Initially long-speculated but now much-detested,Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Editionhas had a rocky rollout since its debut earlier this month. In short, gamers are unhappy with the “revamped” versions of three of themost acclaimedGTAsof all time. Now, more disappointment from fans is being projected at one iconic cameo inGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
For the uninitiated, Claude is one ofGrand Theft Auto’smost important characters. InGrand Theft Auto 3,he’s the silent protagonist who spends the entire game trying to get revenge on his backstabbing ex-girlfriend, Catalina. However, before his violent breakup with Catalina, Claude served as her driver duringGrand Theft Auto: San Andreasand actually competes against her ex Carl “CJ” Johnson in a race.
RELATED:GTA Trilogy Player Finds Time Traveling Bottle of Wine
Seeing two significantGrand Theft Auto’sprotagonists face off in an exciting neck and neck race is astrange yet amazing moment for theGTAseries. Not only does it act as a reminder that some games take place in the same universe, but it helps serve as a nice brief nod to previous sentimental adventures. Despite this, it’s safe to say that players are far from pleased with how the developers handled this fan-favorite crossover inGrand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition.
InGrand Theft Auto 3, Claude certainly takes advantage of theGTA Trilogy’sadded volumetric lighting, updated character details, and much-improved resolution. By making his overall texturing sharper and his clothing bolder, Grove Street Games managed to keep his iconic style mostly intact. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for theSan Andreas, as Claude has certainly seen better days.
In the sequel, Claude’s model looks cartoony and unnaturally smooth, with his facial features being mostly plain. Fans argue that this is because of the Grove Street Games' dependency on using artificial intelligence to handle the graphical style plus textures on select in-game assets. This lack of human touch has unquestionably been a crux for the remaster, as it has led to some bizarre designs such astypos onGTA 3store signs.
In summary, considering thatGrand Theft Auto: San Andreasis generally regarded to have the best narrative inGrand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition. Hopefully, the developers will resolve this immersion-breaking issue in a future update, as it’s left nothing but a bitter taste in the mouths of many fans who were hoping to re-live the mission but with the remastered version of Claude.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Editionis available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
