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GTA San Andreas

GTA San Andreas box art
Set in	1992
Location	San Andreas: Los Santos San Fierro Las Venturas
Protagonist	Carl Johnson
Platforms	PlayStation 2 Xbox PC Xbox 360 PlayStation 3
Developers	Rockstar Games
Publishers	Rockstar North
Engine	RenderWare
Ratings	ESRB: M → AO → M PEGI: 18+ BBFC: 18 OFLC (NZ): R18 OFLC (AUS): MA 15+ → RC (banned) → MA 15+ USK: 16+ DJCTQ: 18
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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a Rockstar North developed GTA III Era game, and so has references to storylines and characters from both Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It is the only game so far set in the fictional state of San Andreas, consisting of three cities: Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas, and includes vast expanses of countryside, forests, and a desert as well as a mountain. The game is centered around the return of protagonist and former gangbanger Carl "CJ" Johnson to his gang, the Grove Street Families, and the gang's subsequent return to power.

Storyline

Five years ago, Carl "CJ" Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in his hometown, Los Santos, San Andreas. Now, it's the early '90s, and he's got to get back 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 the homicide of a police officer. Carl is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and take control of the streets.

The game initially deals with Carl's return to Los Santos, his attempts to keep the surviving members of his family alive and together, and his efforts to bring the Grove Street Families back to the top of the Los Santos gang circle. Carl is, for the first act, stuck in Los Santos, prohibited by the villainous C.R.A.S.H. to travel outside the city and its' immediate countryside. However, as Carl uncovers betrayal within his own gang, he is exiled and forced to find his way in the cities of San Fierro and Las Venturas.

As he remains away from Los Santos, Carl develops investment opportunities and financial stability in both San Fierro and Las Venturas, from a chop shop, to a stake in a casino, to pulling off a massive bank heist. By the time he is able to return to Los Santos, he is blinded by his success and, initially, sees nothing in his former hood. But all it takes is his family's guidance to snap him out of his selfishness once more and enable him to finally ensure that Grove Street is king.

Audio

Audio File
File:GTASA-Theme.ogg
GTA San Andreas Theme Song	Author: Michael Hunter

Gameplay

The protagonist of GTA San Andreas, Carl "CJ" Johnson

San Andreas is similarly structured to the previous two games in the series. The core gameplay consists of elements of a third-person shooter and a driving game, affording the player a large, open environment in which to move around. On foot, the player's character is capable of walking, running, swimming (the first GTA game in which diving is possible), limited climbing and jumping, as well as using weapons and various forms of hand to hand combat. Players can operate a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, boats, airplanes, helicopters, trains, tanks, motorcycles and bicycles. Players may also import vehicles rather than steal them. Carl is Grand Theft Auto's most customizable protagonist due to the possibility in-game to change his clothes, tattoos, hairstyle and even his body mass in which he can be fat, skinny or muscular. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas also reintroduces over-the-top-gameplay seen in games such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, The Ballad of Gay Tony, and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

Game Information

• 100% Completion — Detailed information on how to complete the game 100%.

Grand Theft Auto series chronology of events 2D Universe GTA 1 Era 1961 – London 1961 1969 – London 1969 3D Universe GTA III Era 1984 – GTA Vice City Stories 1986 – GTA Vice City 1992 – GTA San Andreas 2D Universe GTA 1 Era 1997 – Grand Theft Auto 1 3D Universe GTA III Era 1998 – GTA Liberty City Stories 2D Universe GTA 2 Era 1999 – GTA 2 3D Universe GTA III Era 2000 – GTA Advance 2001 – GTA III HD Universe GTA IV Era 2008 – GTA IV – The Lost and Damned – The Ballad of Gay Tony 2009 – GTA Chinatown Wars GTA V Era 2013 – GTA Online 2013 – GTA V

• Assets — Assets are places where you can periodically go to collect a predetermined amount of money.
• Businesses — There are many different types of businesses featured.
• Carl Johnson - The protagonist of the game.
• Characters — The people who make the gameworld immersive.
• Cheats — Cheat codes are available for the PS2, Xbox, and PC versions.
• Collectibles — Information about the types of items that can be collected.
• Controls — The controls are different for PS2, Xbox, and PC versions of the game.
• Criminal ratings — A list of the different criminal ratings in San Andreas and how many points you need to reach them.
• Gameplay Features — Gameplay mechanics and features in San Andreas.
• Gang Warfare — Gang Warfare is a tactical section of gameplay which involves taking over enemy gang territories.
• Girlfriends — Information on all six girlfriends in San Andreas.
• Main Story Missions — Walkthroughs for all of the main story missions.
• Mods — Third-party mods add different elements to the game.
• Myths/Legends — Detailed information on all the rumors, myths, legends, and glitches in the game.
• Plot — The whole plot that makes the gameworld story understandable.
• Radio Stations — The radio stations heard in-game.
• Restaurants — See the food-chains in San Andreas
• Restricted Areas — Area 69 and The Easter Basin Naval Base.
• Safehouses — All of the accessible safehouses and how to obtain them.
• Places — Many different locations are within San Andreas, you might want to visit them all.
• Schools — Information about the types of schooling offered such as the Pilot School.
• Statistics — Different statistics are used to track your progress.
• Trailers — Trailers showcasing this game.
• Vehicle Missions — Missions are available for specific vehicles.
• Vehicles — A list of the numerous vehicles found in the game
• Weapons — A list of the various weapons found in the game.
• The Helicopter Sniping Trick
• Get Rich Quick Betting Trick

Other releases

PlayStation 3 release

On December 11th 2012, Rockstar announced that GTA San Andreas had officially been released on the PlayStation Network, making the game available for players on the PlayStation 3 platform.

GTA San Andreas Mobile Edition

On November 26th, Rockstar announced that much like the two games preceding it, a mobile version of GTA San Andreas would be released - the game was released for iOS on 12 December 2013, with an Android and Amazon Kindle version released on 19 December 2013 and a Windows Phone version on 27 January 2014. The mobile version featured remastered graphics, consisting of dynamic and detailed shadows, greater draw distance, an enriched color palette, plus enhanced character and car models, although a number of songs were removed from the soundtrack, presumably due to licensing issues. The mobile version was later ported to the Xbox 360 on October 26, 2014, the game's 10th anniversary, replacing the Xbox Original version that was previously available, and introducing Achievements.

Reception

Prior to its release for the PlayStation 2, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was one of the most highly anticipated video games of 2004, along with Halo 2. San Andreas met most of these expectations, as it was praised as one of the PlayStation 2's best games, with an average review score on 95%, according to Metacritic, tying for the fifth highest ranked game in PlayStation 2 history. IGN rated the game a 9.9/10 (the highest score it has ever awarded to a PlayStation 2 game), calling it "the defining piece of software" for the PlayStation 2. GameSpot rated the game 9.6/10, giving it an Editor's Choice award. San Andreas also received an A rating from the 1UP.com network and a 10/10 score from Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. As of March 26, 2008, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has sold 21.5 million units according to Take-Two Interactive. The Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition list it as the most successful game on the Playstation 2, with 17.33 million copies sold for that console alone, from a total of 21.5 million in all formats. The New York Times' Charles Herold gave the only non-positive review for San Andreas, giving it a 'mediocre' rating of 6.0 out of 10, criticizing the "annoying" mission structure, and the casualness of the intense violence featured in the game.

Nearly ten years on, San Andreas continues to receive considerable acclaim, though its dated graphics are a consistent point of criticism even from the game's staunchest supporters. It frequently ranks as a favourite amongst fans of the series, and constantly divides older fans from newer fans who were introduced to the series through - and also believe the best game in the series to be - Grand Theft Auto IV. Nonetheless, opinion polls and "best of" lists continue to rank San Andreas as the best Grand Theft Auto game ever, and one of the greatest video games of all time in its' own right.

Sales:

• PS2 - 17.4 million
• PC - 2.3 million
• Xbox - 1.9 million

Controversy

The game has received widespread acclaim for its technical achievements and free gameplay. However, it also received widespread criticism - initially due to its "gangster" elements, which include drugs, prostitution, and murder; but later due to the discovery of disabled interactive sex scenes, nicknamed Hot Coffee, which could be re-enabled using third-party mods. This led to the re-rating by the ESRB of the game from Mature to Adults-Only until a second version, with the sex scenes fully removed, was released.

Trivia

• GTA San Andreas contains many references to the popular 90s Hood Film "Boyz n' The Hood". Some characters in the game are visually and/or mentally based on characters from the film, as well as some events that take place.
• Strangely, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City beta elements can be found in the files. The beta files consist of the beta map, beta intro and outro pictures, and beta loading screen. These may be leftovers from Vice City.
• GTA San Andreas is also the first Grand Theft Auto to include many features, such as customizing Carl Johnson in many ways (Clothes, Tattoos etc.), ability to go to the gym and gain muscle, and the ability to go on dates with girls, and also have 'Hot Coffee'.
• In the top right frame on the cover of the game, a street sign saying Grove Street / Glen Park is shown, implying the two streets intersect. In the actual game, the two streets are in different parts of the city.
• The protagonist of Bully, Jimmy Hopkins, was born around the time GTA San Andreas takes place.
• Famous author Stephen King mentioned Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas while speaking out against HB 1423, a bill pending in the Massachusetts state legislature that would restrict or ban the sale of violent video games to anyone under the age of 18. King stated at one point: "...it would forbid a 17-year-old, legally able to see Hostel: Part II, from buying or renting Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which is violent but less graphic..." King also opined that such games reflect the violence that already exists in society, which would not be lessened by such a law, and would be redundant in light of the ratings system that already exists for video games.

Trailers

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External link

• Official website