circa: 2002 (2001 for Playstation)
genre: action-driving simulation
developer: DMA Design Limited/Rockstar Games

engine: Criterion RenderWare

• atmospheric/environmental effects
  • water: mist, ripples & splash (+ rain: street and vehicles)
  • weather: fog (various, not just near/far clip plane and not volumetric), lightning, rain (+ bows); dynamic, gradual
    • wind: lines (flag, laundry, light), street debris (leaves & newspapers), swaying trees
  • other:
    • blood footprints & tire tracks
    • bridge section raises/lowers
    • broken fire hydrants shoot water
    • car alarms (some) go off on impact and when broken into
    • cranes: some move around; others pick up cars with "magnet"
    • bodies: replaced by body outline tape if not revived by medics, twitch when hit/kicked
    • feet impact dust/splash
    • fence gates sense characer/vehicles (type-dependent) and open/close
    • incremental vehicle damage
      • glass breaks (+ windshield pane detaches)
      • bumpers dent, break, and detach
      • body dents/scrapes
      • doors/hoods/truck gates/trunks flop in wind and detach
      • radiator leaks steam
      • catches fire and explodes if too much damage
    • location-specific NPC body damage: limbs fall off, blood spurts, body falls over, twitching
    • sea wave height varies with weather
    • slow motion during pill powerups
    • smoke: chimneys, fire, exploded vehicles, gunshots, tire skids, vehicle exhaust
    • sparks: bullet impacts, vehicle impacts/scrapes
    • steam: espresso stalls, grates, manhole covers, radiators, vents
    • stop-/streetlights go out when dented/broken
    • tire kick up: dirt, grass, water
    • tire skid marks: dirt, blood, grass, road
    • explosions, fire, street debris; see particle effects
    • working building clock
• collision detection: 2D
• lighting: dynamic, colored, day-night cycle, flickering, lens flare (sun, L-trains, subway cars); headlights, helicopter, lightning, stoplights, streetlights
• particle effects: birds (seagulls), blood spurts, debris (street, vehicle), explosions, fire, rain, smoke, sparks, steam
• physics
  • friction/gravity (player, enemies)
  • chainlink fences wave-collapse when hit hard enough
  • explosion force blows out glass and up vehicles (+ debris)
  • slippery wet roads affect vehicle handling/traction
  • tank cannon blast pushes it back
  • vehicles: bounce, handle differently, shocks
• reflection: coronas (wet street), water (fountains, puddles; buildings only); see environmental texture mapping
• shadows: polygonal ovalular masks: character, NPCs, vehicles (multiple depending on light sources); in-texture: airplanes, bridges, streetlight poles, trees
• texture: 16-/32-bit depth
  • filtering: bilinear
  • mapping: environmental (vehicles)
  • decals: blood puddles, footprints, tire skids/tracks
• transparency: fire, glass, light beams, LOD object fading, smoke, steam, tire skid marks
• other: location-specific body damage (limb falls off, blood spurts), skeletal animation, skin

player character

• character: unnamed male escaped convict
  • customizable skin texture
  • flips off people
  • footstep sound: dirt/gravel, grass, pavement, water, wood
  • hunches over and heaves to catch breath after running
  • in-vehicle: looks behind when backing up, shuts door if it comes open, turns (+ leans up depending on vehicle) to aim/shoot gun, turns steering wheel
  • turns head: to look at people/vehicles, when looking behind
• moves: hit/shoot, jump, run, sprint, strafe; in-vehicle: honk horn (+ hold for different sirens on some vehicles), look left/right/back, raise/lower hydraulics (Yardie Lobo only), shoot left/right (Uzi only), shut door if it comes opens due to impact/scrape, turn/shoot: turret (tank only) & water nozzle (fire truck only)
• view: 1st-person (in-vehicle, some guns), 3rd-person (multiple camera angles: 3 zoom levels, cinematic, top-down)
  • pan: keyboard/mouse (depending on view)
  • zoom: keyboard; 5 levels (3rd-person only)

level/world design

• # levels: 3 areas (73 missions)
• location: Liberty City (like New York City); urban; suburban residential (Shoreside Vale), commercial (Staunton Island), industrial (Portland)
• cutscenes: yes, every mission
• full-motion videos (FMVs): no
• level editor: no
• linear progression: no
• environmental interaction
  • breakable: cardboard boxes, crates, glass windows (some), hazard pylons, parking meters, railings, streetsign poles (some), vehicles
  • knockover-/mov-/pushable objects: benches, body cast, chainlink fences, dumpsters, fire hydrants, hazard cylinders, mailboxes, market stands, newspaper vending machines, parking garage pipe gates, picnic tables (+ dent), railings (some), stop/streetlight poles (+ dent), vehicles; see breakable objects
  • rideable: bridge section, L-train, lift, subway, vehicles
  • driveable: vehicles, planes
  • other: steal cars (carjacking)
• outdoor landscaping/terrain design: outdoor, some indoor (cutscenes mostly); LOD; see location
• puzzles: blow up things, get to places, kill people, put out fires in firetruck, race, transport people
• traps/hazards: explosions, falling, fire, getting hit/shot, water (sea)

weapons: baseball bat, bazooka, fists, flamethrower, grenades, guns (MP5, pistol, rifle, Uzi), Molotov Cocktails

bullet shells: eject, fall, hit surface, and disappear

other

• enemies/animals: humans
• AI
  • pedestrians: attack when attacked, gangsters fight/shoot character (on-foot and in-vehicle), get into fights, look at dead bodies and exploded vehicles, jump out of vehicle's way, make comments, run away and scream when gunshots fired, running into on-foot causes them to stumble or fall, steal vehicles
  • vehicles: catch fire when flipped over, get out of way or stop when siren nears, speed up when shot at
  • ambulance usually comes when someone dies
  • fire truck comes when something is on fire(?)
  • prostitutes pickupable and increase health
• inventory: ammo/weapons (see weapons)
• sound: stereo, A3D, EAX; doppler effect, "dynamic acoustic modeling"