Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Ahh ... Grand Theft Auto. Those three words are enough to fill the hearts of gamers with glee. The Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series has been around for a while now but it wasn't until GTA III that the gaming world was turned upside down. The biggest change between the previous versions of the first two games and the third game was the transition to a 3D viewpoint. But this change revolutionized the gaming world and gaming hasn't been the same since. Never before did gamers have an almost living, breathing world that allowed them to live out all of their secret criminal desires. It's sometimes hard to admit but running around killing characters in a game with a blow torch and being wanted by the cops, FBI and National Guard was an amazing experience.

With GTA:San Andreas (GTA:SA) gamers are treated to the ultimate edition of GTA. The same, now classic, gameplay from the last two games is back but this time in a massive gaming world. Instead of just one or two cities to explore, GTA:SA allows gamers to explore one large state (San Andreas) with three different cities. The three cities are all based around cities in the United States. Los Santos is based on Los Angeles, San Fierro is based on San Fransisco and Las Venturas is based on Las Vegas. Each city has their own unique look that is specific to their the real-world counterpart, which helps created a sense of authenticity even though you're playing in a game world.

A change from the last two versions of GTA is how the cities connect to each other. Instead of just driving across a bridge to the next city this time you will have to travel between the cities through vast back roads and locations. Of course you're limited to the first city, Los Santos, at first but eventually you have to undertake missions outside of the confines of the city. This is a nice change of pace from the previous games, but it does create some extensive back tracking. Completing missions in one city is easy enough but having to travel outside of town and back again can get a little old.

Since the cities are based upon locations on or near the western coast of the United States, the storyline of GTA:SA follows. Instead of focusing on the mafia, as in the past two games, GTA:SA is based upon the early 90's street gangs on the West Coast. A young lad by the name of CJ (Carl Johnson) returns home to Los Santos because his mother has been murdered. CJ is picked up as soon as he leaves the airport by the police, whom pin a murder of a fellow police officer on CJ and demand that CJ do what they want or else. CJ tries to plead his case that he's clean and been out of the gang world, but the corrupt cops could care less and drop CJ off, of course after taking all of his money and clothes. Reluctantly CJ is thrown back into the corrupt and dangerous world that he left by leaving Los Santos. In order to convince his old friends (and even his brother, Sweet) that he still has what it takes to survive in their harsh world CJ has to help the old gang regain their turf and credibility.

Helping his old gang and friends is where the game really takes off. The gameplay is very similar to the previous GTA games so veterans of the series shouldn't have a problem jumping right in. For those that have never played a GTA game yet (or at least on the PC) should know that the game is mission based. The missions vary from something simple such as driving a gang member somewhere to a little more complex, like stealing a helicopter. If you didn't think there were enough missions in the previous GTA games then be prepared for close to a 100 missions. The game has something I would call a “slow unlocking” feature that unlocks different functions and features in the game as gamers complete the missions. For example, during the early parts of the game you will probably see the same type of cars and characters in the game. But as you progress you start to notice some different kind of cars, people and activities that start happening throughout the city. This little feature helps in creating a living world that grows and reacts to what you do in the game.

Playing the missions is the main focus of the game, which can cause the game to be very linear in that you might be stuck playing a mission over and over again. Now don't get me wrong since this is GTA and you have an almost limitless amount of freedom to do whatever you want, however you want. But it has to be mentioned that playing the same missions over and over again gets old, quickly. Getting past the missions can sometimes be a piece of cake or require some thinking outside the box to come up with a unique strategy.

You will never progress the storyline of the game by skipping the missions, but you can actually play the game without playing the missions. The game has a ton of side missions or mini games that you can play that can keep you occupied for hours. I thought I read somewhere that many Japanese players would play a GTA game just to explore the world and would rarely play through a mission. If this was your draw to the previous GTA games then GTA:SA will not disappoint. You can spend countless hours changing how CJ looks by buying new clothes and/or getting a haircut at the barbershop. Another new feature in the game is the ability to eat and workout in the game. If you want to be a fat slob of a man then you can by eating fast food all the time and never working out. But if you want to be a lean, mean, trim, fighting machine then you can eat salads and lift weights at the gym. What about a game of basketball? Running around the cities and discovering something new to do is always a great feeling for any game. GTA:SA won't disappoint anyone with the amount of mini games included. Oh, I almost forget to even mention the arcade games that are sprinkled throughout San Andreas. The arcade games are based upon classic games of the early 80's but are just another example of the greatness that is GTA:SA.

The game controls great with the PC layout but still seems designed for a controller. Fortunately being able to customize the controls is always a great benefit of the keyboard-and-mouse layout. I would recommend adjusting the mouse sensitivity since the mouse controls the camera angle. Before I adjusted the sensitivity I never seemed to find the right camera angle, especially while driving a car. Firing weapons has never been easier and more accurate then when using the keyboard and mouse. The auto targeting system can be tossed aside since you can pinpoint someone with incredible accuracy with the mouse and keyboard. I still want to know why driving in the game feels like a hassle instead of second nature. I had to replay several missions over again because I was slipping and sliding all over the place or falling off a motorcycle. Thankfully as you keep playing the game your skills will increase for almost everything you control in the game.

The graphics in the PC version of the game are the best of any version released. For me the biggest attention grabber for the graphics were the cities. The buildings and structures in the cities are gorgeously detailed. Each city looks like a real city with huge skyscrapers, street signs and other structures everywhere. Depending on your graphics card you can even set the draw-in distance to eliminate the nasty pop ups that have plagued the backgrounds of the previous GTA games. The character models in the PC version look cleaner and more polished than the PS2 version but still have the same blockiness to them that has been present since GTA III. In fact the entire game on the PC looks like a high-resolution version of the PS2 version, but there was an occasional slowdown problem. The slowdown problem would seem to happen for no reason. Sometimes it would happen during a racing mission and other times it would happen when I was just running through the city. I've read that other gamers have had the same problem even with the biggest and most powerful graphics card and system specs.

The music and voice acting in GTA:SA is another shining star of this game. The voice acting in the game is arguably the best voice acting ever done in a game. Several major film stars lend their talents to help create a fantastic and compelling storyline. My only minor gripe about the voice acting has to do with the radio stations. I didn't notice as many clever and interesting commercials being played and subject matters being discussed by the disc jockeys. In fact I was disappointed with the music of the game simply because the majority of the music was rap music. I'm not a big rap fan and even the rock stations in the game seemed limited. Luckily the addition of being able to listen to your own songs was a welcomed feature. But if you enjoy rap music (especially from the early 90's) then you will probably enjoy the radio feature more than I did.

GTA:SA is the crown jewel of GTA games. The most missions, the biggest cities and the most immersive character building of any previous GTA games makes this a sure-fire hit. Sure the game is based upon a PS2 game that came out almost a year ago but GTA:SA is unlike almost anything available for the PC (unless it's another GTA game). The almost limitless gameplay, amazing graphics and incredible voice acting/storyline all add up to a classic game that shouldn't be overlooked. However, having to replay the same missions over again just to keep the storyline going can get old and repetitive. For a game that offers almost limitless gameplay options, screwing up a mission shouldn't have me loading a save game just to try again (and to keep all my weapons in case I died). Minor quibbles aside, GTA:SA is a must have game for PC gamers that never played the PS2 version or for gamers looking for something new and interesting.

Gameplay: 9.2
A ton of missions, a large assortment of mini games and countless ways to play the game is the basis of GTA:SA. This game will keep you entertained for a long time, even if you don't play the missions. The keyboard and mouse controls work great, especially after tweaking a few settings. I would have liked to have seen the ability to skip some of the missions and still keep the storyline progressing. Hey, maybe in the next GTA.

Graphics: 9.0
The PC version of GTA:SA is the best-looking GTA game to date. The graphics for the cities are amazing, especially when you're just exploring the cities. The character models are much cleaner than the PC version but might have some Doom III players screaming “ugly!” Remember this is a game based upon a game engine that has been around for a few years, that wasn't the prettiest to begin with. But the amount of detail in the game and incredible amount of events that happen during the game (without you even participating) is a sight that has to be seen.

Sound: 9.1
All of the GTA games have always had great music and amazing voice acting and GTA:SA is no different. I mentioned earlier that this is arguably the best voice acting ever done in a game. All of the characters in the game have their own unique personality that are portrayed wonderfully by the actors. Sure it might be Samuel L. Jackson but you will forget about the actor and focus on the character in the game. If you're not a big fan of rap music then you probably will be using the custom soundtrack feature. I always enjoyed the variety of the music in the previous GTA games but this one didn't have the same variety.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Thinking outside the box is a term used in business meetings all the time. If you're thinking outside the box then you're thinking of unique ideas and strategies that can hopefully be adopted to fit the needs of your business. Well the same holds true with GTA:SA when it comes to the difficulty of the game. Coming up with a new and innovative way to complete a mission can help reduce the stress and difficulty in the game. But sometimes it's hard to think outside the box when you've played the same mission over again 10 to 20 times. Some of the missions can be very frustrating, aggravating and a couple other adjectives that I will leave to the minds of the readers. The side missions and mini games will help in keeping your mind off of the missions you've failed and sometimes help in coming up with new ideas to complete a mission.

Concept: 9.3
I do need to mention that this a mature rated game and besides some of the survival-horror games GTA:SA deserves its mature rating. This is as close to an “R” rated movie that I've ever seen in a videogame when it comes to the storyline and setting. There are plenty of references to drug use, sex, and (of course) violence throughout the game. There was a scene early in the game that had me doubting I was actually playing a game and not watching a movie. But the game works the mature theme into a compelling and fascinating game. This isn't the game to get your kids. Oh, and keep some crazy politicians away from the game as well.

Multiplayer: N/A
This is a single-player only game.

Overall: 9.2
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a game that shouldn't be missed by gamers. It's the apex of the GTA series and makes me wonder just what will in the next GTA game.