The Retro Grand Theft Auto Knockoff Collection

There was a very long time when sandbox games were universally considered GTA clones or knockoffs. And I do take issue with that because I feel like the open world genre is such a broad and malleable concept, it's very easy to make an open world game with a distinct identity. I mean if you want to tell me that just cause 2 and Red faction gorilla are the same, you're out of your mind. But there is no doubt in my mind that there are GTA knockoffs out there. But they're a very distinct flavor. Not only do you have to be an open world game, you also have to be about a criminal underworld, and have gameplay based around driving and shooting, based around a linear sequence of missions. That's the essence of what we're looking for here. Games that at the time, were genuinely trying to ape GTA. These days, the genre has evolved to such an extent that there really is no such thing as a GTA clone anymore. Which is why we're specifically going after what I consider the "retro" GTA clones. Games that came out between 2002 and 2010 thereabouts.