Play Grand Theft Auto 2 (europe) (en,fr,de,es,it) Online

I picked up Grand Theft Auto 2 for the Game Boy Color back in 2000, a version developed by DMA Design. It was a time when getting a portable version of a console game meant accepting some major compromises, and this one was no different. It felt like a strange, stripped down interpretation of its bigger sibling, a top down crime spree squeezed onto a tiny cartridge.

You control a nameless criminal working for rival gangs in a futuristic city. Your main goal is to earn enough money and respect to leave town, which you do by completing missions for these factions. The core loop involves stealing any car you see, driving through the city's isometric streets, and running down pedestrians. You take on jobs like assassinations or rampages, which often devolve into frantic police chases. The screen scrolls as you drive, and the city is divided into distinct districts controlled by different gangs. The pacing is relentless; the police response is swift and the wanted level escalates quickly. Navigating the small screen with the clunky controls makes every getaway a tense, chaotic struggle. It feels like a messy, frantic scramble for cash where you are always one mistake away from a spectacular crash.