Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: - Giving California Love Like a Rockstar

Rockstar seemed more than a little hesitant to reveal much information when Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was first announced. I'm not really sure why, as they seemed all too willing to release tons and tons of media for it's two predecessors, Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. What I could tell though was the fact that the game was going to be huge, but I couldn't really tell how they could enhance the current engine to truly surpass it's predecessors. Vice City wasn't the biggest leap from part III, and so I was expecting just a bunch of small enhancements, such as city size and the amount of possible buildings to enter. My roommate seemed pretty stoked on the idea of the game, and so he set a pre-order for the game before it was released. After stopping by the most crowded Gamestop I've ever seen on the day the game launched, I headed home to give this anticipated sequel a chance at stealing away my time from what was my current game which I was addicted to, Fable. Even though I haven't been the biggest fan of the past GTA games, I can easily say that Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is by far the most complete gaming package I have ever witnessed, read on to find out why.

If memory serves correct, the Grand Theft Auto name holds the best selling game ever, which was the first game to dethrone the highly regarded Super Mario Bros. 3. This should definitely tell you something about our culture; we as people seem to have moved past cute plumbers growing raccoon tails and flying through the sky, to a more realistic world of violence, crime, bloodshed, and of course, hijacking any vehichle which we want. The past Grand Theft Auto games were never really able to strike a cord with gamers, which I believe is mainly because of the fact that they were less realistic than the more modern ones, because they relied on sprite based graphics, with an overhead view. Once Grand Theft Auto III was released though, we got a look into the grand scope of popularity the game series would bask in. The GTA name is now huge, and is a far greater vision than the developer could have possibly imagined. What a brave new concept, with such unlimited possibilities.

Storyline
GTA 3 took place in Liberty City, while Vice City took place in, as you would guess, Vice City. San Andreas takes a different approach and takes place in the big mesh of cities in Southern California. The year is 1992, and you assume the role of a man named Carl Johnson, but you will be lovingly referred to as CJ. Your character is an ex gangster who escaped the lifestyle by moving to Liberty City, after his brother was shot. After his mother's death however, CJ finds himself making the return to Los Santos. In a truly corrupt welcoming scene, CJ is captured, framed, and dropped off into rival gang turf by a couple of corrupt police officers. The first thing on his mind is for his own safety, as it's never wise to spend much time in a rival gang's neighborhood. From here, the storyline begins unfolding with intricate details of CJ's past revealed through characters that were once known by him.

From here you are introduced to a band of characters that you will become very familiar with, right off the bat. The Grove Street Family Gang is CJ's best ally right off the bat. You'll meet a bunch of characters from CJ's past that may or may not be happy to see the old lug making a return to the old neighborhood. One aspect I particularly liked with this game is the intricate relationships between the characters. Each member of the storyline has a unique personality, and I found myself particularly liking many of these digital personas. In the beginning the storyline seems much focused on the inner city gang life. The scope broadens as your proceed through the storyline, which is a very enjoyable and cool general touch of San Andreas' plot.

Gameplay
Once you start off in the game you will at first want to focus on the missions. After completing a few of the first of these challenges, you're open to explore the city. The catch of course, is that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is composed of three cities, countryside, and other cool landscape. This world is HUGE, so much that I cannot emphasize it with just mere words. For a while you will have access to only the beginning city, but after doing numerous missions you can go to the next, and then the next after that. What happens if you should choose to ignore the road blocks leading to the other cities? Well if you cross into the territory of another city, by means of plane or boat, the police will automatically be after you, complete with fighter planes and helicopters equipped with artillery. As you can probably realize, you'll be best off staying in the confines of the territories you've unlocked, unless of course you want a good challenge in your exploration.

I must get back to describing how big this game is, just to give you a better idea of the sheer freedom San Andreas offers. It takes so long for me to travel to every corner of the map, that I lost count at about thirty minutes. What's especially cool about this is the fact that the landscape is much different around various points of the map. You'll see huge mountains, busy multi-level freeways, rivers complete with a dam, wide open deserts fit with cactus, and even small houses out in the boonies. This game is so diverse geographically that you'll only find something like this in California, as the developer surely knows. What's more is the fact that the freeway system is really authentic (me being a native Californian, I can vouch for it) and so you'll have to deal with those crazy drivers, and circular freeway off ramps that so many people have to struggle with in real life. Needless to say, it's extremely time consuming, and requires much map navigating to get from place to place.

The missions in the games main storyline vary greatly. Though they are completed in succession to one another, always in the same order, you must complete each of them to find out how the storyline ends. These missions could involve a number of things, but most of the time involves illegal activities. You'll find yourself taking people out, driving places, killing people in brutal ways, taking people to different locations around the game's world, helping your friends kill other gang members. It's really not necessary to complete these missions (there's so much to do, you may forget all about the game's main storyline often). If you want to unlock the other cities and areas of the game world though, you'll have to complete some missions. Overall this game's main "quest" is about three times as long as the past two GTA games, and so you'll be plenty busy with this game.

The artificial intelligence has been upped considerably since Vice City to a more believable level. Now the drivers are much more frantic to escape from you if you start doing crazy stuff. Even if you drive accordingly, they will randomly switch lanes without a moment’s notice, in what could cause injury to CJ as you drive about. If you shoot out computer players tires, they will drive more madly and it could end up messing you up big time if you are driving a motorcycle and they are in front of you. The improved AI isn't just limited to the civilians, as the police officers also seem more intelligent. They also have gotten to be pretty good shots when it comes to blowing your tires, and they set up road blocks in very strategic locations to stop you. Overall I am very happy with the level of intelligence here in the game, and it makes the experience seem much more alive than ever before. This is even just one of the most minor enhancements to the gameplay engine mind you.

Each of the cars in the world of San Andreas controls differently from one another. One of the most basic options for you to do in the game is to unleash fire upon innocents, and either fight off, or try to escape from the law. Because of the improved intelligence, chases will be more frantic, and the police will know how to stop you in your tracks. The physics of the law are also more sensitive, as it seemed like you could easily get away with more in Vice City than here in San Andreas. It's still a little off though, as you can usually cap a few civilians without any concern from the police officers. If you really want to get in trouble with the law though, feel free to take out a lone officer. This will usually give you two stars right off the bat, but more on the star system later on in this review. I am looking forward to that day when the Grand Theft Auto series actually incorporates traffic laws into gameplay.

Cars are not the only thing you can hijack and take control of, as there is an assortment of planes, helicopters, and boats that CJ can rock the world in. The planes control like they used to, though they can be a bit tricky at times because you steer with the shoulder buttons. I actually had to train long and hard before I was able to use these efficiently. The helicopters are much easier to steer, and I've found that they can take quite a few more hits than your average plane. What's cool is that some of these helicopters and planes are amphibious, this means that some can land on ground and on the water. Probably my favorite vehicles in the game though are the various boats you can take control of. Nothing spells getaway like a good old fashioned speedboat, even though boats are limited only to fairly deep waters. I'm a little disappointed at the lack of a submarine, but maybe that's something they could incorporate in the next console GTA?

As with the past GTA games, you can do little missions on the side that have nothing to do with the story. These are triggered by simply hijacking specific vehicles, and then pushing the R3 button. With this feature, you can run vigilante missions as a police officer, run prostitutes around in the pimp mobile, or help people in the ambulance or firetruck. These worked well in the past games to add some more replay value, but in San Andreas there was really no need because the world is so huge, and the game is so long. Fans of this feature will be excited to see it return, and this time to a much larger world with more stuff to do. It's a great addition for those who zoom through the long game, that is if they get tired of ripping up mayhem, playing the mini games, or even upping personal stats and going on dates. As you can guess from the list, you'll be hard pressed to run out of things to do.

As with Vice City, you can buy property in San Andreas. This is a very cool aspect to such a huge world, with much property on sale. The places you buy can be used as resting places, a place to change your clothes, or just a personal sanctuary. This aspect really isn't integral to gameplay, in fact I don't take advantage of it often, but it's still cool nonetheless. I think that given the sheer scope of the world San Andreas lays out, it's always nice to have a place to stop and change CJ's clothes when you are the far corners of the worlds map, and far away from a save point. One element that has been considerably upped is the amount of buildings that you can enter in this game. I don't have an exact comparison to Vice City in mind, but it really is amazing how much detail DMA went into allowing you to enter so many buildings. You may find yourself in one unique world after another, just from entering places of business which are at times, strikingly realistic.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is really the first GTA game to offer truly deep character customization. Basically with this you can choose CJ's clothes and tattoos. What I find is that this is done on a deeper level even than Fable, and this was the former titles claim to fame. I was really shocked to see that GTA:SA delivered such rich customization without even making it integral to the game playing experience, whereas the Xbox's Fable's hype was built nearly solely on this idea. The different clothes you can buy for CJ are pretty varied, and pretty deep. You can choose hats, jewelry, shirts, pants and much more just by hitting up a clothing store. What's more is that this game features a dressing room. From this dressing room CJ will emerge wearing whatever apparel you chose for him to bear. This serves as a very good preview as to how he will look before you actually throw green down on the clothes, and this is very useful in the whole customization element.

Unfortunately you are not offered a preview of what CJ will look like with chosen Tattoos, though you do know where they will be, and what the tats themselves will look like before they are applied to the skin. This tattoo system is infinitely deeper than that applied to Fable, as there are not only more tattoos in the game, but also more places that you can put them. The only problem there is with this system in my opinion is the fact that the tattoos lack color, and are often on the bland side of the spectrum. Also you won't be able to see most of them when CJ is wearing the specific articles of clothing, and so at times it seems like a bit of a waste to get ink done. I do have to say that I never, in all my years, imagined that GTA would reach such personal gameplay elements in it's run as the top selling franchise this generation, but it works tremendously well for this franchise and I'll be disappointed if such customizations are left out in future titles.

The players stats are also tracked, upgradable, and downgradable in this game. Basically like in Fable, your character will grow based on how you develop CJ. If you take CJ to a gym, he'll burn body fat and gain stamina so that he will be able to run faster, and for a longer amount of time. If you use specific weapons often, than you'll gain skill with them and will eventually be able to master them individually. If you stay fit and thin, you'll gain sex appeal too, which will help you get in with the various digital ladies. What's really cool is the fact that the various people on the streets will respond to how you've grown CJ. Though this wasn't done quite as in depth as it was in Fable (Fable finally wins out in customization), this adds a whole new feeling to the world of GTA. I found myself watching and being careful with how much I fed Carl in the game, which really says something for how the series has progressed to more realistic standings. Along with the building of stats, comes the erosion of them. You can burn body fat by constantly running around, but if you become a lazy bum your stats will falter. One of my favorite stats that you can build from inside the game is the driving ability.

With the first few details revealed about San Andreas I was a bit worried. Basically it was revealed that you would need to feed your character in order for him to survive. I was expecting something on the level of repetition of The Sims, and so I was prepared for the absolute worst. Thankfully you don't need to feed CJ often at all. I ended up eating every other day and my CJ stayed alive and kicking throughout the game. The time system directly revolves with the food system, as day turns to night and everything in between as you play the game. I found this to be an incredibly cool system, as you'll see bright sunsets, refreshing sunrises, and everything in between. The weather also changes, but this really only encompasses rain and sunnny days. These elements make it especially easy to totally immerse yourself inside this world of GTA.

My favorite enhancement to the game is the inclusion of optional two player mode. This allows you and another friend to share the same screen, and to have a fun romp around the city doing pretty much whatever you please. The most disappointing aspect to this is the fact that both players must stay on the screen at the same time. Also disappointing is the fact that most of the time both players cannot drive different vehicles, and I was really hoping that DMA would include a four player option. Needless to say, both players can ride on motorcycles, in cars, and inside most aircraft. The player in the drivers seat is in charge of maneuvering the vehicle, while the other player (no matter where they are seated) is featured as the gunman. This adds infinite replay value to a nearly infinitely replayable game. I found it a bit strange that pressing L1 causes the two players' characters to kiss (especially when they are the same sex) but this is easily ignored by not pressing the button. The multiplayer option is easily one of the coolest enhancements to the game.

One of the big advertising draws with Vice City was the 80s theme which was best conveyed through the game's music. Given the setting, and the time, San Andreas does an even better job of setting up the atmosphere with it's audio tracks. Most of the music you will hear in the game will be broadcasted over the various radios in the various vehicles in the game. You'll have a choice from many radio stations, which play a good variety of music. You'll hear mostly rap, but it's not uncommon to find the country music station. It's not just limited to these two genres though, as you'll find other stations playing other music from this time period. Most commonly you'll hear rap songs from the two different stations, which include songs which I gather are mainly from NWA, Dr. Dre, Tupac and others. My personal favorite station was the oldies country one, which played some good old fashioned Hank Williams and Loretta Lynn. The talk shows have been severely limited, with really short programs now featured. Personally, I think the various music options are a step above Vice City's.

Keep in mind; this is one of the most vulgar games ever. You'll hear the conservatives most dreaded nightmare within the bounds of San Andreas. Every other word seems to be the F word in this world, but whereas most games that feature vulgar language seem to attempt to bank on it, San Andreas relies more on gameplay. I'm not saying that I've experienced this stuff in real life, but San Andreas feels authentic in most of what it features as far as dialogue and storyline goes. Take a bit of time to overlook the so called racist undertones and give this game a shot despite it's mature rating (which I'm sure it comes close to surpassing in terms of content) and let's ban censorship forever. I have more respect for this series in a time when politicians are trying to make it illegal for game makers to include such content that is found in this game. Not that I condone children to experience this mature content, but I believe censorship puts a hamper on creativity at times. You probably do not want your children exposed to this game, you've been warned.

Graphics, Sound, Controls, and Replay Value
The PS2 has aged the most of the current consoles, but this doesn't mean it's not capable of producing some spiffy visuals. The world of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is surely a pretty one, with incredible attention paid to lighting effects, weather effects, the individual character models, and much more. The polygon count is very high for how huge this game is, and the framerate holds up much better than I could have ever imagined it to. The biggest problem with this game is the pop-up, which is much more evident while flying. It's so bad sometimes that trees will appear just feet in front of you, where it's too late to veer away while in the faster aircrafts. For the most part this is a very solid looking title.

GTA:SA is also solid in the audio department with high quality radio music, excellent voice overs, and hauntingly realistic sound effects. Vehicles have their own trademark engine noises and whatnot, people have their screams, explosions feature the blasting noises, and the annoying blare of sirens is evident at every turn you make within the game. One particular point to note was the fact that the police chase more than just your character now, which really freaked me out when I first started playing the game because I was used to the sirens signaling the police giving chase to myself. Overall the audio is very high quality, and there are really no areas (besides adding additional voices for the screams) that I could find need for improving.

Controls are fairly simple, and don't seem incredibly different from the past games. You run CJ around with the left analog stick, and manipulate the camera with the one on the right. The lock on system seems to have changed a little, which requires only the holding of the R1 button as you fire with your selected weapon. Each of the weapons has different characteristics which you must learn. The most difficult controlling aspect of the game is in the flying vehicles besides the helicopter, which have authentic feeling physics and take a bit to learn. There are also the old cheats, though their input buttons have changed. Overall control is fair for such a variable game.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is one of the most complete packages I've ever seen in the video world. It's difficult to run out of things to do. You can go dancing (DDR style pressing of the face buttons), you can play the various video games, play pool, do the side quest missions, rampage with a friend, buy property, go on dates etc. You will find that this game world is one of the most immersive ever thought possible, and it's amazing just how much Rockstar injected into the series with this installment. San Andreas is like Fable, only it delivered what it promised, and even more.

Final Recommendation
Unless Halo 2 proves itself to be everything that is promised, than Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas may have a possible contender. Of course that's a pretty big "if", as San Andreas has proved itself to be more than just a GTA sequel. It has raised the bar for video games in general, and has set very high standards for the Game of the Year Award. This is easily the greatest game of this year so far, and you'd be crazy not to pick it up, unless the vulgarity really, really bothers you. Even if you're a non GTA fan, you really shouldn't miss out on this one or you'll regret it.

Overall Score: 9.8

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