In the pantheon of video game history, few titles have caused a seismic shift in the industry quite like Grand Theft Auto III . When it was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2001, it didn’t just popularize the open-world genre—it invented the template that virtually every action-adventure game follows to this day.

Claude’s story begins with a heist that goes south. While robbing a bank, his girlfriend and partner-in-crime, , shoots him and leaves him for dead, declaring him "small-time". Claude survives but is arrested and sentenced to prison. Fate intervenes during his transfer when the Colombian Cartel ambushes the police convoy to abduct another prisoner, allowing Claude and a demolition expert named 8-Ball to escape into the city. Rising Through the Ranks

Narrowly escaping a death trap set by Salvatore, Claude flees to Staunton Island with Maria and , a leader of the Yakuza . To prove his loyalty to his new allies, Claude assassinates Salvatore Leone. He then becomes a freelance enforcer for: Ray Machowski : A corrupt cop on the verge of a breakdown.

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