Gamenikki
Systems
Screens
Summary
pros
- The game is so long it could conceivably be the only game you need
- Cinematic presentation brought to shimmering new heights
- Soundtrack is already one of the best before adding in the new customization option
cons
- Not a whole lot PS2 owners didn't get long ago
- Is "not quite perfect" a con?
final score
9
The Review
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Number of Players: 2
- Genre: Action
- Developer: Rockstar North
- Publisher: Rockstar
- ESRB Rating: M
- Online: No
- Supports: Custom soundtracks
Following the cultural breakthrough of Grand Theft Auto, pretending you’ve never heard of San Andreas’ existence is pretty silly. After all, each new game is now met with a barrage of ads on everything from movie screens to MTV. Up to a year ago, the franchise was Sony-exclusive, a lucrative deal that assured every new critically-acclaimed instalment would send a new round of consumers to the stores to pick up their PlayStation 2’s. Then something happened. Rockstar released Grand Theft Auto: Vice City with the original GTA 3 on the Xbox as a dual package, finally giving gamers who only have an Xbox a chance to experience the magic for themselves. Now they’ve gone and done the same thing with San Andreas, making many people very happy. For those of us who own multiple consoles, the question is not what new things the San Andreas port can bring to the table. Yes, the graphics are noticeably cleaned up and there is support for custom soundtracks off the hard drive, but that’s not the point. The point is that the Xbox has this game at all.
Each new GTA game is built off the original 3D benchmark entry, Grand Theft Auto III. The Vice City sequel upped the ante with better graphics and a historical spin: stuck in Miami during the coke-addled 80s, you got to be a virtual Scarface and take over the town from the bottom up. San Andreas adds just a bit more to the Vice City formula, adding girlfriends, a main character that morphs along with the in-game experience, and a new historical setting. Now you play as Carl “C.J.” Johnson, a former gangbanger returning to your old neighborhood in Los Santos in 1992. The old brothers consider Carl a sellout who left them to hard times, but as a suitably epic revenge scenario is put in place, Carl and the Grove Street gang prove suitably ambitious to take over all the new business springing up across the area. Modeled after the west coast explosion in rap music and gangster culture, San Andreas can sometimes seem disturbingly close to blaxploitation. But if you ignore that debate and focus on simple gameplay and presentation, there’s no question that this game is easily one of the best on the Xbox and a must-own for anyone without a PS2.
The GTAIII skeleton is starting to show its age, but Rockstar North kept San Andreas feeling fresh by pumping more than an ample amount of new adventure and options into the latest sequel. Now you can pilot aircraft without the use of complex trickery and take over territories from other gangs to collect dough akin to the owning of buildings in Vice City. There’s also the cosmetic changes: a much larger game world, slightly more detailed graphics and an amazingly effective story featuring professional writing and voice acting all over the place. The story of redemption and betrayal manages to juggle enough characters without getting confusing, leading up to a very satisfying and cinematic conclusion.
Each new GTA game is built off the original 3D benchmark entry, Grand Theft Auto III. The Vice City sequel upped the ante with better graphics and a historical spin: stuck in Miami during the coke-addled 80s, you got to be a virtual Scarface and take over the town from the bottom up. San Andreas adds just a bit more to the Vice City formula, adding girlfriends, a main character that morphs along with the in-game experience, and a new historical setting. Now you play as Carl “C.J.” Johnson, a former gangbanger returning to your old neighborhood in Los Santos in 1992. The old brothers consider Carl a sellout who left them to hard times, but as a suitably epic revenge scenario is put in place, Carl and the Grove Street gang prove suitably ambitious to take over all the new business springing up across the area. Modeled after the west coast explosion in rap music and gangster culture, San Andreas can sometimes seem disturbingly close to blaxploitation. But if you ignore that debate and focus on simple gameplay and presentation, there’s no question that this game is easily one of the best on the Xbox and a must-own for anyone without a PS2.
"...But if you ignore that debate and focus on simple gameplay and presentation, there’s no question that this game is easily one of the best on the Xbox and a must-own for anyone without a PS2...."
If you’ve never played a Grand Theft Auto game before (and that would be surprising), the series places great value on an individual experience with enough freedom that it starts to correspond to life. You progress through the game and unlock new areas of the city to explore by completing missions, but the game never forces you to. You could roam San Andreas for hours blowing things up and causing havoc, and the game wouldn’t try to stop you. You could get a job driving a cab, a fire engine or a police car, and the game wouldn’t try to stop you. There is very little the game will ever try to stop you from doing; this is really your gameplay experience, and it comes custom-tailored however you want it. Done correctly, this could very well be the only Xbox game you’d ever need to own, with enough roaming, minigames and hopping through different genres to last upwards of 200 hours for obsessives. Crime sprees, homemade stunts and challenges among friends will keep you coming back long after the already massive game wraps itself up.The GTAIII skeleton is starting to show its age, but Rockstar North kept San Andreas feeling fresh by pumping more than an ample amount of new adventure and options into the latest sequel. Now you can pilot aircraft without the use of complex trickery and take over territories from other gangs to collect dough akin to the owning of buildings in Vice City. There’s also the cosmetic changes: a much larger game world, slightly more detailed graphics and an amazingly effective story featuring professional writing and voice acting all over the place. The story of redemption and betrayal manages to juggle enough characters without getting confusing, leading up to a very satisfying and cinematic conclusion.
Written by: Dave Jesteadt