Over the years it seems like Rockstar has forgotten how exactly Grand Theft Auto's vehicle missions, in particular the taxi missions in GTA 3, were so well-implemented. Grand Theft Auto 3's Taxi Missions Are Better Than GTA 5's Unfortunately, these Grand Theft Auto optional side missions are a poor rendition of what they used to be. For a player who has no idea what they are in store for, randomly entering an ambulance or a police car and suddenly gaining the ability to act out the life of someone who should theoretically be driving that vehicle must be shocking and enthralling - as it clearly was for many players, since Rockstar continues bringing these functions back in new GTA games.

The immersive quality of Grand Theft Auto's open world is supported by variety and options, and nowhere is that better implemented than in GTA 3's vehicle missions. It has a lot to do with attention to detail in landscape, in sound design, and in gameplay, but that's not all of it. There are a lot of different reasons why the world of Grand Theft Auto works on a granular level. Related: Grand Theft Auto 6 Dream Protagonists Are Being Created By Fans Grand Theft Auto 3, although it lacked any truly functional airplanes, motorcycles, or property buying, still gave players a blueprint of what they would see in the Grand Theft Auto franchise in the future, and the biggest thing many players latched onto - apart from the dramatic story, compelling characters, and engaging emergent gameplay - was the immersive, realistic aspect of the universe then-called DMA Design had created. Taking place throughout the 'fictional' cities of Portland, Staunton Island, and Shoreside Vale, Grand Theft Auto 3 introduced many elements which would come to define the GTA series moving forward while also being the last to utilize features of 2D Grand Theft Auto games like mission updates and story beats delivered via a pager. Grand Theft Auto's ambulance, police, and firefighter missions also saw their proper birth in this GTA game, but it was the taxi missions where players truly began to learn the ins and outs of Grand Theft Auto 3's open world. Grand Theft Auto has always allowed players to engage not only in criminal activity but also everyday life, and it was in Grand Theft Auto 3 where these immersive and real-world aspects were first truly realized - thanks in large part to the franchise's shift to 3D.

Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto V does a lot of things right, but the game's taxi missions are a poor shell of what used to be the GTA series' most memorable optional jobs.

Car thief 6 gameplay