A well rounded game that will keep you playing for months
Now I don't get as much time to play video games as I used to, but still I am getting in an average of 45 minutes a day. I purchased this game at the end of August, and I still do not have 100% completion. In fact, I only have 85%. This is partly to do with the fact that the storyline missions only make up 50% of the game, and the fact that there is simply so much to do. The story itself has over 100 missions for you to complete, and there is a massive range of side missions to do to. Everything from street racing to truck driving to BMX trialing is covered. So, to get to the point, this game is incredible value for money! It cost me only £12 to buy, and I don't think £12 has ever gone further and been better value than this purchase!
Those familiar with the 3D incarnations of Grand Theft Auto will take to SA very quickly. The graphics have not changed significantly, appearing to be a "cleaned up" version of Vice City. Talking of Vice City, there are a few characters in this game that you may recognise from there, as well as a few familiar faces from GTA3. This adds a lot of continuity to the series and helps to tie in long running plots from the entire GTA universe. By the time that you complete the story of SA you will have a good idea of the motives and reasons for many of GTA characters actions.
In terms of sound, I feel that this is a little bit of a step down from Vice City. The script is well written and has some funny moments, though a lot of VC's dark humour has gone. The radio stations are also more understated, with the exception of the hard rock station K-DST. This station is full of brilliant comedy moments, but mainly serves to highlight the weaknesses of the other stations. The general script also features far more obscenity than previous games, which fully earns the game its 18+ rating.
The other sound issue is in the reliability of the sound itself. The game seems to suffer from random sound glitches that cause the sound to simply cut out completely. In these situations the only solution is to restart the game. There seems to be no explanation for these sound glitches - my machine comfortably meets the recommended system requirements. Thankfully this glitch is not frequent, so doesn't greatly detract from the experience.
As I've said, the game features a wide range of side missions - many of which are new to the series. Perhaps the most obvious of these are the turf wars. While they are not required for 100%, completing them makes your life a lot easier. The premise is that gang controlled territories are split between your gang and two others, and that you must invade rival gangs turf to take it over. The issue is that they will do the same to you unless you can take control of everywhere. Driving through rival gang turf is a risky business as you will find that your rivals will shoot at you/your car when you enter. Needless to say, eliminating the opposition makes life a lot easier! Another neat new addition is the ability to swim. Finally no more death when your characters touch water! The swimming works very well and is used to good effect in a few missions.
The story of SA is long and detailed. You play as a character named Carl Johnson, who is returning to San Andreas for his mother's funeral after five years in Liberty City. He soon learns that his homies have fallen on hard times and that control of the city lies in the hands of a corrupt police officer. It is up to you to help Carl get his 'hood back together and take control of the State.
Now I use the word State wisely, as unlike previous GTA's San Andreas comprises more than one city. In fact it is made up of three, separated by expansive countryside featuring numerous small villages. Driving across the entire map can easily take 15 to 20 minutes! Each city is based on a real US city (Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas), and the land separating them ranges from remote countryside to desert and even features a mountain. The size of the map definitely complements the size of the storyline and adds to the epic feel of the game.
The difficulty level of the game is quite a mixed bag. For the most part the missions are not especially challenging, however there are a few highly frustrating and difficult ones. On the whole, it is easier that Vice City and GTA3. Some missions do comprise multiple parts and can take a long while. These are particularly frustrating when you fail the mission in the latter parts! Of course, these long missions do bring with them a great sense of achievement when you defeat them. The game is really worth playing though as some of the missions are GTA classics - the sort of missions that you will remember when you think of favourite gaming moments of all time!
The controls are very similar to previous GTA games. This is fine for the use of all land or water based transportation, however it is a shame that the aircraft controls still haven't been fixed. Needless to say, most of the aforementioned "difficult" missions involve flying. Hopefully these controls will be fixed by the next PC GTA game.
So to sum up, this is a fine addition to the Grand Theft Auto series, and a must own for gaming fans. There are definitely weaknesses with the script, with audio problems, and with the controls, however the game has so many positives that these can be overlooked. The story is fantastic and ties together many over-arching stories from the rest of the series, the game world is huge - featuring vastly different and beautifully detailed areas, and there is just so much to do in the game outside of the large main story that the game will keep you occupied for a long, long time! While the adult humour has been turned down for this game, their is a sharp rise in the amount of profanity used, which means that the game is deserving of its 18+ rating. I think that the profanity could have been turned down a lot so that the game would be more readily available to all ages. On the whole though it is a fantastic game that would sit proudly in anyone's collection. I highly recommend it!