calling this a remastered version is a joke and I think this is why people are angry. Comparing the switch version along with the original version on the PS2 then it can’t be called a remastered version. It’s feels as though it is just the PS2 version played on the switch with some minor changes and with some bugs that need to be fixed asap. I agree with reviews that say the audio on San Andreas is bad it really does sound odd and it’s worse then the original. San Andreas in my opinion seems to be the most buggy of the 3. I have spent some time Playing all 3 of the trilogy and I feel that once the bugs are addressed it will be more then fine to play as long as you get your head around that it really hasn’t been remastered at all. All you are getting is the original games which do unfortunately have to many bugs which is annoying and disappointing from Rockstar. I still feel that once this is addressed to have these 3 classic on a handheld console like the switch isn’t something to moan about. In docked mode against the Xbox series X version, you wouldn’t chose the switch version docked at all there is a clear and noticeable difference in the graphics and game play and I wouldn’t play any of the 3 games in docked mode over the versions on the PS5 and Xbox as obvious as that may be. However taking into account the Nintendo switches capabilities against other consoles then it’s not an awful game as long as Rockstar and Grove street address these bugs and issues quickly then it will be playable and enjoyable in handheld mode. But to round off - Rockstar should never have called these games a remastered version they should have just gone with a re-release and been honest rather then promising so much and then not delivering.

    the game should have been delayed for the bugs to have been addressed and to have released a polished game and the price tag of £50 on the switch is to much £30-£35 would have been more realistic. So wait to see if the bugs are sorted before you buy and manage your expectations against rockstars claims of a remaster it is not that it is more of a re-release of PS2 versions    … Expand
  2. Little-Squee90
    Nov 12, 2021
    6
    For Switch version you may want to tweak CJ's timeless words to "No **** here we go again..."

    I will simply state the issues that I have with this game(s). Played each game only for an hour or so. Will update the review later. Off now, can't recommend it unless you are a big GTA fan who just want to get in there and add the big names to your Switch library. Since most of the people here    For Switch version you may want to tweak CJ's timeless words to "No **** here we go again..."

    I will simply state the issues that I have with this game(s). Played each game only for an hour or so. Will update the review later. Off now, can't recommend it unless you are a big GTA fan who just want to get in there and add the big names to your Switch library. Since most of the people here would have already played the games earlier in their lives when they were first released there is no reason to go into the story and fun activities at your dispense.

    Bought the trilogy day one.

    1. Pop-ins are clearly an issue.
    2. Sometimes stationary objects are rendered a bit late.
    3. Speeding is difficult because vehicles in traffic go from 0 opacity to 100 in a second, affecting both gameplay and immersion.
    4. Road textures could be completely bland just giving off a color rather than asphalt look.
    5. Muddy looks on NPCS, trees, some not very far buildings affect the aesthetics.
    6. NPCS and Vehicles' shadows which should form underneath disappear in the evening and stay so until 8:30 in the morning. Yes, you can actually clock it.
    7. Even standing against light source in the night doesn't produce any shadow.
    8. Noted very few bugs owing to the time I could spend. Car doors opening through your character, getting sunk knees down in the sidewalk are frequent ones.
    9. Foliage is clearly updated. But grass blades sticking out in other versions, aesthetically important for me at least, have been completely cropped.
    Most important:
    10. Framerate is very unstable.
    11. Resolution is trashy in docked but bearable in handheld.

    The game has been scaled down just to run on the Switch as opposed to being optimized for the best possible experience on Switch.
    Compared to other open-world games set in modern era with the freedom to cause mayhem and all, Saints Row 3 looks crispier on the Switch and plays better.    … Expand
  3. YochiThMaster33
    Nov 14, 2021
    6
    The what I like are graphics and the ability to switch between modern and original controls as in PlayStation 2. They also made GTA III and VC cars to have dynamic car light textures (which was missing from the original game). The differences between cutscene and in-game models are minimal (like, for example, Emmet's undershirt, Big Smoke's Glendale, Kendl during her only appearanceThe what I like are graphics and the ability to switch between modern and original controls as in PlayStation 2. They also made GTA III and VC cars to have dynamic car light textures (which was missing from the original game). The differences between cutscene and in-game models are minimal (like, for example, Emmet's undershirt, Big Smoke's Glendale, Kendl during her only appearance outside cutscenes), unlike the original game, where very notable differences are present, and also there's some official fan-submitted content made for original game canonized. The problem about this game is that some textures can simply glitch out (especially Carl Johnson's clothes), some characters have kinda bad model (think of Cesar's fingers, for example), still no removed radio tracks restored (due to licensing issues as always), GTA San Andreas' Emperor has darkened front doors, and some features from mobile and PS3 versions are present. Also, frustrating loading times (this happens in GTA San Andreas if you enter or exit an interior of some building). If you are Nintendo consoles and Grand Theft Auto fan, you can choose GTA: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition, but if you have a still working original GTA CDs or DVDs or digital versions of them for Windows, Xbox, or PlayStation, I'd highly not recommend to get The Definitive Edition unless you're a fan of this "definitive" mess of glitches and issues.… Expand
  4. EMPRR
    Nov 14, 2021
    7
    I have bought the trilogy for the Switch because I loved to play all 3 games when I was younger and wanted to be able to play this wherever I go. (TL:DR below)

    I've seen a lot of negative reviews with various reasons and some are valid. I also notice a lot of people following a hype of critisizing the trilogy just for the sake of criticizing it and stating that if you buy the trilogy    I have bought the trilogy for the Switch because I loved to play all 3 games when I was younger and wanted to be able to play this wherever I go. (TL:DR below)

    I've seen a lot of negative reviews with various reasons and some are valid. I also notice a lot of people following a hype of critisizing the trilogy just for the sake of criticizing it and stating that if you buy the trilogy Rockstar will keep stalling GTA VI (mostly see this on 9gag). I think this is nonsense and I have bought it anyway.

    Being able to play 3 nostalic GTA games on the Switch is great and although you can see that there are some downgrades on the switch compared to other versions it still looks good. So graphicswise I would give it a solid 8/10.

    The story is there and you can see they didn't change much from the originals storywise and gameplaywise apart from the controls and auto-saves which I am glad they implemented in the trilogy. Which for me is also a great thing because I didn't want anything different (storywise) compared to these games I played years ago.

    There are bugs. So far I have found nothing game breaking. Some bugs are however very annoying like the texture bugs on characters (weird glow through their head or clothes or the roads becoming weirdly dark and some character models including NPC's look a bit odd). Also there are some missing textures here and there like the missing bridge in San Fierro rural area.

    The game runs good on switch but could use an update in frame rate. You will notice that when you start driving the game will sometimes drop in framerate to numbers that will make driving more difficult. I think if they would add the original fog the original games had (with a bit more field of view) the games will benefit and there will be an increase of fps. I however am not a developer so I don't know if this would actually work.

    If Rockstar (Groove street studios) would work out the bugs, textures and fps I would rate the game 8,5/10 or 9/10. For now I'll leave it an 7/10.

    Also I see a lot of people complaining about the price tag. I bought the games for €60,- which of course is quite a lot of money for older games. However if you break it down you only pay €20,- for each game which is not bad for a remaster. I would however like to see the games sold sepperatly for €20,- each for those that are not interested in the complete trilogy.

    TL:DR:
    Great to play on the switch but there are some bugs and frame rate issues to solve in order to get an higher rating from me.    … Expand
  5. SilexEco
    Feb 21, 2022
    7
    - GTA 3: Acceptable remasterization.
    - GTA San Andreas: Magnificient remasterization!
    - GTA Vice City...: Uglyest remasterization ever seen, and that was mi favourite GTA...

    Despite off that, finally we have the three classic GTA masterpiece in a Nintendo console, now is the time for GTA IV and GTA V.
  6. Kennylv92
    Nov 13, 2021
    7
    It's got some issues that need to be patched, like pop in, some texturing and character models. Definitely fix up the framerate. Not as bad as people are making it to be though.... I'm enjoying the trilogy quite a bit on switch.
  7. LeifLInden
    Jun 20, 2022
    5
    At their core, these are great games. The added quality of life improvements enhance the value. What's disappointing is that these are PS2 games and should be running smoothly. These are not optimised for Switch, but you can still get a lot of value from this collection.
  8. Erclasto
    Jul 17, 2022
    7
    Nada increible,el san andreas lo disfruté bastante a pesar de los bugs y los fallos pero he empezado a jugar al vice city y eso es asqueroso cada vez que pierdo una mision es culpa de un personaje que me tiene que seguir y se buguea con una pared askeroso
  9. henrold
    Jun 6, 2023
    7
    While the development and the release of this game could have been handled much better, as someone who purchased it after multiple patches to the games, I personally enjoy playing this collection. The ability to immediately restart a mission is nice, it looks fine on my Switch Lite, and it plays good. Definitely loses the charm of the PS2 originals, however seeing as all my old PS2 discsWhile the development and the release of this game could have been handled much better, as someone who purchased it after multiple patches to the games, I personally enjoy playing this collection. The ability to immediately restart a mission is nice, it looks fine on my Switch Lite, and it plays good. Definitely loses the charm of the PS2 originals, however seeing as all my old PS2 discs all have at least one problem, having this as an alternative isn't too bad.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
46

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 14
  3. Negative: 7 out of 14
  1. Universo Nintendo
    Feb 15, 2022
    45
    GTA The Trilogy: The Definitive Edition is a collection of 3 great titles that left their mark in history. However, the so-called Definitive Edition came out without the deserved treatment.
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  2. Nintendo Insider
    Jan 28, 2022
    30
    These are all great games, some of the most influential AAA sandbox games of all time. I cannot in good conscience recommend you play this version, especially if you wanted to check out the Nintendo Switch version. It’s quite ironic that unnecessary and ugly visual overhauls make these ports of PS2 games almost unplayable on this system. I hate to be cynical, but I don’t think you could salvage these things without redesigning everything from the ground up. Grand Theft Auto deserved better, and you deserve better than to waste your money on this.
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  3. TouchArcade
    Jan 19, 2022
    50
    In its current state, the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is only worth getting if you can get it at a large discount and assuming you’re willing to put up with many technical issues on Switch. While a lot of the major bugs I ran into have been addressed in patches, this is still nowhere near as good as it should be given how important these three games are to gaming in general. It also doesn’t help that the Switch patches are delayed compared to other platforms.
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