The best game of the series in many respects
User Rating: 8.5 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas PS2
San Andreas has been said by many to be the best game of the series, but many others argue that it began to take itself too seriously with the look of a more 'gangsta' gameplay. The improvements and additions to the game are the muscle/fat metre, which can result in the main character (CJ) dying of a heart attack. You also have several girlfriends who you take on 'dates' (which can include drive-bys followed by a cluckin' bell) and who then take you back to their place for 'coffee.' The missions are not overly difficult, as with the missions in all of the Grand Theft Auto series so far, but the game is addictive, and indeed good enough to play for many more hours after actual mission completion. You can also change CJ's appearance through tattoo parlours, barbers and clothes shops. You can also go to the gym to work out, or eat at the various fast food restaurants to get fat. Another addition to the character is his ability to swim, which means that you are now able to escape from a sinking vehicle. Both the weapons and the vehicls are also of high quality in this game (I am always torn between GTA III and Vice City for their vehicles/weapons divide). The AI on this game is also better than that of its predecessors, with the police and pedestrians working more effectively. On another note, there are also some amusing cheats such as gimp suit (which allows prositutes to follow you) and a d i l d o as a weapon, which you get on killing a prostitute. There is also a sound two player mode, which you can access at your girlfriend's house or at specific locations on the map. A further improvement, if not a small one, on the other GTA titles is the map, which you can more accurately pinpoint locations by setting your own locations. As I said, only a small feature. So yes, overall, I would say that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a very good game, perhaps the strongest in the series so far (but probably not for long with the imminent and ever closer release date of GTA IV) and I would say is value for money, and being a PS2 game is going very cheap practically everywhere, so I would definitely reccomend buying it.
