GTA Trilogy Remaster Music Tracks Confirmed By Rockstar

I won't be able to tell since I never played the originals 😅

Wow, no Michael Jackson, no Gary Numan, no The Buggles, no Aneka, no Animotion? Talk about neutering the soundtrack.

Cya
Raziel-chan

Them not releasing a single second of Switch footage and the review embargo being on release day are not great signs. No way I'm buying it until I'm seeing at least some footage.

😢 that’s a whole lot of joy missing

lol ..much more is missing than present

I am happy that all K Rose songs are still there.

Jerry Reed - Amos Moses
Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn - Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man
Hank Williams - Hey Good Lookin'
Juice Newton - Queen of Hearts
Asleep At The Wheel - The Letter That Johnny Walker Read
The Desert Rose Band - One Step Forward
Willie Nelson - Crazy
Patsy Cline - Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray
Statler Brothers - Bed of Roses
Mickey Gilley - Make the World Go Away
Ed Bruce - Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys
Merle Haggard - Always Wanting You
Whitey Shafer - All My Ex's Live in Texas
Eddie Rabbitt - I Love a Rainy Night
Statler Brothers - New York City

Y'all realise that some tracks being cut is because of music publishers choosing not to renew their licence agreements, and absolutely nothing to do with Rockstar - right?

Loads of great tracks missing but it was inevitable I guess

Song I most associate with Vice City: Billie Jean.

Gone.

Song I most associate with San Andreas: Express Yourself (specifically the NWA version)

Gone. As is the original.

Still, loads of good tracks have made the cut.

Billie Jean and Killing In The Name are major omissions - distinctly remember those coming on the radio when playing the originals!

This is literal licensing hell, the damage could be a lot worse honestly. I'm glad the rock stations from SA are largely intact.

I thought I read some people are discovering music apparently cut according to Rockstar are actually in the game still such as Video Killed the Radio Star.

It’s better than I thought it would be. I was expecting a whole lot more to be cut.
Shame about The Cult missing out

We regularly play the GTA radio stations while working and will notice the changes. But the changes are far better than I expected so no killer.

Toto and Roxy Music are untouched, panic over!

Rockstar literally false advertising the meaning of the word: "Definitive" over here. I'm quite happy just still playing the PS2 versions.

Rockstar really should have just renewed the song licenses, they're not exactly strapped for cash. So lazy.

Flash FM has taken quite the hammering, which is such a shame as the best station of the trilogy. Thankfully not too much from Emotion.

what a letdown. the community might be coming up with a solution though at least for pc

Billie Jean and Self Control were the 2 songs that I instantly related to Vice City, at least they kept 1 of those.

Don't forget, they didn't just forget those tracks, they forgot to put the full game on the cartridge

at least they only cut two tracks i care about from wave (RIP ABC), but man, Flash took a hit and a half

any reviews out for the trilogy?

Ouch no MJJ? Understandable, but that would torpedo the game for me if I was considering it.

To be expected but some sad cuts from Wildstyle. And Vice City without Video Killed the Radio Star feels wrong. I remember playing for hours and hours one night (just messing around in the city, not doing actual missions) and eventually falling asleep and waking up to find Tommy just standing in that lobby with Video Killed the Radio Star playing.

@lovesushi doesn’t seem to be! Even though it’s been released already, crazy really for a franchise like GTA

@Ryu_Niiyama how’s it understandable? I am glad it’s on the Switch, it’s a good thing for Nintendo fans, but have no interest in Grand Theft Auto personally… but I would have bought it on the strength alone of featuring his music. #AmplifyMJ ❤️

@Onett I’d have bought it purely on the strength of having Michael’s music.

@AmplifyMJ ?…because licenses expire? You do realize I am lamenting the loss of his music right? But legal contracts are legal contracts.

So there's less music now? Why not replace the songs with other songs from the same time period? How even do we lose a song from a fake metal band in VC?

@Ryu_Niiyama ok, thank you, apologies.

Wow Radio Los Santos got snuffed hard-core. Gonna be kinda hard to enjoy San Andreas with all those gems being cut. Licensing can be hell sometimes.

@AmplifyMJ not something I’d be proud to admit if I was you

As long as Game FM is in GTA 3 i'm good. Best GTA radio station ever in my opinion. Can't wait to play GTA 3 again, still my favourite GTA followed closely by Vice City.

Why don't they add in new music to replace it?

I don't get if you rerelease a film from 2001 on bluray you don't suddenly lose half the soundtrack? Why don't do licensing deals which cover future releases?

@HamatoYoshi more than proud, but then I know what I’m talking about.

@BongoBongo Videogame companies keep screwing up with temporary deals for music, and games based on movies/shows/comics/etc., Hollywood movies have permanent deals where they don't need to renew the licenses to sell their own products, but videogame companies constantly make the mistake of paying for temporary deals where after expiration you either remove the content or stop selling the game.

Although in this case, since the remastered trilogy counts as a new game, even if Rockstar has permanent deals, all the deals probably had to be redone anyway since they only applied to the original versions.

I'm not even a fan of Michael Jackson, but Billie Jean in your first car pretty much sets the mood for the whole game. If we at least had the option to load the microSD card with music, we could fill in those gaps ourselves. Pity.

And no Kate Bush or Aneka either...

"Mister, can you tell me where my love has gone? He's a Japanese boy.

I woke up one morning and my love was gone. Oh, my Japanese boy.

Ooh, I miss my Japanese boy."

I wonder how they lost a music by Love Fist, a ficticious band created by Rockstar.

People make me chuckle. Over 200 songs present and what 25 missing…

“More missing than present”

I bet your finances are in a right state.

@BongoBongo the gaming industry is terribly naive. Just look at Forza - a big exclusive by MS - the financial whack they have and the legal teams and they can license the game so they don’t have to delist in 6 years time….. they are either naive or want to actively not preserve games and force you to play new versions.

Like you say movies don’t have this problem and games shouldn’t too.

"definitive edition" indeed! Michael Jackson? Cut. James Brown? Cut. Tupac? Cut. RATM? Cut. NWA's Express Yourself? Cut.
It's a bloodbath!
Still it's the best we're going to get on the Switch...

Only missing 3 of my favs, so that quite good for me. Despite that, just don't know if I'll buy the games in general. Lots of space needed, not knowing how much I would enjoy it or how good it looks.

They did take their time to confirm all of this. Well, I thought it'd be worse. Nice to see there are only a few themes missing. Anyway, not all in the cart, no buy from me. Portability isn't enough reason, so I'll stick to the originals on Xbox.

@Onett that is not the reason his music in the game. It’s money.

I have always been an 80s fanatic (was my childhood) so I had to play Vice City when it was first released. I had never heard “Japanese Boy” by Aneka before though and came to like that song, always associating it with GTA thereafter. Sad to see that it did not make the cut. So many missing from Flash FM, that was my go-to. 😔

@Onett I pedo-what? I think some people are pedo fantasists who would prefer the allegations were true. Weird.

@tysonfury "...tracks being cut is because of music publishers choosing not to renew their licence agreements..."

Which is another way of saying that Rockstar chose not to pay to relicense those tracks.

OK, this isn't as bad as originally suggested so I'm happy.

Damn a lot of my favourites from Vice City are gone . I always felt so happy when 2 minutes to midnight started playing.

Aw man, I saw this coming but I was really looking forward to doing crimes to the tune of Kate Bush.

@Mountain_Man No, not necessarily - sometime publishers just change their minds.

Oh dang, my FlashFM Vice City track list has been hit hard

@GuitarAnthony yeah exactly like why Love Fist???

@victordamazio exactly

@tysonfury The only reason they would change their minds is if Rockstar didn't agree to pay a new licensing fee.

@Mountain_Man Wrong.

Owner of a Lonely Heart is basically all I need in Vice City and it even looks like it‘s included. Yay!

Yikes! I’ve only played Vice City but it looks like my favorite stations there - Emotion, Flash, and Wave 103 were well and truly gutted. 😓

It just wouldn’t be the same game for me without I Ran (So Far Away) or Broken Wings.
I always thought it was a miracle they licensed so many hit songs to begin with!
Like Lionel Ritchie and MJ!! They must have deceived the rights holders back in the day. 😅

Well, without the games being actually ON the cartridge, I wasn’t planning to buy this anyway. These omissions take away some of the sting. But hopefully they replace the missing tracks with other iconic tunes for people to enjoy these remasters.

Edit: I just realized I misread the songs list (squinting at my cell) and the redacted songs aren’t nearly as numerous as I thought! Whew!
Still, I’d miss MJ and the Buggles

@Onett Weird, I must've missed the time when the courts withdrew their dismissal of the suits alleging he was a pedo due to the total lack of proof and these allegations became anything beyond hearsay. Bizarre that I'd have missed such a surely widely-publicises turnaround.

Cya
Raziel-chan

@tysonfury Actually, very much right. Music publishers want money and they never turn down a good offer. Either Rockstar didn't bother at all or wanted to pay only a pittance.

Cya
Raziel-chan

Nintendo banned GTA for appearing on their consoles. Only for them to approve it during the Switch era.

San Andreas on Gamepass for me

I wish they’d replace the removed music with something.

@Silly_G The fact that this one song is missing is breaking my heart!!!! I instantly went to youtube to listen. I have so many memories of playing this game with my brother and we would get so amped when this song would come on.

Phew! There’s still a lot a gems in there.

Aneka, Buggles and Joe Jackson are definitely in this version.

@Silly_G Japanese Boy is in fact in the game.

@citizenerased they showed screenshots on how the Switch version looks like

The only radio station I really have the fondest memories of is Vice City's V-Rock. So I'm glad to see the likes of Anthrax, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Megadeth and Slayer all made the cut. I am content with this.

Weird that Love Fist had a track removed considering they're literally in the game.

im fully aware of the perils of licensed music in games... but...

mozart got cut? is mozart not the very definition of public domain? what am i missing here?

also forget michael jackson, he was a monster, good riddance.

@tysonfury Not wrong. You can license any piece of music you want as long as you're willing to pay for it. In this case, Rockstar wasn't willing to pay for certain songs. That's all there is to it.

@-wc- "mozart got cut? is mozart not the very definition of public domain? what am i missing here?"

The sheet music is public domain, but individual performances can still be copyrighted.

Even if they couldn't get the licenses back for the tracks that are missing they could've at least put a few new (old) tracks on from the eras that the games are set

@-wc- he was not, he was falsely accused, and he’ll never be forgot about because not everyone is obliged to believe allegations made in 2012, just because they got turned in to a 2019 movie for perverts and idiots. Jackson was presumed then proven innocent, when he was alive and able to defend himself.

@AmplifyMJ

i actually respect this argument, well made. clearly you are more invested than i am in this.

otoh MJ was a very powerful extremely wealthy man, and such men rarely meet actual justice during their lifetimes. he looks guilty as F, frankly, and he did for years before that film came out.

(also i think saying the film was "for pedos" is a bit severe and nonsensical.)

@Mountain_Man

that makes sense! thanks for chiming in, i hadnt thought of that.

now im just wondering, surely there are mozart recordings that are public, that they couldve used instead... but maybe they did, i only read what was cut, other recordings could have been "added" in their place for all i know.

Did anybody else find this list confusing to read? I think I'll just refer to Rockstars content for what IS included.

@-wc- in 2005 the prosecution’s entire case hinged on the fact he was in financial dire straits, that he was financially ruined. Black men don’t usually just get away with stuff in the US, and they absolutely hunted him since 1993. If they had ANYTHING on him, they’d have nailed him. Wade Robson made his allegations in 2012 after not getting a job with Jackson’s Estate, a job he’d already told Access Hollywood was his. He never had it. Those allegations were removed from Court multiple times, leaving him in serious financial debt to Jackson’s Estate before Leaving Neverland: The Movie gave him one last throw of the dice. He failed again and has now been thrown out of court multiple times by at least two judges, but all the media are interested in is what he was prepared to say on TV about Jackson, facts he damned.

Surprised GTA 3 remained unscathed

Welp, thankfully we can just play the originals as they were meant to be played and heard. 👍

Welp, for me GTA Vice City was synonymous with Joe Jackson’s Steppin’ Out and Animotion’s Obsession, so my experience will be affected. Nuts….😕

@Razzy I’m playing this right now, and Cars and Video Killed the Radio Star both played on it

I’m very confused by this list. Playing this currently, and several of the songs you said were missing have played

@AmplifyMJ Ignore the ignorant.
Those that can’t see beyond such easy matters are simply not worth the time. They’ll just judge you and have no idea what they’re talking about. They eat ***** and they’ll brag about how they love it. Michael is king.

I’m sad Billie Jean is missing

@AmplifyMJ

okay, that's alot to chew on! i respect your ability to make your case without resorting to name calling or judgement. thanks for taking the time, for real.

@mr12calvin

that's a horrible attitude if you ever wanted to persuade anyone or even have an interesting conversation. not to mention... a little extreme? just an observation, have a good one.

@-wc- Sadly these days arguments are pointless because people have already set their view and it’s almost impossible to change it. They just copy opinions based on one sided information. They just eat and repeat.

A shame but that's the complications of licensing for you.

shrug

@-wc- thanks. It stung me you calling him a monster. Jackson was a good person who had a positive impact on my life, to this day I care about the environment & children as a direct result of how he conducted himself in life. His real, tangible acts of good speak louder time than the words of a media who’ve spent the decades before & after his death demonising him. I’m a Dad, Billie Jean & the MoonWalk can go to Hell if he’s guilty of what he was accused, but I’ve done my research & followed all accusations closely, & I am confident in what kind of a man he was.

@jkh0208 That's actually good news, though it also means that Rockstar is incompetent enough not to even know what's included in the game they're releasing.

As a side note, my phone autocorrected it to 'reheating' and I was tempted to leave it in. XD

Cya
Raziel-chan

@mr12calvin

WELL... you're not wrong. It is a sad state of affairs. thanks for keeping it real.

@AmplifyMJ

i try not to be dramatic or hurtful in my comments. hes a monster if guilty, hes an incredible unique artistic genius and victim himself, if innocent. he affected my life growing up in a big way, and i dont have strong feelings against him really but it stresses me out to think i might be supporting a terrible person.

i feel like that makes me more ready to just toss him aside and move on, but i realize that doesnt make him guilty.

thanks for taking the time to talk it out! you are an effective ambassador for your message, have a good one friend. 😊

@-wc- you too 👍

There is nothing actually missing from Flash FM (Vice City) - except for Michael Jackson. I am playing it now and all of the songs have played.

I'm only upset about Running down a Dream. That was one of my favorites in San Andreas. I can still play the original though.

Vice City, Wave 103, Animotion Obsession, ABC Poison Arrow, Gary Newman Cars are all in the game. Only been playing Vice City, not heard every station play yet, but the above songs are definitely there, so is Jon Wait Missing You

@Gerald I was just about to post this.