"Grand Theft Auto III" was released to critical acclaim. Metacritic calculated an average score of 97 of out 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 56 reviews. It is the sixth-highest rated game on Metacritic, tied with a number of others. Reviewers liked the game's sound, gameplay, and open world design, though some criticism was directed at the controls. Tom Bramwell of "Eurogamer" called "Grand Theft Auto III" "a luscious, sprawling epic", and "Official PlayStation Magazine" named it "the most innovative, outlandish, brilliant video game". "GameSpot"s Jeff Gerstmann described the game as "an incredible experience that shouldn't be missed by anyone"; "IGN"s Doug Perry named it "one of the best titles of the year, on PlayStation 2, or on any system".