Mod Grand Theft Auto 3 to Enable Graphics Effect On Older iPhones, iPads

Grand Theft Auto 3 is just about the best thing that has happened to my iPad in a while, wasting hours of my not-so-precious time. But if you're running it on anything but an iPad 2 or iPhone 4S, you'll have to put up with graphical limitations imposed by the developer, Rockstar Games, in order make it run smoothly.

Or do you? It turns out that you can reach inside the game and tweak these settings, no jailbreak required. The iOS port of the game has the same files inside as the PC version, which means that--if you can gain access to them--you can switch a lot of graphical options back on.

To do this, you'll need a way to browse the file system of your iDevice. For the Mac, PhoneView does a good job of this. You'll also need a hex editor to change the settings within the files you find. For full instructions, head over to the Touch Arcade forums to read more.

Why bother? Here's a list of what you can switch back on, all without slowing things down very much at all.

Traffic lights
Car lights
Street lamps and lighting effects (including sunlight effects)
Shadows
Blood

This could open the way for the addition of various cheats and mods form the PC version. One forum member even claims to have added a new vehicle to the iOS version.

Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I have to go drive a getaway car.

'Grand Theft Auto 3' Is Actually Incredibly Moddable [Touch Arcade]