To think there was a time I picked this game up with a friend (without any parental approval) assuming it was just Micro Machines with guns...

The first iteration of the now genre defining series was considerably less expansive and brilliant than what was to follow but the wit and sheer irreverence of it all was there to see from the beginning.

I absolutely would recommend going back and experiencing it for yourself to see just how many of the now uniquely GTA elements that we know and love were there from the outset.