So you want to be a gangster?
What's to like:
- Huge area to explore
- Many mini-games
- Freedom of doing what you want
- Long campaign
- Great character development
- Great replay value
- Superb level design
- Superb voice-overs
- Superb animations
What you may not like:
- Unfocused story
- F/B/N-words used in abundance
- Intense violence
- Weak radio stations selection
- Uninteresting Dates
- Character models are very blocky
- Low-res textures on characters
- Weak ending
- No map key
- Few bugs, game crashes and weak enemy AI
Note 1: Version played: PC, 3.00 with no mods.
Note 2: Violence and language is only mentioned so that the reader is aware of it and is in no way a reflection of this reviewer's preferences.
Story
You play as Carl Johnson ("CJ"), a car theft enthusiast that has been recalled home to attend his mother's funerals.
Upon your arrival, trouble will come your way really quickly. Your family is struggling with gang related issues and also, some crooked cops are blackmailing you in doing tasks for them.
From that point on, you will be the instrument in fixing everyone's problems. In doing so, your fortune and influence will expand; up to a point that you will get entangled in some unwanted business.
The first 15-20 "in the 'hood" missions are coherent as everything seems to be related and have purpose. The immersion is total and you really feel like that typical brotherhood gangster. Unfortunately, after you complete the first area (out of 3), it will deviate up to a point to make you lose complete sight of your original goal. The actual missions you get from that moment on are more or less odd jobs that you are surprisingly willing to do without any real incentive given.
For the last area, the ending on its own is quite unsatisfying, as you don't directly deal with your nemesis. What's also a bit awkward is that the story tries to justify anything you do in a positive manner, as if you were a good guy, which totally makes no sense on so many levels. For instance, you are against drug dealing and yet, will allow pushers to do their work on your streets. Your character will run over and kill hundreds of people and yet, you will pretend to want to save lives in the story cut scenes. Why not make it a gangsta all the way? There is no need to pretend otherwise as it makes the whole game setting incoherent. If we are to play a bad guy, we should assume ourselves and be bad guys; there shouldn't be any shame to it. The "bad guys" in this story are actually good - unlike you.
The missions' difficulty ranges from trivial to somewhat, hard. You will find yourself doing a lot of trial and error despite the very good instructions you get while doing them. It can also get frustrating at times when you are done with a mission and while on your way back to officially complete it, the spawning engine decides to backstab you. For instance, you've just completed your task, are on your way back and while moving the camera, the spawning engine pops a police car right in front of you, you hit it, get a star (this means the police is after you now) but because you fell from your bike, you end up automatically "busted" and have to redo the whole mission. That goes to say you cannot save a game during a mission. Save points are located at your house(s) and sometimes close to a cluster of missions.
On the other hand, the variety of the missions is great and some are highly satisfying (especially those that require you to do some sky diving).
Story breakout
There are a considerable amount of scripted story segments in GTA:SA. Each of them is superbly choreographed: the voice actors are perfect, the animations are great (facial or else) and the script is just immersive. It's unfortunate the actual textures are of such low quality, probably a result of a direct console port. Still, Kudos to the Choreographer, rarely a special note is given to this aspect of a game, so good job to the team that worked on it.
Player stats
There are some RPG elements as well. You can "level up" on many attributes. Running frequently will increase your stamina, lifting weights will increase your muscle mass, using often the same gun will make you more proficient with it and so on. Your actual character model will reflect the muscle mass and fatness that you currently have, which is a nice touch. You can also customize your looks by buying clothing and the like in stores. The clothing will influence your Sex Appeal and the Respect received.
You can walk, run, sneak, roll, jump, climb, swim (surface and under) and sky dive. Most of those skills are affected by your physical attributes.
Game
GTA:SA shines by its long story and especially the million things you can think of doing. The world in which you are thrown into is huge and begs to be explored.
Though some areas will only become available to you only once you've progressed far enough into the story, if you are not doing a mission, you are free to go and do whatever you like. Whether it's cruising around town, attacking people on the streets or playing one of its many mini-games, the choice is all yours.
Vehicles
What would GTA be without cars? You are still capable of taking any car you get your hands on from anyone. Despite cops being on pretty much every square foot of San Andreas, you will face very little opposition. Some of them will try to fight back, but they never pose any real threat.
Sometimes, after hitting another car, they will go on a Road Rage on you. This is actually quite a lot of fun as they are really doing a good job at trying to destroy you(r car) and can actually keep up with you.
There is a wide range of vehicle types available: cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, planes, helicopters, etc. All of them are unique in their behavior (traction, acceleration, maximum speed, break, etc.) and really behave like you would expect them to. The only issue that could be mentioned is about planes and choppers. Controlling them requires the use of many keys, so it might take you a while to get used to the controls, but once you are past that, the planes and choppers are tons of fun to pilot.
One neat feature of GTA:SA is the ability to customize your vehicle. You will be able to apply new paint designs, turbos, hydraulic systems (to make your car hop), and other related tweaks. This is good for your car collection and car races, though, not as much for your mission-to-mission use, as you will lose them if you bring them with you.
The cars spawn in the same fashion as we are used to: usually where you are not looking. This can lead to some unrealistic behaviors. For instance, you could be riding on the highway with nobody in front of you and then look back for a second (to get a better vehicle maybe) and get into a big crash before you know it. This happens because the game spawns new vehicles when your "back is turned". Another example would be while speeding your way through traffic on a highway, then to have everyone come to a full stop because the spawning engine decided to spawn a bicycle in your lane. I also once had a plane spawn on the strip...!
Radio
One could wish Rockstar had taken more time in their song selection. You still have the different types: Chat, Country, Funk, Hip Hop and Rock but no Dance, not much Pop and no Punk. The Alternative station isn't really alternative. You have a few notable songs (Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode), Welcome to the jungle (Guns 'n Roses)), but they are quite limited. The actual commentators are usually funny the first time you hear them, but they get old real quick. The hip-hop channel might feel like the best station for the experience -- but you really can't associate GTA:SA with the 90s.
Dates
During your adventures you will meet a few girls. In order to get a Date, you need to fit the girl's requirements (style, muscle, etc.). Once she is your girlfriend, you will be able to take her around for a bite, go to a dance club or simply for a ride. Maximizing a relationship will grant you access to some Special items, like clothing and vehicles.
Some dates are also part of the main plot. Those are actually entertaining while the other ones are unfortunately bland, as you don't get to do anything interesting with them. There is no romance or uniqueness about them. So it quickly gets repetitive and a bit of a hassle. Though, if you are really interested in the rewards, then be prepared to taste some of GTA's Cold Coffee.
Mini-Games
There are many mini-games at your disposal in GTA:SA, here are a few of them:
- Car races, Taxi rides, Pimping rides, Pool, Arcades, Blackjack, Sky Diving, etc.
Gym & Unarmed combat
There are 3 unarmed combat styles: Boxing, Kung Fu, and Kickboxing. They don't play a big role but are still satisfying to use here and there. Weapons are much more useful.
You can train at the Gym to increase your muscle mass, your stamina and your fighting kills. Know though, that you won't need to go to the Gym frequently. If you spend some time maximizing all your attributes early on, you probably won't need to go back again.
Weapons
There are many weapons available. Some can be bought, others can only be found. You lose them all when you die. So dying will probably make you want to reload your last saved game instead of simply continuing. Note: there is a girlfriend that allows you to keep them when you die if you max out your relationship with her.
Among the weapons you can find, the most notables are:
Katana, Chainsaw, Flame Thrower, Rocket Launcher, Sniper Rifle, AK-47 and C4.
San Andreas
One of the best aspect of GTA:SA is how well designed the world is. There is everything from poor quarters to pro-stadiums. You will explore mountains, deserts, rivers, highways, small villages and of course, bigger cities. The people wondering those streets really reflect the type of area you are in at a specific time of the day. Everything is very well designed and looks really good.
Conclusion
Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas is definitely bringing the crime fantasy to life. Though it has its share of flaws and falls short in delivering a complete experience in the actual campaign and on some of its side quests, GTA:SA still shines by the freedom of its design, its great gameplay and its insanely high amount of features available that will bury you and keep you entertained for days.
Great Game, 8.8/10