Idle mode
This is the music review of
Head Radio | Rockstar Radio | KREZ | Lo-Fi FM | Futuro FM | Funami FM | Lithium FM | King 130.7 |
Osmosis FM | Heavenly Radio | KGBH.
One becomes two, seven becomes eleven. This is how the development from the first Grand Theft Auto to its successor can be described - at least on an acoustic level. In terms of gameplay, very little has changed: we still run and drive through the creatively named Anywhere City from a top-down perspective, completing missions and leaving behind an impressive trail of dead pedestrians, criminals and cops. The action is accompanied by eleven different radio stations, ranging from funk to techno to gospel. Originally there were supposed to be twelve stations, but according to the GTA-Wiki , the progressive rock channel Ridiculous FM was cut before release.
Grand Theft Auto (1997)
Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
There are also a few other changes compared to the first GTA: each of the stations is now hosted by fictional DJs, which is why we are entertained by Sammy Starock on Rockstar Radio and DJ Dai on Lo-Fi FM, for example. 'Entertain' is a good keyword, because this part of the series also marks the beginning of the usual commercials for the series, which stereotypically advertise all kinds of things in an exaggerated manner. On the one hand, this loosens up the music parade a little, as they are linked to the individual songs, but it can be annoying if you want to listen to this one particular song in peace.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of them. A total of 45 tracks can be found in the score, even if 15 of them are played on several stations. This gives us a less impressive net number of 30 songs. However, because the stations are pleasantly different, this is less of an issue. And with songs by Davidson (All I Wanna Do), Bula Matari (Taxi Drivers), Flytronix (Pendulum and Past Archives) and Track 7 (I Wanna Phunk), works by real-life artists and bands have also made it into the game for the first time.
Does it make the whole pack interesting to me? Not really. As with its predecessor, I simply don't have the connection to the game for this loose pile of genre music to get through to me. Although the compilation has become more comprehensive and the quality has improved, Grand Theft Auto 2 is nowhere near the milestones of scores like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. For the sake of completeness, however, here is a brief overview of the stations.
Head Radio
Funk / Pop / Dance / Jazz Step / Rock
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Ratings |
| 01 | Yellow Butter | Apostles of Funk | 2 |
| 02 | Real Love | Pussywillows | 2 |
| 03 | All I Wanna Do | Davidson | 2 |
| 04 | Southpark | The One | 3 |
| 05 | Taxi Drivers | Bula Matari | 3 |
| 06 | Pendulum | Flytronix | 2 |
| 07 | Do It on Your Own | Anna | 3 |
| 08 | My Tiny World | Testing | 4 |
Rockstar Radio
Rock / Funk / House
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Ratings |
| 01 | Holding It Out for You | Stikki Fingerz | 3 |
| 02 | Vegas Road | Conor & Jay | 3 |
| 03 | I Wanna Phunk | Track 7 | 3 |
KREZ
Hip-Hop / Gangsta Rap / Industrial
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Ratings |
| 01 | Showin Me Love | Negro vs Conner | 2 |
| 02 | E=MC Good Times | Jacking in Hilltown | 2 |
| 03 | Past Archives | Flytronix | 2 |
| 04 | How It's Done | Numb | 2 |
Lo-Fi FM
Funk / Jazz / Classic Soul / Classic Rock
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Ratings |
| 01 | Toucan Pie | Stylus Exodus | 3 |
| 02 | A Cool Day in Downtown | Bert Reid's Guitar Trio | 2 |
| 03 | The Diner | Tammy Boness and the Swinging Mammaries | 2 |
| 04 | Surf City | Cow Tastes Good | 3 |
Futuro FM
Funk / Dance / Classic Rock
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Ratings |
| 01 | L.E.D. | Reed | 3 |
| 02 | All I Wanna Do | Davidson | 2 |
| 03 | Dazed & Confuzed | Spangly Feet | 3 |
| 04 | Toucan Pie | Stylus Exodus | 3 |
Funami FM
Acid / Electronic / Drum & Bass
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Ratings |
| 01 | Flymutha | Toys Are Real | 2 |
| 02 | Garage Acid | Future Loop | 2 |
| 03 | O2N | 4 How Much 4 | 2 |
| 04 | Ball Blaster | Ido | 2 |
Lithium FM
Techno / Classic Soul / Electronic / Christian Pop
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Ratings |
| 01 | F.A.G. Filter | Tsunami | 3 |
| 02 | The Diner | Tammy Boness and the Swinging Mammaries | 2 |
| 03 | Computer Lust | Voice Box | 2 |
| 04 | God Bless All the Universe | Rev. Rooney and The Rocksta Choir | 3 |
King 130.7
Hard Rock / Soft Rock
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Ratings |
| 01 | Taxi Drivers | Bula Matari | 3 |
| 02 | My Tiny World | Testing | 4 |
| 03 | Holding It Out for You | Stikki Fingerz | 3 |
| 04 | Standing on My Own | Sterlin | 4 |
Osmosis FM
Dance / Pop / Alternative Rock
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Ratings |
| 01 | All I Wanna Do | Davidson | 2 |
| 02 | Real Love | Pussywillows | 2 |
| 03 | Do It on Your Own | Anna | 3 |
| 04 | I Wanna Phunk | Track 7 | 3 |
Heavenly Radio
Christian Pop / Soft Rock / Traditional Gospel
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Ratings |
| 01 | God Bless All the Universe | Rev. Rooney and The Rocksta Choir | 3 |
| 02 | Standing on My Own | Sterlin | 4 |
| 03 | Amazing Grace | Zoneboys | 2 |
KGBH
Classic Rock / Techno
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Ratings |
| 01 | Surf City | Cow Tastes Good | 3 |
| 02 | Dazed & Confuzed | Spangly Feet | 3 |
| 03 | F.A.G. Filter | Tsunami | 3 |
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