The Grand Theft Auto Definitive Editions were a mixed bag. They largely played well, but the graphical overhaul they received included low-quality AI-upscaled art, substandard models and awkward use of ancient animation data. Players also often levied one key aesthetic criticism: that the remasters didn’t align closely enough with the originals in terms of lighting and colour, with a less stylised look. That’s all set to change with patch six, which promises a new classic lighting mode and myriad other fixes – but does it do the job, and how have the other changes affected the final product?
Let’s start with the good stuff: the classic lighting option is a big improvement, capturing the spirit of the original games – especially in San Andreas. This is apparent from the opening cutscene, with similar lens flare effects, the same smoggy sky gradient and thick smog close to the camera. Late in the day, San Andreas is bathed in a kind of orange haze, as sunlight passes through a larger portion of the atmosphere. The same holds true in gameplay, with a substantially closer match to the game’s original look in most conditions and areas. The regular lighting mode feels somewhat sterile in comparison. The classic lighting option also introduces other atmospheric effects, like fog particles, in certain weather conditions.
San Andreas’ original lighting wasn’t exactly realistic, but it was designed to evoke a certain oppressive feel, to hide the limitations of PS2 hardware and to create the impression of a large scale. That last element is especially critical, because game environments are typically a lot smaller than the kinds of landscapes we’re used to seeing in the real world, so you need those lighting effects to create a greater impression of distance. When you turn on the regular lighting setup and strip away the ground haze effect, San Andreas can actually look pretty small. The classic lighting setup definitely helps here quite a bit.
I didn’t have as much time to explore the game’s other cities, but the lighting presentation in those regions seemed fine as well, taking on a more neutral character in the desert surrounding Las Venturas, for instance.
In GTA 3, the classic lighting often gives the game a darker look and sometimes imparts a bit of a blue or green tint. The opening cutscene is certainly much closer to the grading of that original sequence now, though other scenes often show a less profound difference. In general, the classic lighting fits better with the original lighting presentation. If you look at the horizon, you can see another key change with the classic lighting, as the horizon is harder to distinguish as a fixed line. Instead, the haze softens the contrast between sky and water. This is arguably more realistic, though somewhat exaggerated. Haze is often more prominent close to the player in other areas too.