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Before the release of any Grand Theft Auto game, there were features that were removed from the final product. These changes range from deleted vehicles and player skins to the removal of entire characters and mission strands.
Claude's appearance went through many different designs. Some screenshots show a poorly detailed Claude, who looks completely different from the final version. Other pictures show a more final Claude with different hair and a chubbier appearance.
There was a character called Butler but he never made the final cut, no one knows what his purpose was but many believe he was Salvatore Leone's butler.
Misty originally wore a black miniskirt, red bra and a white jacket with gold high heels.
Police Officers had mustaches, which can actually be seen in the game's instruction manual.
Fire Fighters had yellow uniforms.
Buskers were cut/disabled from the game and later introduced in GTA IV. Existence of buskers in GTA III, can be seen in default.ide file at the bottom line that says "#83, busker1, busker1, CIVMALE, STAT_BUSKER, man, 0". Note that the "#" marks the line as "disabled"
Missions
Originally, when doing Vigilante, Paramedic, or Firefighter missions, the vehicles radio could go out of range - requiring the player to drive closer to the nearest police station/hospital/fire station.
Originally, most of the missions could not be taken at any time, since the leaders were busy. Example extracted from the files: "Toni's taken his Momma to the opera - Call in some other time!"
City
The city during development stage (see picture) was very different than the finished version and has more streets and roads.
Punk Noodles was originally just with a small grass park with two statues. The statue model still exists in the game's files.
The airport was once in Staunton Island and there were many roads in Shoreside Vale. Callahan Bridge was also absent.
There were other area names that supposedly going to be included in the game. These are The Towers, Sewers, Swanksville, Projects, Luigi's Place, Little Italy and Industrial Park. Waterfront Promenade, Westport and Westport Bridge could be seen in some directions going to Trenton and Atlantic Quays.
Porter Tunnel was supposedly be in the area names on the screen.
8-Ball's Garage was supposedly be in the area names on the screen (Observed in the archives of the PS2 version).
According to an early review of the game, there were ferries in Liberty City, they were possibly removed due to the inclusion of Callahan Bridge and Porter Tunnel.[[4]]
In the beta, the Hepburn Heights buildings were surrounded by metal fencing.
In the beta also, the Shoreside Lift Bridge has many roads leading to the bridge. However, a picture of GTA III has the beta picture without the lift bridge. It is possible that the Callahan Bridge took its place in the beta.
The Airtrain was originally destructible with weapons, much like the DeadDodo.
The ability to blow limbs off of non-playable characters was cut, but only from the PS2 version of the game.[[6]] This can still be activated in the PS2 version via cheat codes.
Claude could originally run with the baseball bat.
Originally, if the player picked up money, the script showed how much money was just picked up. This feature still exists in files, and it's possible to enable it.
In the recent interview about GTA III, the logo was used to be stencil font and other one, a pill-shaped logo similar to GTA 2 logo.
GTA III original logo.
Unused lines of text within the game's text files contain phrases, such as "You're perfectly healthy, get out of here!" and "I'll just fix you up". These lines of text seem to imply that the game's hospitals were, originally, accessible/usable.
The route of the aircraft was changed to not seem like it would pass too close to buildings (a consequence of 9/11).
The Rocket Launcher's original scope looked a lot like the one of sniper rifle.
Safehouses would gradually improve in their appearance as the player progressed and gained more money.
Lance Vance originally wore a purple suit and a black under-shirt according to artwork.
Ken Rosenberg originally wore a light pink suit and a yellow under-shirt according to left-over files.
Sonny Forelli originally wore a light pink suit and a black under-shirt from the artwork.
Missions
It is believed by some fans that trash collecting missions based on the Paramedic missions were in the beta.
A mission involving the removed character Mr. Moffat was cut.
An additional mission for the film studio asset, given by Steve Scott over the phone, was cut.
An additional mission for Avery Carrington, given by him over the phone, was cut.
Pastor Richards was rumored to have given the player some missions.
City
Escobar International Airport originally was larger; replacing Fort Baxter Air Base with a extended runway, which also included an air traffic control tower, and a un-identified building along side.
In the intro of the game a plane can be seen landing on the curved runway, realistically, it is not possible to land like that, possibly hinting that a straight runway was present in the beta.
Tires were able to be slashed and recorded into the stats. [9]
The Haitian gangster who wears the blue shirt used to have a picture on the shirt instead of the word "Relax". [10]
There was once a blond-haired prostitute with pigtails and a red skirt. She was supposed to appear around the streets of the Downtown area, and dance in the Malibu Club as shown in several trailers.
According to TXD files, a radio station named VCN (Vice City News) was cut late in the development.
According to three TXD files, a first person view was proposed. [11]
The radar originally had a more decent, gradient look. [10]
The water was more light and reflective in the beta.
The SWAT team would have a bright blue uniform instead of dark blue.
The safehouse icon from Grand Theft Auto III was meant to appear.
The health and armor has a different color.
According to files found on the PS2 Disc, there is an Interior for the Inside Track Betting in Vice Point indicating that betting was initially for Vice City but delayed until San Andreas.
(Some of the Interior textures have actually been reused in San Andreas betting shop interiors)
There were several unused ped models. One man wearing a blue suit, one woman carrying a basket, another woman is wearing a orange shirt and another woman is carrying two shopping bags.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Out of all the Grand Theft Auto games, San Andreas may have had the most changes before release. The player was able to have uncensored sex, drink, and do drugs. There were many interiors that were left unused, though many remain in the game files. There were a considerable amount of missions cut, as well as numerous vehicles and character models.
Both Sweet and Big Smoke had their appearances changed. Sweet was originally dressed in black and wore a black skully, Big Smoke wore a white jersey and did not wear a hat, exposing his shaved head.
In the Strategy Guide, Jethro is seen in the mission Riot, suggesting he had a larger role.
Kendl Johnson's facial model and clothing were altered.
Gang members looked different and wore different clothing.
Each city had their own unique motor officers, however the final version of the game uses the same model for each city. These beta officers still remain in the game files and can be spawned with trainers.
In gta3.img there are files foransed ped (likely taxi driver) and a female valet. Judging from the bad details of the valet, she was cut in the early stages of development.
Originally, the prostitute with a braid had short hair.
Ryder was supposed to be killed on the pier, and T-Bone Mendez was supposed to escape on the boat but it was changed into the final version.
The locations for the snapshot icons (San Fierro collectable) and the horseshoes (Las Venturas collectible) were different in the beta version in comparison to the released version. This came from the original PS2 version of the Strategy Guide, which still used the original beta locations. However, this was changed for the Xbox and PC versions later on.
The Mulholland Safehouse seemed to have a full interior that can be seen from the outside. The change on final version causes a glitch which allows the player to go through the wall.[15]
San Andreas was different and had several different land masses, such as a different San Fierro (which resembled San Francisco more closely) with more parks and less docks. A full beta map of San Andreas can be found on a wall in the Lil' Probe'Inn.
Santa Flora Medical Center had two helipads on its roof. These pads were most likely meant for the Maverick and Raindance that spawn there in the alpha. Oddly enough, these helipads were absent in the alpha, so the choppers simply spawned on the roof.
The Clown's Pocket casino was originally called The Ringmaster, its original name can still be seen on the paper map included inside the game box.
The village of Bayside didn't exist in the beta version.
The village of Dillimore was smaller in the beta version.
The Parachute was originally smaller and blue (it can be seen in the demonstration video in Flight School showing how to control parachute).
According to early previews of the game, 150 weapons were originally included in-game but there is only 42 weapons in the final version.
The Micro-SMG was removed, it can be seen in early screenshots of the game.
The Parachute icon was originally a bit different.
Many weapon icons were less detailed, as seen in the Strategy Guide.
The Jetpack and the cell phone originally had icons on the HUD like the other weapons.
As seen in the cutscene of the mission High Noon, the Shovel was going to be wooden and shorter.
The Camera was supposed to be white and slightly bigger, as seen in The Green Sabre.
M16 has a different camo that can be seen in the mission Stowaway.
The PSG-1 was supposed to be in the game, but it was cut.
Others
Usable car-washes, similar to those in GTA IV, were cut.
The ability to ride the trolleys in San Fierro was cut.
It was possible to hear many vague sounds from your car if it was broken. These sounds can be heard from Rockstar Games's beta gameplay video [13] or some of the trailers.
You can also hear many minor sounds included in beta release which are useless in the final game, but these files are still in GENRL file and can be enabled with mod tools.
The mobster who Carl kills in Saint Mark's was originally going to be called Marco Forelli but due to deleted audio, his name was never mentioned in the final version.
The Grove Street Families were originally going to be called The Orange Grove Families.
The Ballas were originally going to be called The Flats.[16]
Pedestrians would walk into and out of accessible places like stores, clubs, etc. and GSF members would walk into and out of / hang out in your safehouses.
There is a shorter, green colored 'artict3' trailer that is used to be pulled by a Roadtrain.
Pool tables were originally going to be colored green instead of blue.
Carl Johnson was able to use drugs, which would make the camera wobble around making it more difficult to control CJ.
The ability to drink beer was cut from the final version.
Through the hidden interiors universe, unused brothels can be found, these were most likely to be placed on top of Strip Clubs.
Pre-release magazine articles showed that stealing cars was to be much more difficult. In early screen shots, car jacking was shown to involve smashing the car's window and then hot wiring it. This was all removed, possibly due to the limitations posed by the PS2. A similar system is present in GTA IV.
Accorded to a strategy guide, adrenaline pills from previous GTA games were in the beta version. However their effect can still be activate with a cheat code. Model and textures for the pill can still be found in the game files.
According to a picture from the strategy guide, there was originally a pool table inside Madd Dogg's Mansion.
According to american.gxt, there were several phone calls and lines which were cut.
According to gta3.img, there are several more items of clothing available at the clothes stores, including t-shirts, trousers, caps and more - these were all in the game but not used.
There was a Boxcar that the Freight would presumably have pulled instead of, or in addition to the flatcars present in the final version. These still exist in the game, and can be modded onto a train with relative ease.
A path file exists for the railroad track into Easter Basin, suggesting that it was to feature at some point. This can be utilized through modifications.
8-Ball Autos was marked on the map with an 8 ball icon.
A cutscene depicting the drive-by that killed Beverly Johnson, including Sweet and Kendl's reactions, and Ryder shooting back at the Sabre, indicating that he was not originally involved with Big Smoke and C.R.A.S.H. in the killing.
CJ can buy furnitures for his safehouses but that feature was cut instead.
The Avenging Angels originally wore a red hat instead of black as it can be seen in a pre-release screenshot with Toni Cipriani wearing a Avenging Angel's Fatigues.
Vic has a different appearance, like with hair on his head and tattoo on his upper right arm.
In the first trailer, Louise Cassidy-Williams originally have black hair with a different hairstyle instead of brown hair.
Mission
According to screenshots, there was going to be a mission where Bryan and Vic were attacked by the Mendez Cartel.
In the mission, Last Stand, Vic also had to kill Armando Mendez, not just Martinez and Diego Mendez.
In a trailer, a scene in Jive Drive was shown, where Lance and Vic jumped the last ramp. Instead of a red Stinger, it was a beige Stallion being driven.
Clothing
Two of the Beta casuals
The casual clothes were originally yellow and light blue.
The Army Fatigues originally read "USMC" on the shirt, meaning that originally, Vic would join the Marines instead of the army.
Victor wore the Cuban Style in the mission Got Protection? even though the Cuban Outfit is unlocked after completing all of Umberto's missions which is after killing Marty.
Ionic Real Estate was supposed to be called Mpirian Real Estate as seen on Rockstar's official website on the news article called "Criminals building empires, investing in city infrastructure.".
As seen in the third trailer the end of A Revengers Tragedy is shown to be sunny when it is supposed to be raining
As seen in the third trailer there was going to be a mission involving Niko, Roman, and two unnamed people who were trying to escape on a boat with police boats chasing them.
Peds
There were originally female police officers.
Characters
A mobster, Raymond Alberga, was deleted from the final version.
Little Jacob originally did not wear glasses, and prominently wore a zebra patterned jacket. This is obvious if you look closely at him during the short cutscene of him selling guns during First Date (GTA IV).
Roman had a different outfit. The clothing was a white jacket, much like Roman's brown and tan jacket, and white pants. Roman's beta clothing was seen in the second trailer.
Niko's hair was a bit longer in the front. This is seen in the third trailer.
City
Early map showing Beta Liberty City in GTA IV. Notice the extra space in Northeast Alderney, and the third runway at Francis International Airport.
Some areas named Anger Bay, Norfolk, Jefferson Heights, Acter Bay, Richmond , Frogtown, Washington Heights were cut. Two areas called Hedgebury and Goatherd can be seen on roadsigns on the Broker-Dukes Expressway. It is likely that they are two more cut neighborhoods, or they could be beta names of the neighborhoods that are where Hedgebury and Goatherd supposedly lead to (Firefly Projects for Goatherd, and Outlook for Hedgebury).
The setting of the game was originally going to be Liberty State, rather than just Liberty City, and it would have included countryside surrounding Liberty City, mountains based on the Adirondacks and Catskills [14], and possibly The Caraways. The article mentioned that there were three cities. First is Liberty City, next is possibly The Caraways and the last could be Carcer City mentioned as "nearby".
A street called Liberation St was either cut or renamed.
A street called 128th St was either cut or renamed.
The Statue of Happiness was originally going to be called Statue of Freedom.
The Statue of Happiness had a different face.
The body of water had a different color than blue.
There was probably an airport in Alderney according to an extraspace in the south-western part of the state.
In Alderney State, there was a peninsula in the north-western part that shows only land. It is unknown what was located here.
A fast food restaurant called Ping's was in the beta but was cut.
Clothing
Fingerless gloves were probably available during gameplay. Pre-release screenshots, posters, trailers and videos of the PC version also show Niko with fingerless gloves but were still not available in the game. They still however can be found in the game files.
Binco was going to be the first clothing store. It is replaced by the Russian Shop, while ZIP became Modo.
The Rockstar Games hoodie had been removed.
Niko's clothes originally did not have stripes. This can be seen clearly in the trailer Things Will be Different
Beta weapons included a Silenced 9mm, Pool Cue, Revolver, and the Minigun. These weapons, were featured in San Andreas and Vice City respectively and were likely to return.
The Baseball bat was originally wooden, like in GTA III.
In an early preview, Little Jacob would sell a rocket launcher to Niko. It was originally attached to the underside of his car.
According to a French preview, a few of Rolling Stones' songs could be heard on Liberty Rock Radio.
Head radio was meant to carry on and appear but was dropped during development.
Others
The second trailer shows the Annihilator helicopter having a different model.
A fighter plane was probably scheduled to appear due to hidden "Fighter" handling lines.
The first removed haircut design for Niko was a cut that seemed to resemble helmet-hair.
The second removed haircut design for Niko was a buzz cut.
The Well Stacked Pizza Co. was originally meant to return but was removed before release. Outside Pizza This, the logo can still be seen and employees in the Alderney branch have "Well Stacked Pizza Co." on the back of their shirts. This may also indicate that this was once the original location for one of the stores.
According to early in-game previews, a city bus service was available for Niko to use, with a bus schedule popping up after walking to a bus stop. A bus driver character model is also found in the in-game files. Occasionally, an operating bus with the driver will be seen exiting the runway roads of Francis International Airport, however, if the player attempts to get in, the driver is 'pulled' from the bus.
Niko would have been able to get limo rides just like taxi rides.[20]
According to the model names of Roman's taxi depot, he was originally supposed to use limos. This may have a connection with the limo rides mentioned above.
Niko would originally bring prostitutes to his home.
Originally, the bailing out animation involved Niko diving forward, as seen in the second trailer.
Niko had these contacts in his phone: Cab, City, and Dock.
Snow was a weather condition but it is only seen as an unused scenario for pedestrian behavior in the game files.[21] However if you leave Niko sitting there for a bit, you may see him rubbing his hands and warming them, showing that the weather is cold.
Developers originally considered letting players purchase music by going to an in-game record shop and for Niko to have an MP3 player, but both ideas were cut.
Niko's cell phone had a different shape.
The weapons in the beta version had different names.
United Liberty Paper's contact's office was much more dirty, and his voice sounded different, as seen in the second trailer.
Higgins Helitours was called Magnum Helitours. There is a calendar in Brucie Kibutz garage with the Magnum Helitours logo on it. (This can be seen in multiplayer as the garage is open.)
There were meant to be flyable planes and jets that the player would fly, however according to a recent Q&A by Rockstar Games, they were cut because the map was too small.
There was a helicopter with only two propellers, and a design which looked just like the Police Maverick but with no LCPD logos on the side. This could have been the earlier version of the Police Maverick or it could have been an earlier version of the Maverick, although it is unlikely because the design is not similar in any way.
The old death animation from 3D Universe was returned but it was cut to replace with Ragdoll Physics. It can obviously seen during the mission Entourage where the first guard who died in the ambush uses the old death animation, and even in free roam if the game runs slow and you take out peds from afar with sniper.
A Game Informer preview states Johnny could originally change outfits: Johnny had 2 outfits, one from GTA IV and the one he wears in TLAD.
According to previews, Johnny had the ability to date girlfriends.
TAC-700 was cut. However, files exist in the game's files.
The Lost MC Clubhouse originally had a newer exterior; It had white walls with the door moved more to the right and it was also much smaller, which can be noticed in several early pictures.
Jason Michaels had a bigger role in the game, as seen in several trailers.
Malc gave missions to Johnny.
Johnny had Jason, Malc and DeSean's phone numbers.
There was going to be a mission where Johnny, Billy, Brian and Jason did drive bys on a police car.
Terry wore a different outfit.
Jason wore the outfit he wears in GTA IV instead of the one he wears in TLAD.
A beta screenshot of the P90 without silencer.
Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony
An early interview stated that there would be a random character encounter where a crazy ex-girlfriend of Luis would rig a bomb to his car (possibly Margot).
Tony wore different glasses that were tinted purple instead of clear as seen in the main game and the TLAD expansion.
Armando would be able to sell every weapon in the game from his gun van including the Desert Eagle and the Micro Uzi.
In the Meet: Luis Lopez trailer for TBoGT, Luis is seen wearing the brown and black Perseus suit, but with blue jeans. This implies that it may have been one of Luis' already available outfits.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
The alpha map looked very different.Template:?
The screwdriver, that is used to hotwire cars, was blue instead of green, as seen in an image on the back of the game box.
As seen in trailer #1, Michael had green eye. In the Michael trailer, he had brown eyes. Although they were changed back to green in the final version.
In addition to this, Michael looked more older and had more wrinkles and grayer hair.
Franklin had a lighter skin and looked different.
Tracy had another outfit as seen in the artwork 'Tracy and Jimmy'.
Clothing
In Franklin's trailer, Denise Clinton can be seen originally having a different appearance with a different hairstyle, glasses and a green hoodie representing the Families but was changed before the game's release.
In The Long Stretch, Lamar Davis originally wore his green cap backwards, and his T-shirt had a logo on it as seen in Franklin's Trailer.
The Jewel Store Job was originally going to be called Pest Control.
There would have been an extra heist involving the 3 protagonists robbing a rich guys mansion dressed as clowns or mimes stealing artwork and kidnapping his wife (probably merged with the Madrazo sub-plot). The name of the heist was called: The Sharmoota Job.
There was possibly another heist involving a 'Heat'- style bank robbery where the 3 protagonists dressed in suits and balaclavas had a massive shoot-out with the LSPD in the LS Downtown core (Probably removed due to similarities with the GTA IV mission Three Leaf Clover - A screenshot with Michael in a white suit not available in the game and numerous artworks with the 3 protagonists dressed in suits and balaclavas can be found)
The Heat styled heist was possibly a beta version of the Big Score: Loud approach
Fire Extinguisher (as seen in the pisswasser commercial)
Monkey-Wrench
Some weapons had the green tint by default
Some weapons had an older more realistic wood-cast model.
The M9 had a darker skin.
Laser sights were cut.
There was a shovel removed
An assault sniper rifle was cut. As it's been seen in leaked DLC screens, possible DLC return.
Soundtracks
According to GTAForums user NightSpectre, there were several soundtracks removed from the game. It is suspected that there might have been more songs cut from the soundtrack than featured in the actual game. A complete list can be found here:
Non-Stop Pop FM:
The Black Eyed Peas - Meet Me Halfway (2009)
Beyonce ft. Jay-Z - Deja Vu (2006)
Cassie - Me & U (2006)
Cobra Starship ft. Sabi - You Make Me Feel... (2011)
Crowded House - It's Only Natural (1991)
Duncan Sheik - She Runs Away (1997)
Duran Duran - Serious (1990)
Enrique Iglesias - I Like It (2010)
Estelle ft. Kanye West - American Boy (2008)
Jamiroquai - Love Foolosophy (2002)
Kevin Rudolf - Let It Rock (2008)
Kiki Dee - Star (1981)
Kylie Minogue - 2 Hearts (2007)
Mike Posner - Cooler Than Me (Single Mix) (2010)
Moloko - The Time Is Now (2000)
Morcheeba - Tape Loop (1996)
Neon Trees - Animal (2010)
Robbie Williams & Kylie Minogue - Kids (2000)
Seal - Future Love Paradise (1991)
Sneaker Pimps - 6 Underground (1996)
The Supermen Lovers - Starlight (2001)
Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World (1985)
Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson & D.O.E. - The Way I Are (2007)
Wilson Phillips - Hold On (1990)
Los Santos Rock Radio:
The Charlatans - The Only One I Know (1990)
Cheap Trick - Surrender (1978)
The Cult - 'Lil Devil (1987)
Def Leppard - Hysteria (1987)
Faith No More - The Real Thing (1989)
Golden Earring - Radar Love (1973)
Kenny Loggins - I'm Alright (1980)
Mansun - Wide Open Space (1996)
Michael McDonald - Blink Of An Eye (1993)
Oasis - (It's Good) To Be Free (1994)
Paul Weller - Round And Round (1992)
The Prime Movers - As Strong As I Am (1986)
Ram Jam - Black Betty (1977)
Rare Earth - Get Ready (1970)
Robbie Dupree - Steal Away (1980)
The Small Faces - Tin Soldier (1967)
Staind - It's Been Awhile (2001)
Stereophonics - Mr. Writer (2000)
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) (1975)
Stevie Nicks - Sable On Blond (1983)
Travis - Side (2001)
West Coast Classics:
2Pac (feat. K-Ci & JoJo) - How Do U Want It (1996)
According to a Game Informer interview released in November 2012, it seems that grass had a glossy sheen of morning dew, and alarm systems installed in rich houses on Vinewood Hills and Richman. In the actual release, these features are dropped.
