A few years ago when I played GTA3, I was really impressed on how it evolved from previous GTAs and now, years later, I am once again amazed on how Rockstar Games continues to churn out these great GTA sequels, particularly Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
The initial premise for the game is very interesting, you start as Carl "CJ" Johnson in a town called Los Santos, in a state called San Andreas. CJ is just coming back from prison and happens to bump into his "old friends" Tenpenny and Pulaski, two very corrupt cops. This starts the animosity that occurs constantly throughout the game and sets the first few stages of the game. Throughout the game, you will encounter double-crosses, gang wars, hijackings and other crazy stuff. You will be very impressed with this game's story, which in my opinion tops every other game's story. You can really connect with CJ, even if you're not a punk-ass gang banger.
The gameplay once again is top-notch. All the good things in GTA have been incorporated here in San Andreas and have been further expanded. You can now tune up your car with nitros or add a new paint job to that dreary Perennial. The import-export garage, unique jumps, insane stunts, buying assets are all back including some new stuff like the Low Rider Competition, going out on dates, eating, getting fat, and even disco!
Other gameplay issues have been addressed by Rockstar such as the targeting system. The one in Vice City had me sometimes shooting walls instead of people. But the one in San Andreas is much better. Also the RPG elements that were introduced were also very innovative. You could go from an average guy with a gun to a guy who can wield two pistols or shoot while running without much effort. Also the missions are very well thought out, from a bank heist to sabotaging a dam, all the missions make you feel like you are a part of a grand scheme and are really fun.
Graphics-wise, San Andreas is much better than it's predecessors. Although not as graphically beautiful as other games like DRIV3R or The Getaway, it's still pretty good looking. Hey, you've got to give credit to Rockstar, if it had great graphics to the already great gameplay, we might have been so blown away, we would have fainted. And besides, graphics aren't the strong suit of the GTA series. Still, the effects are all pretty good, the blood is OK and the character model are pretty good too.
In the sound category, once again, San Andreas never fails to impress. Once again back are the radio stations, each with their own quirky hosts. Old hosts such as Lazlow and Fernando Martinez also make cameo appearances on the radio shows. The music is really well-suited to the era. From the rap to the rock, you could really feel that you were in the 90's. Also the sound effects are very good, the sound of bullets firing from guns and the splashing sounds are perfect.
The only problem I have with San Andreas is during the later half of the game, I started experiencing glitches with the game and sometimes the missions would lock up on me. That led to a fairly aggravating playtimes. But beside those minor glitches, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is a really great game.
If you are looking for one of the best games to be released in 2004, then you should choose Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, because it is a truly great game. And if you miss it, you should be ashamed.
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