Pros: Amazing sandbox gameplay, great storyline, awesome weapons and gangs, tons of cars, great characters
Cons: Not too great AI, subpar graphics
The bottom line: I suggest that anyone who has a PS2 and isn't easily offended get this game, along with its two sequels, as they are the definition of fun on the PS2.
For the first 3D Grand Theft Auto game, they did a great job on this. This game established the whole "go anywhere, do anything" gameplay of the others. The storyline is simply amazing, although slightly odd at times. There are tons of missions, so even the fastest player will probably take at least a week to beat the main storyline. Of course, the main storyline isn't all you can to do. Want to randomly shoot up a crowd of people? Go ahead. Care to jack a car then street race? That's fine. Pretty much anything goes in this game. The setting itself is pretty good too. The New York influenced Liberty City has a sort of gritty urban aesthetic that seems perfect for a game of this type. There is the industrial, Bronx influenced Portland, the commercial Staunton Island, patterned after Manhattan, and Shoreside Vale, Staten Island influenced suburbia. The characters you will meet have their own distinctive personalities, and a good friend can become an enemy in a split second. The graphics are slightly subpar, but the vastness of the game greatly makes up for that. The AI is fairly stupid also, leading to "why is that guy standing there jumping into a wall in an attempt to get to me?" moments. Overall, this is an amazing game, and a true classic.