A recent graphics comparison showing the work developer Grove Street Games put into remastering the first three 3D Grand Theft Auto titles did look solid at first glance, and our impressions noted the noticeable graphical upgrades as well. It turns out, though, that while the recent Rockstar re-releases do look great during some portions of its collection, there are equally terrible visual aspects, too. Nowhere is this more apparent than within the viral footage floating around on social media recently, following the remaster release.
Open-world games often feature dynamic weather that helps any given locale come to life. But in the new version of San Andreas, rainstorms make the game look unplayable. Twitter user @JankyNedelko threw up some videos of them biking in what can only be described as a flash flood (though none of the in-game streets are, you know, flooded). Still, what’s depicted here is a heavy rainstorm that goes well beyond the seasons you might find in an actual city.
The rain almost looks like we’re in a tropical climate, like the Amazon Rainforest. We’re certainly not in the fictional city of San Andreas, which is an amalgam of major Western states like California and Nevada. Climate change is a thing, though, so maybe this is just a painful illustration of what we can expect in the future?
I’m inclined to think this is an unfortunate bug, with JankyNedelko posting a second tweet of even more rain. Then again, the release seems littered with glitches. I wouldn’t want to get stuck in this. You can’t even make out what’s really going on here, and it gets worse when you’re close to a body of water. You’ll probably end up crashing into something or someone instead of reaching whatever destination you’re making your way to. It just looks awful!
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Read More: The New GTA Trilogy Looks Great, But Feels Unfinished
Overall, things aren’t going well for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition right now, with fans sharing all sorts of rough footage or demanding refunds. It’s all very reminiscent of the time Rockstar Games attempted remastering San Andreas back in 2013. Fan outcry over the state of the package, from odd facial animations to missing elements (like songs), has prompted the publisher to pull the game from PC for now. At least the “Aw shit, here we go again” meme has been revived for our viewing pleasure.
