It may not be a splashy leap forward, but Rockstar Games'
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in its own deep, dark way does just as much to move and revolutionize video games as its two predecessors,
Grand Theft Auto III and
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
As in previous installments, here you play as a thug with problems you
must steal and shoot your way out of, but the problems this time are
disconcertingly more realistic. You play as Carl Johnson, known on the
street as CJ, a likeable criminal type who has just returned to his
hometown, Los Santos (a fictionalized Los Angeles), to find that his
mother has been murdered and that the police have framed him for another
murder. Reunions with his friends and a troubled relationship with his
brother set off a sprawling, complex plot line, taking place at first in
the immediate Los Santos area but eventually spilling into San Fierro
(based on San Francisco) and Las Venturas (Las Vegas).
Gaming Gangsters Where Vice City took its cues, with tongue firmly in cheek, from the 1980s television series Miami Vice, San Andreas is a sincere homage to early 1990s innercity gangster films like Menace 2 Society and Boyz ‘N the Hood.
This is an honest effort to create an engaging story about sympathetic
characters caught up in a brutal environment that is on par with a movie
or novel. If that effort hits a few flat notes (you would have to be
totally desensitized not to wonder if it's OK to make entertainment out
of driveby shootings), it may also mark the first step toward video
games growing up. The first thing that fans of earlier GTA
games will notice is the range of action is much wider now: Along with
shooting, running, and driving, there's now swimming, eating, working
out, shopping, and, yes, getting a haircut. All this means the game has a
fairly steep learning curve. But, though the pick-up-and-play appeal of
Grand Theft Auto III may be long gone, your access to the
action becomes fairly transparent after a little practice. My only
serious complaint is that, with the controller now crowded with such
previously unheard-of functions like "Gang Active" and "Talk Positive,"
you can drive only with the left analog stick. A minor point, but it
makes cars a lot more difficult to handle.
Vehicular Variety It would be hard to surpass the variety of automobiles available in earlier games, and
San Andreas
wisely does not for the most part try to compete on that score.
Instead, it's bicycles of all things that steal the show. The bikes'
speed and flexibility are perfect for many of the missions, and there is
something about cruising through the streets and basketball courts on a
BMX that just feels right. If you play far enough into the game, you
will also be rewarded with the chance to fly a number of aircraft, and
flying is something Rockstar makes a greater effort to get right this
time (welcome news for anyone who struggled with the planes and ‘copters
of the earlier games).
Lackluster Graphics--but a Real Feel
Graphics--never a huge priority for Rockstar--actually take a step backward from the luscious, tropical look of Vice City.
Textures are rendered with only a cursory attention to detail, and
contours are often blocky. It scarcely matters, though, because no
matter how San Andreas looks, it feels real. This is
due in no small part to voice work by an all-star cast including Samuel
L. Jackson, Ice T, James Woods, Peter Fonda, and Outkast's Big Boy and a
stellar soundtrack with tunes by Soundgarden, 2Pac, Public Enemy, and
even a few country classics from the likes of Willie Nelson. But it's
not just realistic, San Andreas is also vast, encompassing
three big urban centers and huge swaths of rural land (complete with
shotgun-toting farmers) between them. This vastness does mean, however,
that there can be a lot of tedious driving to get to the missions,
which, along with some awkward sequencing of the cut scenes (they are in
places stacked one on top of the other), means that there is a bit too
much downtime. But never mind the quibbles. Ladies and gentlemen, we
have another classic on our hands. --David Stoesz
Pros:
- Astonishingly vast game space
- Vivid character development
- Complex, engaging plot
- Enormous range of available actions
Cons:
- Occasionally awkward game design
- You can no longer steer cars with the directional buttons
- Steep learning curve
What's Your Strategy?
Get mission strategies and detailed maps to achieve every objective with the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Official Strategy Guide.
Product Description
The follow-up to Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice
City. This time around, developer Rockstar North and publisher Rockstar
take players to the state of San Andreas.
Five years ago Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los
Santos, San Andreas... a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble,
drugs and corruption. Where filmstars and millionaires do their best to
avoid the dealers and gangbangers. Now, it's the early 90s. Carl's got
to go home. His mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart
and his childhood friends are all heading towards disaster. On his
return to the neighborhood, a couple of corrupt cops frame him for
homicide. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire
state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the
streets.