Prior to Grand Theft Auto III I'd say I had fun messing around in Grand Theft Auto games, but never really enjoyed myself. The top-down view felt incredibly claustrophobic, and, at least for me, made getting immersed into the game world incredibly difficult. I don't think it's hyperbole at all to say that GTA 3 changed everything.

Originally released in 2001 as a Playstation 2 exclusive, Grand Theft Auto III featured a full 3D game engine for the first time in the game series. At least for me, this transformed a silly and entirely too controversial set of video games into a living and breathing universe. It's debatable how well the game has aged in ten years, but in 2001, after the initial cut scene rolls and you're driving through the beginnings of Liberty City, there was no way your jaw wasn't on the floor.

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The wait for Grand Theft Auto 3 on iOS and Android is almost over. On its blog a few minutes ago, Rockstar revealed that the 10 Year Anniversary Edition port of the game-changing open-world title will hit the App Store and Android Marketplace on December 15th at an agreeable price point of $4.99. A new trailer giving you another taste of what's to come is expected to release next week, but we've got some new screens right now to hold you over.

Oh! And in other related-and-cool news, GTA 3 will support more than just iPad 2, iPhone 4S, or a beefy Android device at launch. Single core phones and devices are now game. Here's an updated list of what will be supported at launch:

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We're greedy folks over here. When Grand Theft Auto 3 was announced for the iPhone 4S and the iPad 2, we immediately started thinking about also playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and its successor San Andreas on our new-fangled devices. Digital Trends must have jacked into our hive mind because it apparently quizzed Rockstar about the possibility of seeing these two games come to iOS, too. The good news is that it's "very possible," according to Rockstar but it would also present a "technical challenge."

Obviously, we're not inside of Rockstar, so it's impossible to talk specifically about what might hold-up the process. Heck, we don't even know why exactly GTA3 is being restricted to hardcore tablets and phones at first, either, but it's probably safe to assume that a variety of factors, including sales of GTA3 and what shape the original code for Vice City and San Andreas are in, will be two bridges to cross when decision time comes.

Grand Theft Auto 3 for iOS was announced a few weeks ago. It should hit in 2011, but no specific release details outside of the year have been dished out so far.

[Via Digital Trends]

Rockstar is continuing its celebration of Grand Theft Auto 3's ten-year anniversary with a new trailer that thanks the game's fans and reminds them of the good times spent in its open-world city. I don't know how it'll hit you, but it kinda freaks me out because (a) I don't want to be so old and (b) a lot of what it does is still the foundation of what's being done now in non-fantasy open-world games. Think about it, man. It's living, breathing history.

Awesomely enough, we'll get to re-experience it all over again. Undoubtedly, you're aware that a touch version of GTA3 is in the works and will debut on top-tier tablets and phones in 2011 and will subsequently be released on other handhelds down the road. The footage in the video above is not from this version, by the way.

Knowing what we know of the Rockstar PR cycle, don't be too surprised if GTA3 pops up sooner than later. I'm not exactly sold that touch controls will make it a better game, but I can't wait to give it a try -- after I pop a few aspirin. Arthritis!

Last week, we told you the (somewhat) surprising news that Rockstar would be bringing the classic Grand Theft Auto III to iOS and Android platforms to celebrate the franchise's 10 year anniversary of entering the world of 3D, and thus changing the open-world sandbox genre forever. At the time, Rockstar noted that the game was only planned for dual-core processor-based devices, due to the strain that running a huge open-world game would have on lesser mobile hardware. On the iOS side of things, that meant that only the iPad 2 and the brand new iPhone 4S would be able to run GTA III thanks to their dual-core A5 chips.

Of course, there are far, far more GTA fans than there are A5 device owners, and there was quite a backlash from gamers with older devices who were understandably upset that they wouldn't be able to get their carjack-on without upgrading their kit. However, over the weekend Rockstar has been showing off GTA III for mobile devices in playable form at the New York Comic-Con, and in fact they have confirmed to Kotaku that the dual-core processor requirement will only be a limitation at first, and that they're planning on having the game be compatible with single-core iOS devices sometime after launch.

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So far, the top note on my "Things I Didn’t Expect To Hear This Morning List" is this: Grand Theft Auto 3 is coming to a smattering of high-end tablets and handsets later this fall. No, really -- I have a list and, yeah, Rockstar Games announced plans to port its once-technical marvel to touch devices at some point in 2011 in celebration of its 10th birthday.

We don’t know anything about Grand Theft Auto 3 for mobile, including what it’ll look like or what price it’ll launch at. The blog post announcing this ‘big deal’ bit of news is strangely focusing more on a new and limited run of $150 12-inch Claude toys with “30 points of articulation” instead of the game. But, hey, pre-orders for the toy are open now!

I’ve got a fantastic and equally unfulfilling love and hate relationship with GTA3, just as I do with every other GTA title. I love the bluster, the scale, and a good deal of the content, but the controls and general technical wonkiness of Rockstar’s open worlds drag everything down. It’ll be interesting to see if this tenth anniversary edition on handhelds will debut with an improvement or two. I guess we’ll see.

Oh! And here’s the devices you’ll have to have in order to play it:

Apple iOS Devices: iPad 2, iPhone 4S
Android Phones: Droid X2, HTC Evo 2, LG Optimus 2X, Motorola Atrix, Samsung Galaxy S2
Android Tablets: Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1