Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Revision as of 22:53, 4 May 2008 by GuildKnight (talk | contribs) (no longer the most recently released)


GTA San Andreas
GTA San Andreas
GTA San Andreas box art
GTA San Andreas box art
Set in 1992
Location

San Andreas:

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
ADVERTISEMENT


Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is Rockstar North developed GTA III era game, and so has references to storylines and characters from both GTA III and GTA: 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 set in 1992, and centers around the return of Carl Johnson (also known as CJ) to his gang (the Grove Street Families), and their subsequent return to power.

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.

Storyline

Five years ago Carl 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 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.

Game Information

  • 100% Completion — Detailed information on how to complete the game 100%.
  • Myths/Legends — detailed information on all the rumors, myths, legends and glitches in san andreas
  • Criminal ratings — a list of the different criminal ratings in San Andreas and how many points you need to reach them
  • Girlfriends — information on all six girlfriends in San Andreas.
  • Main Story Missions — Walkthroughs for all of the main story missions.
  • Collectibles — Information about the types of items that can be collected.
  • Businesses — There are many different types of businesses featured.
  • Statistics — Different statistics are used to track your progress and have several categories such as "Gang", and "Player".
  • Vehicles — Many vehicles are available.
  • Weapons — Numerous Weapons are available.
  • Crime — Information about Police, Wanted Levels, and related gameplay elements.
  • Schools — Information about the types of schooling offered such as the Pilot School.
  • Vehicle Missions — Missions are available for specific vehicles.
  • Places — Many different locations are within San Andreas.
  • Safehouses — There are many safehouses available.
  • Gang Warfare — Gang Warfare is a tactical section of gameplay which involves taking over enemy gang territories and can be very hard at times.
  • Radio Stations — The radio stations heard in-game.
  • People — The people make the gameworld immersive.
  • Cheats — Cheat codes are available for the PS2, Xbox, and PC versions.
  • Mods — Third-party mods add different elements to the game.
  • Controls — The controls are different for PS2, Xbox, and PC versions of the game.

Gameplay features

Many new features have been included in the game. New vehicles include bicycles (which feature a new control scheme), trucks with detachable trailers, police motorcycles, operable tow trucks, combine harvesters, quad bikes, aircrafts, military jet fighters and trains.

New to the players character is the ability to swim and climb up and over short walls and fences. For greater firepower, players can also wield dual firearms or perform a drive-by shooting with several gang members. The camera, fighting, and targeting controls were reworked with concepts from another Rockstar game, Manhunt, including improved target cross-hairs that change colors from green to red to black, depending on the target's health.

Rockstar has emphasized the personalization of the main character. Clothing and accessories (which players can buy at some of the game's many clothing stores), haircuts and tattoos are now available for purchase by CJ, and have more effect on NPCs' reactions than the clothing in Vice City. Players must also ensure CJ eats to stay healthy, obtaining food from fast food restaurants such as Cluckin' Bell, street vendors, diners, bars, and nightclubs. The balance of food and exercise has an effect on his muscularity and appearance. If CJ eats too much in a short period, he will get sick and throw up; if he overeats periodically, he'll get fat and move more slowly while on foot; if he fails to eat, he will become less muscular and, eventually, will lose health. San Andreas also features skills, in areas such as driving, firearms handling, stamina, and lung capacity, which improve through use in the game. CJ may also learn three different styles of unarmed combat at the gyms in each of the game's three cities.

A new activity that continues the Grand Theft Auto series' tradition of controversy is home invasion [1]. Under cover of night, CJ is able to sneak into a residence, and cart off valuables or shake down the occupants.

Numerous minigames are also available for play in San Andreas, including basketball, pool, rhythm-based challenges involving dancing and hydraulic vehicles, and video game machines that pay homage to classic arcade games such as Gyruss, Defender and Gradius, in addition to the aforementioned methods of gambling.

Another improvement to the game is the AI. No longer can the player beat a pedestrian to death on a busy street in broad daylight and have bystanders not do anything: while most pedestrians will flee or duck for cover, some armed civilians and enemy gang members will attack CJ, and friendly gang members will shoot at and pursue his opponents. This would make the previously mentioned home invasions more difficult than one would expect because the occupants will resist, and in some cases, draw weapons.

File:Sapreview2.jpg
The in-game character creates graffiti. Rockstar's interpretation of the Nuestro Pueblo can be seen in the background.

The player can also voluntarily enable CJ to conduct dialog with a number of pedestrians in the game, including drug dealers, prospective girlfriends, and fellow gang members. CJ's level of respect among his fellow Grove Street gang members varies according to his actions, as do his relationships with his girlfriends. Rockstar claims that CJ has a total of about 4200 lines of spoken dialog.

A two-player cooperative mode has also been added for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Two-player icons are found in several key locations in the San Andreas world. Setting foot on one of these icons and pressing any button on a second controller starts up a series of special objectives similar to a "Rampage" in previous Grand Theft Auto games. Two human players will be able to go in a car or on foot. Both the players are required to remain on the same screen and within a reasonable proximity of one another.

Official Site