|
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Review for PlayStation 2 (PS2)
Posted on Wednesday, December 15, 2004 @ 03:05:51 pm E.S.TThere have been many words used to describe the Grand Theft Auto series in recent years, some of those being "controversial", "unique", and "trendsetting". But there's one word that gamers can't deny when it comes to GTA games ever since Rockstar decided to take the games to a more traditional 3D format: brilliant. When the PlayStation 2 was crying out for a decent hit to help push consoles into the homes of gamers, while it took a while to get there, once GTA3 was released, there was no more searching. This continued with the 80's-themed sequel that was released the next year, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. After selling millions of copies of both games, Rockstar went back to the drawing board to create a game that would hopefully again revolutionize the gaming industry. The final product? Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, a game that takes everything you thought possible in video gaming and amplifies it tenfold, yielding one of, if not the, greatest games in the last 10 years.
Taking place in the fictional state of San Andreas, you play the role of Carl Johnson. After living in Liberty City (the place in which GTA3 took place, and the first of many jokes and references made to previous games in the series) for 10 years due to complications caused by the murder of a police officer, Carl comes back to the 'hood after he receives word that his mother was killed in the crossfire of a drug deal. This leads you back to the wonderful West Coast state of San Andreas, a place where your dreams can be made or crushed in the blink of an eye. Carl moves back into his old stomping grounds of Los Santos, where he gets back to the old gangbangin’ days of hanging with his brother Sweet and his two boys Big Smoke and Ryder. Needless to say, restrictions to the streets of Los Santos soon end (don’t worry, no spoilers here), and the entire state of San Andreas is exposed, piece by piece, with each town and city having its own feel and look that definitely makes each location more memorable than the last.
The state of San Andreas is basically divided up into three cities: Los Santos, which is a direct replication of Los Angeles (and is also the home of the main character); San Fierro, which brings the excitement of the urban, hilly terrain of San Francisco without the tasty rice treats; and Las Venturas, the city that captures the bright lights and big dreams of Las Vegas. Amazingly, gone are the load times that existed when crossing between cities in previous games they’re now replaced with rural towns and deserts that have memorable moments within themselves. The pure size of the state of San Andreas, though, is what makes this game such a breathtaker, as it literally takes 21 minutes to cross from the northern-most to the southern-most point of the state, as opposed to GTA’s Liberty City, which you could easily cross in under 8 minutes. While the disc that the game is stored on is a dual-layered DVD disc, it’s a wonder how they managed to pack all of the sprawling life that is in the state of San Andreas into the disc.
Oh, and what a wonderful life there is. Every single character, whether it be Carl himself or any other NPC in the game, has their own unique, memorable personalities. From your fellow gang members to radio personalities, even the pedestrians all have their own attitudes that stand out among one another. As the story unfolds, you’ll learn about characters in a way that makes you almost feel connected with them, as if you are actually Carl as opposed to just playing a video game. Kudos to Rockstar for being able to get this idea conveyed so perfectly; hopefully this innovative, trailblazing series will lead to many other games following in its footsteps once again, this time in being able to make the player feel more like they’re in the game.
One of the main new features that is put on the forefront in San Andreas is the customization options on…well, just about everything. Want to be an exact replica of Wesley Snipes early in his career? Go to the barber and get a blonde Mohawk. Then drive down to the local Binco or Zip and pick up some military-esque clothing (or maybe you should just buy some heart-covered boxers and pull a Ghosts and Goblins on your homies). After you have the basic look down, head to the gym and start pumping weights. Eventually, you’ll be buff enough to look just like him. Want a car that would rival those from Fast and the Furious? Just pull into the auto shop, get some nitrous tanks installed on the car, and get a bass boost on the audio system just for added effect. Just about anything you could get your hands on is customizable, and half of the fun of the game is found in playing around with combinations in looks, from the badass to the absurd.
However, the one thing that makes any game is the gameplay. Many complaints have popped up in recent years about the GTA gameplay – is the concept of running around and stealing any car available getting stale? Thankfully, Rockstar mixes in bunches of new features and other various additions that make the game feel almost like something brand new. There are new maneuvers that have been derived from that other popular ultraviolent Rockstar game, Manhunt, as stealth maneuvers (such as sneaking and slitting throats of unsuspecting enemies) have been brought into the game. Leveling up in a style that almost screams “role playing game” has been added as well in just about every aspect, from your ability to fire various weapons, to driving ability, even your skills at picking up the ladies. It’s amazing how far the GTA series has come since the days of the PlayStation; small additions such as these make the games almost feel like a whole new series whenever a new iteration is released.
The graphical style that was featured in the last two GTA games comes back in full form, with shine added to make it look at least a little more advanced as opposed to its predecessors. While there are some amazing cutscenes that will wow you with a flash of beauty on rare occasion, those looking for absolutely breathtaking graphics at all times need not apply here; the game does look like it’s a bit dated. The only true exception to this rule is the weather effects; never before has fog looked so realistic, and the thunder just looks so wonderful off in the horizon. As far as character models are concerned, though, maybe it’s about time Rockstar starts to pick up the pace and get with the times.
Just as with previous GTA games, the audio is absolutely superb. As always, there are a good amount of radio stations that vary so much in content that pretty much anyone can at least find one to listen to. Need a little bit of good ol’ country? Turn the dial to K-Rose to hear classic tunes about tractors and broken hearts. Do you feel like you need to create a more urban feel to the game and listen to some gangsta rap? Whether you need to get your fix from the east coast (Playback FM) or from the west side (Radio Los Santos), you’re covered. And of course, the talk radio station, WCTR-FM, will provide laughs for hours with asinine events happening at every turn. It’s amazing how deep the radio is, though; as you progress through the game, you’ll hear news of recent events on the radio at various times. While this idea was touched upon in GTA3 with the announcement of the opening of bridges to new areas, it’s never quite been this in-depth, as you’ll hear from characters that you’ve met throughout the game seemingly at all times. The pedestrian comments are funny as is expected, and the sound effects are pretty realistic. In all, the audio is extremely impressive, and is continuing to blaze trails for gaming in the sound department.
In all, San Andreas proves to be a very deep and intuitive game, taking over 60 hours just to finish the storyline and can even take up to 150 hours to reach 100% completion. Taking a step forward from being your average action game and leaning to an almost RPG-like style, GTA: San Andreas proves to be not only a revolution in the Grand Theft Auto series, but is sure to turn developers’ heads when it comes time to create new games. Just as with GTA3, expect many clones to come out in the next few years. Just don’t expect them to be this good. Review By: Matt Hack - 4293 Reads
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Review Scores for PS2 :
| Gameplay |
| 9.5 |
| Graphics |
| 8.5 |
| Sound |
| 10 |
| Replay |
| 10 |
| Overall |
| 9.5 |
|
Go Back |
Reviews Index |
Post About It
|
