Los Santos Municipal Athletic Association

I finally got some time with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas this weekend. The build-up to Halloween and a busier-than-usual week outside of work meant that I had enough time to buy GTA:SA but not much time to actually sit down and play the darn thing. I had a good chunk of Sunday to myself, however, which meant that in between flipping between the NFL games, I had ample opportunity to try out several missions in GTA:SA's Los Santos.

Simply put, this game is jam-packed with content. Some of it is obvious, such as the huge variety of missions. Other touches are more subtle, like the suprisingly large number of clothing options available to you (my CJ will now permanently roll in his Los Santos Slappers hockey jersey). There's so much to see and do and shoot and punch and rob and... ahem, well you get the idea.

In an effort to keep this post sports gaming related, here is my list of five sports mini-games found in GTA:SA. Some you have to look for a little harder than others:

1. Lowrider street racing -- Need for Speed, eat your heart out.
2. Inner city biathlon -- High-powered assault weapon? Check. Stationary targets? Check. Snow and cross-country skis? Don't need 'em.
3. Fencing -- No not the kind with foils and mesh masks, mind you.
4. Various summer Olympic events -- The 1000 meter arrest-evading sprint; Greco-Roman back alley beatdown; powerlifting for nihilists.
5. Synchronized swearing