GTA's transition to 3D was great, and obviously compared to the games that followed after it like Vice City or San Andreas, it is rougher and still retains the essence of being more arcadey like the 2D GTA games. Here the missions are hard af, all the gangs wants you dead, and police cars are fast as shit. Also don't expect much from the story, it's not a big deal.
Besides, I also have a lot of love for the game because it was the first GTA I played (I played the PS2 port when I was a kid).