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Hot off the press. [Please Note: This is a bonus, second review of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The official review for PGNx Media can be found by clicking here. ]
Rockstar North has finally unveiled Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the audacious sequel to Vice City, which was released in 2002. San Andreas takes all of the things that you knew about the series and expands on them in every way imaginable. Without a doubt, this is the magnum opus that Rockstar has been building towards. They have learned from their mistakes in the gameplay department and they have finally unveiled a game that is every bit as good as we had imagined it would be. There is so much to do and to explore in this game that I couldn’t possibly go through it all. The game, for a novice, will take more than 100 hours to just scratch the surface. With three cities and a massive countryside, the world of Grand Theft Auto has finally hit the pinnacle. This is the best game of the generation so far by a mile.
The story takes place in 1992. Your character is Carl Johnson (Young Maylay), who has returned to Los Santos, his hometown, to pay his respects to his mother, who was gunned down in a gang hit. He is also out to reconcile with his brother and old friends. As soon as he leaves the airport, he is met by two crooked cops that give him a not-so-welcome return to the city (voiced superbly by Chris Penn and Samuel L. Jackson). The story evolves from there. This story has characters that are very intriguing and very three-dimensional. CJ is a bit easier to identify with than Tommy Vercetti was and the characters, while stereotypical (what isn’t?) have strong character development and we start to feel for them. We start to feel their plights. Other characters go from crime bosses to conspiracy theorists and all of them have .this personality about them that makes us want to hug them with open arms. The dialogue sounds like it was taken straight from an Elmore Leonard novel and it fits well with this atmosphere, which is inspired quite a bit by John Singleton’s Boyz n’ The Hood. Certainly, the themes of redemption and reconciliation are taken from there. This is the best story of the trio because it is very passive with its characters and it allows us in and we can connect and care about them, which was something we couldn’t do with Vice City or GTAIII. The game was more of a Cliffs’ Notes version.
The replay value is off the charts. Rockstar North did their homework and they added a more real-life feel to the game by making your character work out and eat. You can also buy clothes, get a haircut, and play auto mechanic. Yes, you can still steal cop cars and taxis and do the usual requisite missions there. The hidden packages have been replaced by graffiti marks. With a can of spray paint, you can mark your territory for your homies, which is a fun idea. The one new feature that I found amusing was that you can break into other people’s houses and force them to give you all their money. Some will try to play hero and some will try to avoid getting their skulls cracked open with an aluminum bat. Added to that you have dozens and dozens of missions spread out over there cities, making it an experience that will take you more than a couple of weeks. This game could take months just to take in the whole game. I dare not reveal too much more because I will be taking the fun away from you, the gamer.
The visuals aren’t that much of an improvement from Vice City, but that doesn’t bother me. The visuals don’t have as much pop-up or slowdown as they did last time. The environments look less cartoonish and have a more flowing feel to them. The environments are well-reflected by the sun and the moon. This can cause your character to get blinded by the sun, but that seems to help with the atmosphere even more. Only qualms is that there are small problems and the visuals are still mediocre, but considering what you’re seeing it sounds like a moot point.
The controls have finally received the upgrade that they have badly needed. Aiming has been improved with the weapons. There is not only an automatic aim but a manual aim, which allows you to have even more free rein on where you shoot someone. There is the auto target there if you need it. CJ’s aim will be terrible at first, but with some practice with the wide variety of weapons he will be shooting them down like an assassin in no time. The car’s controls are made less sticky and the cars actually move around like real cars. The hit detection is a little more realistic and there aren’t all of these cheap kills marring your progress everywhere you go, which is a small relief. Learning all the fighting moves isn’t hard either and it all comes very naturally. I was glad to not be stuck in the awkward gun duels with my pistol that haunted me many times in GTAIII and VC.
The music has the early 1990’s feel written all over it. There are plenty of radio stations and you would think that all of them would be playing Nirvana. Thankfully, it is not the case. At first, your radio selection will be limited, but as you explore the other cities you will get a taste of all different kinds of music. The talk-radio shows are as irreverent as ever, with all kinds of pointless chatter filling the airwaves. The sound effects have been improved, especially with the cars. They sound more realistic and it doesn’t sound like a new car all the time.
The voice cast isn’t as A-list as Vice City’s, but that doesn’t mean it is any less impressive. Young Maylay, a rapper, does an excellent job as CJ. Some of the better-known actors include Chris Penn and Samuel L. Jackson, as mentioned above, as two crooked cops keeping an eye on CJ. James Woods gives the standout performance as Mike Torreno. Ice-T is excellent as Maddog and Peter Fonda is chilling as a conspiracy theorist known only as “The Truth”. All of the performances are up beyond the usual par and they bring more life to the characters than the voice-overs did in the previous two installments.
All in all, this is one of the most entertaining games I have ever played. That is saying a lot. In the fifteen years I’ve been playing games, this is one of the best games ever. It is so deep, so much fun, and it has almost nothing going against it. Hell, they even added a co-op mode. You and a buddy can go and bag some gangsters. The depth and the fun never stop. Just when you thought there is nothing more that could be done, they add a new twist to the table. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas will likely be the best game of 2004 in a runaway. It would take a lot for a game to be as good as this one. The bar has been raised for all games of this generation. San Andreas is a true masterpiece. -- Chris Vavra, PGNx Media
---- Oct 27, 2004
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