Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
By: Adam Mortensen

Systems: Playstation 2, Xbox, PC
Genre: Action, Adventure
Developer: Rockstar North
Publisher: Rockstar Games
ESRB Rating: Mature
Release Date: 10/25/04 for PS2 version, 6/6/05 for Xbox and PC versions
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Curve: 2-3 Hours
 

Pros	Cons
Lots to do, good story, very long play time, sweet soundtrack, open-ended gameplay, three sprawling cities, good detail, wide assortment of mission types, very fun.	Graphics aren't up to the standards of other games, some bugs still remain, some missions are either way too easy or hard.

Fun: 20 out of 20

I'm usually just a casual gamer but GTA: San Andreas had me hooked so bad I couldn't quit playing. Most of the missions are incredibly fun to play but the real fun comes in between. Just driving around and causing as much destruction as you can is fun. I must have spent hours just driving the streets of the three cities. A few of the missions are incredibly frustrating (especially Supply Lines) and take away from the fun but they can't stop San Andreas from receiving a perfect 20 in the fun category.

Story: 10 out of 10

The story isn't the main focus of the game but it is still done incredibly well. You play CJ who has just returned to Los Santos for his mother's funeral. He is used to be a part of the Grove Street Families gang but left the city to make something out of his life. The Ballas gang is now taking over the city and Grove Street is struggling to maintain it's turf. What happens next is for you to find out.

Innovation: 10 out of 10

The entire GTA series is innovative because it is very open-ended. You still have to do the main missions to progress in the game but you can choose whether or not to do many other "mini missions" and minigames. It also throws a ton of genres into one big package. The game has elements of driving, shooting, action, flying, and fighting genres. Each is done very well.

Controls: 8 out of 10

For the incredible number of different vehicles you can operate, the controls are done pretty well. Some of them aren't perfect but it would be very hard to do so when you have so many to work on. Driving is almost perfect. You will very rarely spin off the road due to bad controls. Shooting is fine but way too simple. All you have to do is lock on to your target and shoot. Flying is difficult (especially helicopters) but I think it should be more difficult than driving a car. Some of it is due to bad controls though.

Graphics: 9 out of 10

Graphics are sort of hit and miss throughout the game. The cities are very detailed and nicely done. However, a lot of the graphics are still blocky and poorly done. This is especially bad on the character models. I don't expect too much but a little bit more work would have been nice.

Sound: 10 out of 10

This category has always been one of the strengths of the Grand Theft Auto series. It has multiple radio stations with a large playlist for each. I'm a country fan so I was definitely happy to see a country/western station added for this game. I could even find a few tunes I liked on the other stations. However, my favorite station was definitely the talk radio one. All the hosts of the various programs on that station were hilarious. I listened to them several times yet still found myself laughing out loud. The voice acting is very well done. It even includes work from stars like Samuel L. Jackson. Sound effects aren't memorable but not terrible either.

Value: 10 out of 10

You can't get much more bang for your buck than you do from this game. There are well over one hundred missions to beat. Those should take you at least thirty hours alone. When you add in the hours that you will spend just goofing around, you will most likely put in at least 50 hours. That is $1 (or less) for every hour of gameplay. In addition, the game is so fun that you are likely to replay it.

Challenge: 10 out of 10

Most of the missions are challenging yet not too much that they become frustrating. There are a few exceptions though. Supply Lines is the worst example. You have to pilot a miniature plane throughout the city while shooting down trucks and motorcycles along the way. After you add in a very limited supply of gas, the mission is nearly impossible. Others are so easy that you can beat them with one hand. Thankfully, these missions are few and far between.

Multiplayer: Only a few multiplayer mini-games; not enough to review

Tilt: 10 out of 10

GTA: San Andreas gets a full ten on tilt for the incredible attention to detail and great humor sprinkled throughout the game.

Overall: 97 out of 100, 97% Must Buy

Links
Gamespy Review
IGN Review
Gamespot Review
Game Rankings
Official Site