Netflix took on the GTA Definitive Trilogy and decided to distribute it on mobile devices alongside the service. They did so much better than the console versions, and it’s unbelievable. You will wonder why the console versions look like trash, but the Netflix and mobile ports are excellent. They’re also free for Netflix subscribers.
I was press when the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Definitive Edition was released, and there wasn’t anyone around thinking they were good. There was a lot of confusion until most sites ended all coverage after a day and a half because even the general public thought these editions were trash. To see Netflix take these versions and make them nice to look at is astounding.
So, as you can see in the tweets above, there is a lot to like about these new editions. Sure, they’re incomplete remakes, but I wonder if we’ll ever get that. Instead, Netflix kept the old charm and added a modern appeal.
Lighting, shadows, reflections, and draw distance are the things people usually point out as issues in the console versions, which look stunning in the mobile ports. In a recent Rockstar Games blog post, the company mentions a new classic lighting mode that brings back the original sky in the games. This was a smart choice and made things look so much better.
We all wish Rockstar would take things seriously and legitimately remake the older games, but that’s yet to happen. For now, we’re stuck knowing that a streaming company did a better job at making a definitive edition than the company that made it.