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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

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San Andreas Box Cover

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the newest video game in the Grand Theft Auto series. Rockstar Entertainment has announced it will release San Andreas for Playstation 2 on October 26, 2004 in North America and October 29 in Europe. A version has also been announced for PC in Q3 2005.

History and speculation

Following the success of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, many gamers online highly anticipated a third Grand Theft Auto game on the Playstation 2 in late-2003. Most theories were shot down when Rockstar had given no announcement of a new game by Summer of that year. The first hint at there even being a new installment was on October 30, 2003, when Take-Two Interactive announced that an untitled “GTA4” game was set for release in “latter half of the fiscal fourth quarter 2004”[1]. By this time, pundits online had two theories about the plot of the game; it would either be based in the city of San Andreas, California (based on Los Angeles) in the modern day, or in Sin City, Nevada (based on Las Vegas) in the 1970s, as both would be ideal regarding new innovative ways to commit crimes, and new storylines that could grow.

On December 17, and December 21, 2003, Take-Two had registered 10 GTA-related trademarks (GTA5, GTA6, GTA: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, GTA: Sin City, Grand Theft Auto: Sin City, GTA: Bogota, Grand Theft Auto: Bogota, GTA: Tokyo, and Grand Theft Auto: Tokyo)[2]. After the information was divulged on January 12, 2004, it seemed likely that most of the titles were either red herrings or possible future incarnations of the franchise.

On March 1, 2004, Take-Two announced in a press conference that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas would be released Tuesday, October 19, 2004 in the US, and three days later, October 22, in Europe [3] and October 29 for Austraila. However, on September 9, 2004 Take-two announced in its third quarter financial results for 2004 that the release date of the Playstation 2 version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas would be pushed back to October 26, 2004 in North America and October 29, 2004 for Europe and November 15, 2004 in Australia to allow for additional pre-release testing. In the same release, Take-Two announced a PC version would be due in the third quarter of fiscal 2005.

Known details

Template:Spoiler

Information about the game began circulating in magazines and on websites on May 11, 2004, including that San Andreas is not just one city, but a whole state, encompassing three metropolises (Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas, based on Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas, respectively), and the countryside in between. Intercity travel is facilitated by a huge freeway system. In interviews, Rockstar's designers have reported that the map is between four and six times the size of the area in Vice City.

The game is set in the early 1990s. While the game is supposed to have a soundtrack of period artists, as Vice City did, there are no reliable reports about what music will be featured or who will be voice acting the characters, though many believe there is a good chance artists such as Dr. Dre and other early 90s hip hop artists will be featured.

Plot

From the information gathered, the basic plot of the game is as follows: You play as Carl Johnson (CJ), a man returning to Los Santos after five years residing in Liberty City. Carl left Los Santos after being blamed for the death of his younger brother, Brian, by his older brother, known only as ‘Sweet’. The sudden death of his mother causes him to return for her funeral, and the subsequent discovery as disarray in his family, and his old gang, The Orange Grove Families prompts him to stay. Sweet, and their sister Kendall are constantly at odds, while the leadership of the gang, Sweet, and longtime family friends Smoke, and Ryder is in shambles, full of quarreling, and being held down by the other local gangs. Carl is also influenced to stay, as two hard-nosed policemen target him as one of the members of the gang. His goal in the end is to bring back the prestige of his family, his gang, and his life.

San Andreas world

Information about the game world and screenshots released so far have focused on Los Santos, featuring landmarks reminiscent of the Watts Towers [4], the Los Angeles Convention Center [5], the Capitol Tower [6], and Grauman's Chinese Theater [7]. According to a preview on Gamespot, the city will have several important areas, including the gang-ridden Grove, busy downtown, wealthy Rodeo, and glitzy Vinewood (complete with giant VINEWOOD sign in the hills). The city is conveniently accessible via the local train system, the Brown Streak.

The German magazine Play the Playstation published a preview revealing that San Fierro would feature Rockstar's interpretations of the Haight-Ashbury district, Chinatown, and the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as cable cars which can be stolen.

Little information has been released regarding Las Venturas, though early interviews revealed the player would be able to take over casinos.

Between the cities is an expansive countryside. Players will be able to climb Mount Chilad, a half mile-tall mountain casting a vast shadow, operate tow trucks, combine harvesters, and quad bikes, and visit 12 rural towns

Gameplay features

Many new features have reportedly been included in the game. New vehicles include bicycles (which feature a new control scheme) [8], trucks with detachable trailers, and police motorcycles. The player can now swim and take over boats by climbing in from the water. For greater firepower, players can wield dual submachine guns or perform a drive-by shooting with several gang members. The camera, fighting, and targeting controls have also been reworked with concepts from another Rockstar game, Manhunt.

Rockstar has emphasized the personalization of the main character. CJ can now get haircuts and tattoos, and the clothes he chooses will have more effect on NPCs' reactions than the clothing in Vice City. He also must eat (for instance, at restaurants such as Cluckin' Bell) to stay healthy, and the balance of food and exercise has an effect on his physical abilites and appearance. He has skills in areas such as driving and shooting that improve through use in the game.

A new activity that will likely continue the Grand Theft Auto series' tradition of controversy is home invasion, detailed in a recent Gamespot feature. Under cover of night, CJ will be able to sneak into a residence and cart off valuables—or shake down the occupants.

Official pages

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