The One Grand Theft Auto Character Fans Didn't Want To Kill
"Grand Theft Auto 3" was a huge win for Rockstar Games at the turn of the millennium. The game essentially revolutionized the open-world genre upon its release in 2001 and solidified Rockstar as one of the industry's premier developers. Thanks to its massive international success, "GTA 3" changed the series forever and spawned some of the most lucrative games of all time.
Not everyone's first "Grand Theft Auto" experience coincided with the series' seminal fifth entry. For many gamers, their introduction to the franchise came with future titles such as "Vice City" or "San Andreas." Some didn't even play "GTA 3" until after "Liberty City Stories," a "GTA 3" spinoff and prequel originally exclusive to the PSP but later ported over to the PlayStation 2. Because of this, some "GTA" fans have struggled to kill a character in "GTA 3" that was also a supporting character in "Liberty City Stories."
Salvatore Leone's role in Liberty City Stories made him hard to kill in GTA 3
In "Grand Theft Auto 3," mob boss Salvatore Leone serves as an early antagonist. At first, things between Salvatore and protagonist Claude are good, with the latter enjoying the approval of the Leone family due to completing past tasks for associate Luigi Goterelli, caporegime Toni Cipriani, and Salvatore's son, Joey. However, the relationship sours when Salvatore's wife, Maria, says that she and Claude began an affair. A marked man by the Leone Family, Claude joins up with the rival Yakuza organization, which orders Claude to kill Salvatore as a sign of loyalty.
Unfortunately for "GTA" fans who played "Liberty City Stories" first, killing Salvatore is a bit of a difficult task (via Reddit). Though by no means a virtuous character in the prequel, the game's main protagonist (the aforementioned Toni Cipriani) is extremely devoted to him, with the title chronicling Cipriani's ascent from a measly associate to a made man within the family.
"I had to stop the game and contemplate what I was about to do for over an hour," Redditor u/REDEN003 said in response to having to kill Salvatore. Another user mentioned Toni's loyalty to Salvatore contributing to their reluctance to murder the character in "GTA 3."