Considered by some as the runt of the litter, Grand Theft Auto 2 is up there with the very best of the long-standing crime sim series. Launched in 1999 – wedged between the '97 original, a game that was so offensive that its contents were debated in UK parliament and the US senate; and GTA 3, Rockstar's first fully-fledged three-dimensional outing following the company's acquisition of DMA Design – GTA 2 entered the world at a strange time. But, for my money at least, it never received the credit it deserved.
We may be pining for more from GTA 6 at this stage, but it's always worth remembering this esteemed series' lineage. GTA 2 was dark and moody, and more cyberpunk than pretty much every cyberpunk-styled game I've played since. Its gang reputation system was years ahead of its time, and it was absolutely gorgeous on PC, sharp and stylized like nothing that'd come before it in this mold, and something that still holds up so well today, a quarter of a century on. I remember being blown away by GTA 2's day and night cycle at the time – a feature exclusive to its PC release – where the glow of street lamps and nightclubs, gang hideouts and traffic lights would reflect pools of light wherever they stood.
