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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Written by: Bobby Blades
This game delivers for most GTA fans so I have to give a solid eight.
Imagine my surprise when I walked into my local video game store and the kid behind the counter tells me, “Hey, we are taking pre-orders on GTA.”
“Wow, already?” I responded.
“Yeah, with Vice City, the people were lined up around the block, so you better do it now but it won’t be out until October.”
Well, when he told me that I laid down my five bucks and patiently waited, well – as patient as I could, being the GTA fan that I am.
Flash forward seven months when it’s finally released. I pick up the game early and rush home, rip the plastic off the box and put the disc into my PS2 as fast as possible.
And my initial response?
Disappointment.
Now before the hardcore gamers go bonkers on me, I still had a lot of fun playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. And contrary to those who were giving this game high praise months before it was even released, it is not perfect, but still fun and frustrating in spots.
The Pros: The music-- Rockstar delivers with a stellar soundtrack consisting of 2Pac, Soundgarden, Public Enemy, NWA, Dr. Dre, Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, Gun’s n’ Roses, Stone Temple Pilots, and even Willie Nelson. Though I’m not a big country music fan, even I started singing along to Whitey Shafer’s “All My Exes Live in Texas” after hearing the song several times.
The voice acting is also a big plus. There is a superb cast consisting of Samuel L. Jackson, Ice T, James Woods, Chris Penn and Peter Fonda, not to mention the title character of Carl “CJ” Johnson that was well done by Chris Bellard. And the funniest character is Jeffrey “O.G. Loc” Cross, excellently done by Jonathan Anderson.
The story-- CJ is a likable criminal who comes home to find his mother has been murdered and that he is being framed by the cops for another murder. CJ’s getting back with old friends and his dealing with a troubled relationship with his brother combine to set off the complex story line that takes you through a fictional Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. It pays homage to movies like “Menace 2 Society” and “Boys ‘N The Hood” which Rockstar pulls off real well.
There are plenty other fun things to mention like: the improved gun handling; variation of cars to jack; improved aircraft control; the BMX riding; the gambling; and many more which the fan boys of the game can pontificate on from their self-righteous GTA pulpits.
The Cons: Not being able to drive with the control pads. This took the wind out of my sails right off the bat. For those who are as PS2 controller challenged, as I am, this was more than just a minor inconvenience – it was near catastrophy. I don’t like driving with the stick and I had gotten so used to driving with the pads that when I had to use the sticks -- It was like Drivers Ed. all over again. Are you control pad drivers feeling me? For the next installment of GTA I hope they leave an option open for those who like to use the pads.
The extras: So what did I lose my driving pads for? Just for the ability to give positive or negative responses during missions, which added nothing to the game play for me. The haircuts, clothing, weightlifting, cardio, tattoos, eating pizza and the progress with girlfriends within the game added very little to the overall enjoyment of playing the game. Also the cursing was way overdone. I know. I know. I’m starting to sound like a grandpa. But it was a bit too much with all the F-bombs, though I know what Rockstar was trying to accomplish by accurately portraying the hood.
The graphics: No one buys this game for the graphics. I certainly don’t care about pixel rates and other things like that. You buy this game to have hooker humping, car jacking, gang shooting fun filled adventure. But – and here‘s the big but – why did they feel the need to add this blinding sunshine? It was to the point where the screen was near white with reflective rays. I know they wanted to add realism but it was super distracting and didn’t make the game fun at all. This kind of realism, I don’t need. It’s like adding a wife character that yells at you to do the garbage, mow the lawn, and put the toilet seat down, realistic but unnecessary.
The vast game area: Bigger is supposed to be better right? Well, if you’re in the porn industry it certainly is, but with San Andreas this lead lots of tedious driving time which is about as much fun as flossing your teeth.
Overall, this game delivers for most GTA fans, so I have to give a solid eight.
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