Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Murton · Post by **Murton** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 3:22 am

So, after a little hassle with my pre-order with Game (now boycotted) I got Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas from HMV as soon as it opened on Friday and I've been playing ever since. My personal review: "It's not a game it's porn" that's just how sweet this game is, I can see this challenging Halo 2 for Game of the Year and maybe even winning it.

Full review without spoilers....

Graphics: awesome, similar graphics engine to Vice City but more polished. Better lighting effects for weather and massively increased draw distance. Better 3d modelling for damaged vehicles and terrain. Added blur effect when travelling at high speeds, a little disorientating, but cool. Score 9/10

Sound: great, sounds effects very similar to Vice City, you can hear a nice sickening noise as you crush a pedestrian with a truck. Radio station music is cool, especially if you like rap, as with Vice City you'd probably stick with one radio station for the whole game and not listen to the others. Way more speach than before, each pedestrian type seems to have endless dialogue and they actually speak to other in the street too. 8/10

Technicals: new physics engine means you have to relearn how to do certain things, bikes are incredible difficult to control at high speed and you can't use the handbrake for every turn without getting terrible oversteer. New "lock on" system displays enemy health and has a maximum range dependant on the weapon being used, outside of the effective aiming range the player has to aim manually. Alongside many other combat and driving system changes, you also have the enhanced AI which makes the cops and rival gangs extremely aggressive while wearing gang colours, what you wear does actually make a difference in all your interactions whether you notice it straight away or not. Also has a nice RPG-like skill building and stat building element which gives you something to do between missions. Score 10/10

Gameplay: Judging by the first few missions and what's available to play around with, this game should amuse for a good while, Vice City held enough longevity for a powergamer who seeks the covetted 100% completion bonus and this game is said to be 6 times bigger than Vice City. As far as the actual gameplay goes, even old school wizards of GTA 3 and Vice City will find this game a challenge with all the changes, I for one am having difficulty with many simple tasks simply because I haven't yet been able to level up the necessary skills on the character. Plenty to do other than just missions and the storyline is unfolded slowly but without losing immersion, immersion is important in modern video games and developing a truly immersive game is becoming a lost art now. Score 8/10

Overall score 9/10 definitely a must have if you've played the previous GTA games, otherwise I strongly recommend you rent this title to try it out and give serious thought to buying it too if you enjoy it.

Anyone else played this and want to put down some thoughts? Feel free to post, all I ask is that you don't post any storyline spoilers, not even from the opening intro sequence. Please show respect for those who are yet to play this great title.

Super Goat Weed · Post by **Super Goat Weed** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 3:21 pm

how can you spoil an open ended game?

anyway, i just got DOA ultimate, so i'm just about done with buying new games until halo2 comes out, my brother will probably pick up GTA:SA anyway, so i won't bother.

Matt · Post by **Matt** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 3:34 pm

Damn goat you bring shit down

Has everyone played Midnight club 2? and manhunt?....both rockstar games

on GTA:SA sneaking missions around houses, the game play is extremly similar to manhunt..

and the nitrus on cars and the blur effect is the exact same as midnight club

fucking great game

Super Goat Weed · Post by **Super Goat Weed** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 8:00 pm

this is a GTA game you're talking about?

i thought manhunt sucked. it was MAYBE a renter, but even then, it really wasn't all that itneresting or fun. and don't get me wrong, i love the GTA series. I're got the xbox exclusive double set of GTA3 and Vice City, both of which are excellent games. like i said, i'll just wait. i'm busy enough with games as it is.

Matt · Post by **Matt** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 10:52 pm

that double exclusive also hit the PS2 then the X-box then the PC over here, kinda not exclusive

Maybe your t.v screen was broken when you played manhunt , it was upside down or you played with no pad

sneaking behind someone and hacking thier head off qualitfys as cool to me, smashin it when there on the floor is evern better, GTA:SA isn't like manhunt, just one tiny bit, but i can bet then next one will be voilent like MH

EchoPark · Post by **EchoPark** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:23 am

Well I love the GTA series and I serouis cant wait to play it but I cant be assed to dust off the PS2 ... that requires to put the Disk drive back together agains. I cant deal with that at the moment. It will come out for everything else late next year I can probaly hold out to that. I can see it being a good winner for the game of the year. If its the golden joystick award, cause Halo isnt on it cause its released to late. But I can tell u all Halo 2 will be quite tough, cause I have played it .... yes I have. I would like to prove to me how I havent. Like I said I am dodgy Dave and Will can even back up my reason to this ... Goat dude u are gonna love it. Anyways yea HL2 may do better but its gonna be close.

Manhunt was alright I didnt see much fun in it for myself really

Murton · Post by **Murton** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 3:18 pm

Half Life 2 is released a couple days before Halo 2 and each is considered a King of fps, but with all the hype surrounding Half Life 2 I can see it taking Halo for a fight, in my own personal opinion, Halo 2 just being the first one again with a new story and more polish, nothing really innovative about it will beat HL2 based solely on the fact that HL2 has gone no further forward than it did last year when it was, allegedly "stolen" like W40k Fire Warrior and Halo PC it needed to be released last year to succeed, HL2 is old news however you look at it and therefore will live via hype alone.

Vandire · Post by **Vandire** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 3:53 pm

If i had the cash, id have the game, i dont have the cash, ergo..

but it looks fucking sweet!!

Darkside · Post by **Darkside** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 6:17 am

I'm probally almost done with this game. I thought Vice city was great, this one just kick's Vice's ass. This game tie's so nicely with the other GTA games. Specailly GTA 3. And most won't remember this, but CJ did play a part in GTA 3.

It's a huge game. Hell of a lot bigger than vice city. Love the voices. although i won't mention them since i don't want to spoil the game.

9/10

and picking up the pre-order before the officail release date was a bitch. where i live you don't see shit like this(first time actually), fucking over 600 people in line. me and my bro left, went back in an hour and a half and my bro seen this girl he knows that was in line when we went the first time. bout an hours wait to get the game, but worth it.

St.Lucifer · Post by **St.Lucifer** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:04 pm

i aint played it but iv been told that...
...if you go into the police showers you can get a purple dildo and kill people with it
can anyone confirm this????

Darkside · Post by **Darkside** » Wed Nov 03, 2004 11:50 pm

I haven't got it that way. but one of the GF's you need to date had one in her house. that shits funny. i'll have to check out a police station. but i have heard the same.

Morbid Angel · Post by **Morbid Angel** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 8:53 pm

What other game can you play where you can run around in just your underwear and sneakers and beat people with a 2 foot purple dildo?

And the alternative radio station = gold. Personal Jesus.

Darkside · Post by **Darkside** » Wed Nov 17, 2004 3:43 am

As far as i know GTA: SA is the only game where you can do that.

It's sad to see how the Po Po entertain themselves. Dildo in the Police stations Bathroom. Sick Pigs lol I gotta get back to exporting cars.

Radio Los Santos = Pure Gold!!

Spider Jerusalem · Post by **Spider Jerusalem** » Wed Nov 17, 2004 4:55 am

Sadistic wrote:What other game can you play where you can run around in just your underwear and sneakers and beat people with a 2 foot purple dildo?

That brings back memories, hun. <3

Super Goat Weed · Post by **Super Goat Weed** » Wed Nov 17, 2004 8:20 am

you should give superman a big purple dildo in your sig

that would friggin rule