Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Rockstar North |
| Publisher(s) | Rockstar Games |
| Engine | RenderWare |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 Microsoft Windows Xbox |
| Release | PS2
Windows Xbox |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single player Multiplayer |
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (GTA:SA) is an action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and fifth original game overall. Originally released for the PlayStation 2 in October 2004, the game has since been ported to the Xbox and Microsoft Windows, and has received wide acclaim and high sales figures on all three platforms.
Set in the early 1990s, the game revolves around the main character, Carl "CJ" Johnson returning home to Los Santos after learning of his mother's murder. CJ finds his family and his old gang, the Grove Street Families in disarray. Over the course of the game, CJ gradually unravels the plot behind his mother's murder while trying to reestablish his gang and return it to its glory days.
Much like the previous entries in the Grand Theft Auto series, San Andreas's critical and commercial success has not been without controversy; hidden content in the game resulted in the game's re-rating and subsequent removal from many retailers' shelves.
History
Following the success of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, many gamers anticipated a new Grand Theft Auto game on the PlayStation 2 in late 2003. The first concrete evidence of a new installment came on October 29 2003, when Take-Two Interactive announced that an untitled GTA5 game was set for release in the "later half of the fiscal fourth quarter 2004".[4] By this time, pundits online had theorized about the plot of the game; it would either be based in the fictional city of San Andreas, California in the modern day, or in Sin City, Nevada in the 1970s. [citation needed]
On March 1 2004, Take-Two announced in a press conference that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas would be released on October 19 2004 in North America, October 22 in Europe, and October 29 for Australia.[5] The first news of the game's content was revealed on March 11, when it was divulged that San Andreas would not be a city, but rather an entire state consisting of three whole cities and the surrounding territory.
On September 9 2004 in Take-Two's third quarter financial results for 2004, it was announced that the release date would be pushed back by a week. In the same release, Take-Two announced the Microsoft Windows and Xbox versions of the game.
San Andreas was released for the PlayStation 2 on October 26 2004 in North America and on October 29 2004 in Europe and Australia. The Windows and Xbox ports were released on June 7, 2005 in North America and June 10 2005 in Europe and Australia.
Gameplay
San Andreas is structured similarly to the previous two games in the series. The core gameplay consists of elements of a third-person shooter and a driving game, affording the player a large, open environment to move around in. On foot, the player's character is capable of walking, running, swimming, climbing and jumping, as well as utilizing weapons and basic hand to hand combat. Players can steal and drive a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, boats, airplanes, helicopters, and motorcycles.
The open, non-linear environment allows players to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. Although storyline missions are necessary to progress through the game and unlock certain cities and content, they are not required, as players can complete them at their own leisure. When not taking on a storyline mission, players can free-roam and create havoc (ie: drive-by shootings, robberies, etc). However, doing so can attract unwanted and potentially fatal attention from the authorities. The more chaos caused, the stronger the response: police will handle minor infractions, whereas SWAT teams and the military respond to higher wanted levels.
The player can also partake in a variety of optional side missions. The traditional side missions of the past games are included, such as dropping off taxi cab passengers, putting out fires, driving injured people to the hospital, and fighting crime as a vigilante. New additions include truck and train driving missions requiring players to make deliveries on time, and driving/flying/boating/biking schools, which help players learn skills and techniques to use in their corresponding vehicles.
Characters
The characters that appear in San Andreas are relatively diverse and relative to the respected cities and locales that each of them based themselves in. This allows the game to include a significantly wider array of storylines and settings than in Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City.
The Los Santos stages of the game revolve around the theme of the Grove Street Families gang fighting with the Ballas and the Vagos for territory and respect. East Asian gangs (most notably the local Triads) and an additional Vietnamese gang are evident in the San Fierro leg of the game, while three Mafia families who own a casino are more prominently featured in the Las Venturas section of the game.
Like the previous two GTA games, San Andreas's voice actors includes notable celebrities, including Charlie Murphy, Samuel L. Jackson, James Woods, Peter Fonda, Frank Vincent, the late Chris Penn, rappers Ice T and Chuck D and musicians Axl Rose and Shaun Ryder
Locations
The fictional state San Andreas is based on sections of California and Nevada, comprising three major cities: Los Santos and the badlands correspond to Los Angeles and the California badlands; San Fierro corresponds to San Francisco; and Las Venturas and the surrounding desert corresponds to Las Vegas and the Nevada desert. Players can climb Mount Chiliad (based on Mount Diablo), a half mile (800 m) tall mountain, parachute from various peaks and skyscrapers, and visit 12 rural towns and villages located in three counties: Red County, Flint County, and Bone County. Other notable destinations include a massive dam (based on the Hoover Dam), a large secret military base called Area 69, a reference to Area 51, a microwave dish, and many other geographical features. San Andreas is approximately 17 square miles (44 square kilometers), almost four times as large as Vice City, and five times as large as Liberty City.
Los Santos
Los Santos features landmarks reminiscent of the Watts Towers, the Los Angeles Convention Center, the Capitol Tower, the U.S. Bank Tower, the Forum, the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Grauman's Chinese Theater. The city of Los Santos has several important areas, including the gang-ridden Ganton, Idlewood and East Los Santos, based on Compton, Inglewood, and East Los Angeles, respectively. Also located in the city are a busy downtown, the wealthy Rodeo and Mulholland districts, beach areas representing Santa Monica and Venice Beach, and glitzy Vinewood (complete with giant VINEWOOD sign in the hills), based on Hollywood.
San Fierro
San Fierro features Rockstar's interpretations of the Haight-Ashbury district ("Hashbury"), the Castro district ("Queens"), Chinatown, and the Golden Gate Bridge ("Gant Bridge"), as well as the city's prominent cable cars and hilly terrain. Several other familiar landmarks have been recreated, from the Embarcadero clock tower and the Transamerica Pyramid ("Big Pointy Building") to Lombard Street ("Windy Windy Windy Windy Windy Street"), and Scottish landmarks such as the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge. There is a district known as "Garcia", a tribute to Grateful Dead frontman and San Francisco native Jerry Garcia, and San Fierro's City Hall closely resembles San Francisco's ornate city hall.
Las Venturas
Las Venturas is home to several casinos, where the player can partake in blackjack, poker, roulette, or play slot machines. Off-track betting parlors are also available in the game's other regions. In addition to gambling, strip clubs are also prevalent in Las Venturas. Many real Las Vegas Strip casinos are faithfully interpreted on Las Venturas' Strip, including the Excalibur Hotel and Casino ("Come-a-Lot"), the Sphinx and pyramid of the Luxor Hotel ("The Camel's Toe"), and the Pioneer Club, with Vegas Vic and Vicki[6] replaced by Vice City characters Avery Carrington and Candy Suxxx.
Plot synopsis
Carl discovers his best friends, Big Smoke and Ryder, are working with the crooked Officer Tenpenny and Grove Street's hated rival gang, the Ballas. Smoke and Ryder help the Ballas ambush Sweet, who is then arrested by Tenpenny and thrown into jail. Tenpenny kidnaps Carl and ditches him in the distant rural countryside. Carl, realizing Tenpenny is his only hope for staying out of jail or potentially seeing Sweet released, continues to run the cop's crooked errands.
Carl steadily befriends new allies, among them, blind Chinese gang leader and businessman Wu Zi Mu; the seemingly aloof but extremely knowledgeable hippie The Truth; and Cesar, a former Hispanic gang member who, like Carl, has been betrayed by his old friends. Carl, along with Cesar, Kendl (Carl's sister and Cesar's girlfriend), and The Truth's friendly technicians, works to open a garage in San Fierro. After finding and killing Ryder, Carl becomes immersed in the affairs of a shady government agent, Mike Toreno, who implies that he will release Sweet if Carl helps him with his covert operations. At Toreno's assertion, Carl avoids Los Santos and instead works alongside Wu Zi Mu to promote the growth of a new casino in the mafia-run Las Venturas. Carl enjoys newfound wealth and eventually returns to Los Santos. Toreno gets Sweet released early from prison, but to CJ's surprise, Sweet wants no part of Carl's new lifestyle and insists on reestablishing the GSF rather than rest on the laurels of Carl's success.
Tenpenny goes to trial for several felonies, but the charges are dropped for lack of evidence as all the prosecution's witnesses are either missing or dead. Tenpenny's release sends the citizens of Los Santos into a citywide riot, similar to the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. Fueled by Sweet's resolve to topple Big Smoke, who has become the city's biggest drug kingpin, Carl reacquires lost gang territory and hunts down the traitors responsible for aiding in the drug business that destroyed the Grove Street Families. He kills Smoke, after which Tenpenny shows up and flees with Smoke's drug fortune. Sweet and Carl pursue Tenpenny through the streets of Los Santos, finally forcing him off a bridge, killing him. The final scene shows the Johnson family reunited, with Carl walking out the door, saying "Fittin' to hit the block, see what's happening." Template:Endspoiler
Differences from previous Grand Theft Auto games
Unlike Vice City and GTA III, which had loading screens when traveling between different districts of the city, San Andreas has no load times when the player is in transit. The only loading screens in the game are for cut-scenes and interiors, which is notable, given how much larger the game map is than in the previous games. Other differences between San Andreas and its predecessors include the switch from single-player to multiplayer Rampage missions, and the replacement of the "hidden packages" with spray paint tags, hidden camera shots, horseshoes, and oysters to discover.
The camera, fighting, and targeting controls were reworked to incorporate concepts from another Rockstar game, Manhunt, including improved target crosshairs that change colors from green to red to black depending on the target's health, as well as various stealth elements.
New features
New vehicles include bicycles, trucks with detachable trailers, police motorcycles, operable tow trucks, combine harvesters, quad bikes, fixed-wing airplanes, a VTOL military jet fighter, a jet pack, and trains. In total, there are nearly 200 vehicles in the game, compared to the 85 in GTA3. In addition, players can swim and climb walls for the first time in the series. For greater firepower, players can also wield dual firearms or perform a drive-by shooting with multiple gang members. Also, due to the immense size of San Andreas, a waypoint reticule on the HUD map can be set, aiding the player in reaching a destination.
Rockstar has emphasized the personalization of the main character. Clothing, accessories, haircuts and tattoos are now available for purchase by CJ, and have more of an effect on non-player characters' reactions than the clothing in Vice City. CJ's level of respect among his fellow Grove Street gang members varies according to his appearance and actions, as do his relationships with his girlfriends. Players must also ensure CJ eats to stay healthy but also exercises properly. The balance of food and physical activity has an effect on his appearance and physical attrirubtes. If CJ eats too much and does not exercise, he will grow fat and move slower. If he fails to eat at all, he will become less muscular and, eventually, will lose health.
San Andreas also tracks acquired skills in areas such as driving, firearms handling, stamina, and lung capacity, which improve through use in the game, adding an RPG aspect to San Andreas. CJ may also learn three different styles of hand-to-hand combat at the gyms in each of the game's three cities. CJ can also speak with a number of pedestrians in the game, and Rockstar claims that he has a total of about 4200 lines of spoken dialogue.[7]
The game's artificial intelligence was also improved. No longer can the player beat a pedestrian to death on a busy street in broad daylight and have bystanders not respond. While most pedestrians will flee or duck for cover, some armed civilians and enemy gang members will attack CJ, and friendly gang members will shoot at and pursue his opponents. This makes the previously mentioned foreign-turf invasions more difficult than one might expect. The area's occupants will resist, and will frequently draw weapons. Cops will now chase other rival gang members who are committing crimes, instead of just the player.
Other new features include:
- Car modification: Most automobiles in the game can be modified and upgraded at various garages. Most car mods are strictly visual, adding aesthetic appeal to the vehicles, as opposed to those which improve the performance. Common modifications include nitrous oxide tanks, hydraulics, paintjobs, rims, body kits, and stereo system upgrades.
- Gang wars: The goal is to gain as much territory within the city as possible in order to earn money. Battles with enemy gangs are prompted whenever the player (either alone or accompanied by fellow Grove Street Families members) ventures into enemy territory and kills 3-4 gang members. If the player survives multiple waves of enemies, the territory will be won and fellow gang members will begin wandering the streets of these areas. Occassionally, your territory will come under attack from enemy gangs and defeating them will be necessary to retain these areas.
- Robbery: Continuing the series' tradition of controversy, home invasion is included as a potential money-making activity.[8] By stealing a robbery van, CJ is able to sneak into a residence at night, and cart off valuables or shake down the occupants.
- Minigames: Numerous minigames are also available for play in San Andreas, including basketball, pool, rhythm-based challenges (dancing and "bouncing" vehicles with hydraulics), and video game machines that pay homage to classic arcade games. In addition, there are the aforementioned casino games and methods of gambling.
- Multiplayer: A two-player cooperative mode has also been added for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions. Accessing this mode will launch a series of special objectives similar to "Rampages" from previous Grand Theft Auto games. Two human players will be able to travel by car or on foot. Both players are required to remain on the same screen and within a reasonable proximity of one another.
Music
Just like the previous two entries in the Grand Theft Auto series, San Andreas has an extensive amount and variety of tracks taken from the time period the game is based in. Notable inclusions to the game's soundtrack include Depeche Mode, Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, Guns N' Roses, Snoop Doggy Dogg, N.W.A., 2Pac, Dr. Dre, Stone Temple Pilots, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
San Andreas is serviced by eleven radio stations; WCTR (talk radio), Master Sounds 98.3 (rare groove), K-Jah West (reggae), CSR (new jack swing), Radio X (alternative), Radio Los Santos (gangster rap), SF-UR (house music), Bounce FM (funk music), K-DST (classic rock), K-Rose (country) and Playback FM (classic hip-hop).
The music system in San Andreas was enhanced from previous titles. In earlier games in the series, each radio station was essentially a single looped soundfile, playing the same songs, announcements and advertisements in the same order each time. In San Andreas, each section was held separately, and "mixed" randomly, allowing songs to be played in different orders, announcements to songs to be different each time, and plot events to be mentioned on the stations.
Weapons
The weapon selection in San Andreas is similar to that of Vice City. As in Vice City, weapons are categorized by type, and the player can carry only one weapon in each "slot" at a time.
- Slot 1: Hand: bare fist, brass knuckles
- Slot 2: Melee Weapons: baseball bat, shovel, cue stick, katana, golf club, nightstick, knife, chainsaw
- Slot 3: Handguns: 9mm pistol,[9][10] silenced 9mm pistol, Desert Eagle
- Slot 4: Shotguns: pump-action shotgun, sawn-off shotgun,[9] combat shotgun (SPAS-12)
- Slot 5: Sub-Machine Guns: TEC-9,[9] micro-SMG (Micro-Uzi),[9][10] SMG (H&K MP5)
- Slot 6: Assault Rifles: AK-47, M4 Carbine
- Slot 7: Rifles: hunting rifle, sniper rifle[10]
- Slot 8: Heavy Weapons: rocket launcher, flame thrower, heat-seeking rocket launcher, minigun
- Slot 9: Explosives and Incendiaries: hand grenade, (lethal) tear gas grenade, Molotov cocktail, remote satchel charge
- Slot 10: Handheld Items: fire extinguisher, spray paint, camera
- Slot 11: Gifts: flowers, a cane, dildos, and vibrators which can be given to CJ's girlfriends
- Slot 12: Special Items: thermal/night vision goggles, parachute
- Slot 13: misc.: detonator
Crossovers from other GTA games
Many characters, locations and fictional elements from previous Grand Theft Auto games reappear in San Andreas, at times with minor modifications due to the difference in time periods. Due to the fact that Vice City occurred before the events of San Andreas, crossovers from that game are more prominent, although there are also numerous crossovers from GTA III, as well. One of the most notable is Catalina, who accompanies CJ on a number of robbery missions. Catalina was the girlfriend and betrayer of GTA III's protagonist, who also makes an appearance in San Andreas. Main character CJ refers to him as "that mute asshole" referring to the fact that GTA III's main character never spoke during the game. Another is the actual arrival in Liberty City during a mission. Ken Rosenberg also makes a few appearances later on in the game, as does Kent Paul.
Reception
San Andreas was generally praised as one of the PlayStation 2's best games, with an average score on Metacritic of 95%.[11] IGN rated the game an unprecedented 9.9/10, calling it "the defining piece of software" on the PlayStation 2.[12] GameSpot rated the game 9.6/10, giving it an Editor's Choice award.[13]
Most criticisms of the game stemmed from graphical mishaps, poor character models, and low-resolution textures, as well as various control issues, particularly with autoaiming at enemies. Some critics commented that while a lot of new content had been added to San Andreas, little of it had been refined or implemented well.[14]
Hot Coffee controversy
In mid-June 2005, a software patch for the game dubbed the Hot Coffee mod was released. The name "Hot Coffee" refers to the way the released game alludes to the unseen sex scenes. In the unmodified game, the player takes his girlfriend to her front door and she asks him if he would like to come in for "some coffee." He agrees, and the camera stays outside, swaying back and forth a bit, while moaning sounds are heard.
After installing the patch, users can enter the main character's girlfriends' houses and engage in a crudely rendered, partially clothed sexual intercourse mini-game. Patch codes using Action Replay that allowed the scenes to be accessed in the console versions were subsequently found. The fallout from the controversy resulted in a public response from high-ranking politicians in the United States and resulted in the game's recall and re-release.
On July 20 2005, production of the game was suspended and the game received a revised ESRB Rating of Adults Only, making San Andreas the only mass-released AO console game in the U.S. Rockstar has given distributors the option of applying an Adults Only ESRB rating sticker to copies of the game, or returning them to be replaced by versions without the Hot Coffee content. Many retailers pulled the game off their shelves in compliance with their own store regulations that kept them from selling AO games. Rockstar North released a "Cold Coffee" patch[15] for the PC version and re-released San Andreas with a Mature rating. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions have also been re-released in a "GTA Trilogy Pack"[16] for Xbox, and a Special Edition for PlayStation 2 that includes the documentary film Sunday Driver.
Myths and easter eggs
San Andreas is distinct from the previous two games for a large amount of propagated myths. Shortly after the release of the game, several message boards sprouted claims of alleged Bigfoot and UFO sightings, and several alleged photographs were released, all of which have been proven to be fake. One easter egg put in the game as a joke is located at the top of the Gant Bridge as a sign reading, "There are no easter eggs up here, go away.".
Bonus material
The Introduction, a machinima video, was provided in a DVD, along with the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack, as well as the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Special Edition re-release for the PlayStation 2. The movie chronicles the events leading up the events in San Andreas, and provided insight on the development of the characters of the game, to the point when Carl learns of his mother's death in a phone call from Sweet and returns to Los Santos.
Notes and references
- '^ GTA San Andreass ratings information at MobyGames. URL accessed on August 28, 2006.
- ^ "OFLC (New Zealand) rating" (PDF). New Zealand Customs Service. Retrieved August 26.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - '^ GTA San Andreass Windows System Requirements at Take-Two Interactive. URL accessed on August 29, 2006.
- ^ Perry, Douglass C (2003). "GTA 4 Date Confirmed". IGN.
- ^ Coleman, Stephen (2004). "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas". IGN.
- ^ Super Signage - NEVADA (page 1)
- ^ Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Weekend Update: Street Talking, GameSpot, October 23, 2004
- ^ Greg Kasavin, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Weekend Update: Robbery and Home Invasion, GameSpot, August 13, 2004
- ^ a b c d These weapons can be dual-wielded when the player reaches the maximum skill level with them.
- ^ a b c The in-game model for the "9mm pistol" resembles an M1911, although it's actually a GLOCK 17 as seen in the HUD icon, and Ryder's gun in the first Ryder mission, and the HUD icon for the "micro-smg" resembles a MAC-11, although the in-game model is that of a Micro-Uzi. Also, the HUD icon for the "Sniper rifle" resembles a PSG-1, however, the weapon in-game is a generic bolt action rifle lacking a pistol grip rather than the semi-automatic PSG-1.
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/grandtheftautosanandreas
- ^ http://ps2.ign.com/articles/559/559560p1.html
- ^ http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/gta4/review.html
- ^ http://gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/39128.shtml
- ^ No More Hot Coffee, Rockstar Games, 2005
- ^ Tim Surette, GTA gets trilogized, San Andreas special edition, GameSpot, September 23, 2005
External links
- Official sites
- Rockstar Games' official Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas website
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas fan site
- Teaser sites
- Cluckin' Bell
- Darius Fontaine's Fear it, do it program
- The Epsilon Program
- eXsorbeo
- Forgotten Legends of West Coast Rap
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