Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Written by Adam Woolcott  on July 08, 2004

First Impressions: Ghetto Theft Auto?

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It's a rare feat when one of the most talked about games at E3 wasn't even at E3. Such was the case however, with Rockstar's latest installment of the Grand Theft Auto series, San Andreas. With info trickling out little by little during the timeframe of the show, the hype meter for San Andreas has risen, especially with all the great new details of what's to come reaching the masses. No question, the two years between Vice City has been used well, to not only enlarge the world of GTA, but improve on what was already a near-masterpiece of game art. It's sure to generate more controversy than ever before, but that will only lead to millions of dollars more for Rockstar Games. In a busy holiday season that sees some of the most anticipated PS2 games ever released, Grand Theft Auto is still the star of the show.

San Andreas takes place in the early 1990's, not too far removed from the mid-80's of Vice City. You'll be playing as Carl УCJФ Johnson, an ex-gangbanger from the Orange Grove Families gang, fresh out of the Liberty City prison (I detect a pattern hereЕGTA III guy escapes, Vercetti is released, as is CJ). He returns home to Los Santos, and while he wants to be clear of the gang lifestyle, his friends back home draw him back in amidst the chaos of a gang war. Most assuredly, the end goal is to own the entire state of San Andreas, like any other GTA game. The main controversy to touch on is the theme itself Ц playing as a black character in a world of gangbangers is sure to raise eyebrows, especially compared to the Mafioso-tinged tones of the previous two games. Time will tell just how much hell is raised before San Andreas hits stores in October.

Notice one thing in that last paragraph though Ц the state of San Andreas. That's right, while GTA has always been one city, San Andreas will actually be composed of three cities, and some smaller areas as well. Each one will be based on a real-world city, but not to the letter (like Liberty/Vice). Los Santos, where the game begins, is a facsimile of Los Angeles, with the ghettos like Compton (a natural comparison seeing as this takes place in the early 90's when Dr. Dre was in his prime). San Fierro will be San Francisco-esque (meaning lots of killer jumps for Unique Stunts!), and Las Venturra will be the Las Vegas counterpart. Each city is promised to be the size of Vice City, which meansЕcripes, this is one huge-ass game. It all will be fit on one of those fancy DVD 9 dual-layered discs, so no worries about how all this is going to be doable seeing as Vice City was told to be maxing out what could be done size-wise on PS2.

However, it's not just the scope of San Andreas that's improvingЕthere's many new additions. First and foremost, there's the customization of your character. New things like being able to go to the barbershop to get a haircut (in-mission if you see fit), working out, and even feeding your character make CJ your own creation. Eat a lot and don't exercise, and you'll be a fat-ass, and the pedestrians will call you as much (granted, you could just kill them for saying it). Don't eat much at all and you'll be a weakling and unable to do many missions. It won't be like The Sims, but you will occasionally need to take a break with a pizza from Well-Stacked, or some health food joint. The focus is still on the traditional GTA gameplayЕthis is just an extension of that.

There are some other gameplay enhancements on the way. The targeting system is getting a major overhaul, with a more Manhunt-like approach to using weapons. Seeing as GTA III and VC had occasional troubles with the weapons fighting, it seems to be a good change. For the first time, you can actually organize fellow friends into hitting a mission with you, and seeing up a drive-by shooting on an opposing gang member (a bit disturbing, but ah well). You also can actually set up and rob houses now (an evolution from robbing stores in Vice City, naturally), which requires plenty of strategy unless you want to spend some time in jail. That's entirely optional, though I figure it's a 100% requirement. Certainly, all this will be done with the usual tongue-in-cheek Rockstar North attitude, taking the edge of what could be a bit of a disturbing game if it makes itself too serious.

Perhaps the lone thing not mentioned is the soundtrack. The early 1990's were a definitive era for music, with the birth of grunge, the mainstream influence of gangsta rap, and the dying breaths of old-time heavy metal and hair bands. It was a strange time with two eras, one ending, and one beginning. Needless to say, Rockstar could have a hugely awesome soundtrack on their hands. But as of yet, nothing has been mentioned on the subject, so it's unknown. Hopefully it will be as good as the amazing Vice City soundtrack. And hopefully, they won't take the easy route and have each city have the same stations Ц each one should have their own ridiculous DJ's, ridiculous commercials, and ridiculous talk shows to humor us. If there's no burnt-out 80's hair metal station somewhere, I willЕbe forced to hurt someone.