In nearly a quarter century of game playing I’ve rarely anticipated a game as much as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Likewise, I don’t remember a game meeting my expectations so well without leaving an unforgettable kernel of doubt somewhere deep in my consciousness - until GTA: San Andreas. If you haven’t also been anticipating this game, chances are, you know someone who has been. And if not then you’re probably reading this review from the control deck of a space ship somewhere in Alpha Centauri because no one like you exists here on earth.

Since details came slow on San Andreas the hype built up slowly but as steadily and certainly as the cholesterol that causes a heart attack. Looking back upon the history of sequels, it’s difficult to trust that a developer can outdo time and time again their latest installments in a series. But for now, pessimists and nay sayers will need to put down their doubts and pick up a joystick. San Andreas is what we all hoped it would be and a whole truckload of stolen merchandise more.

C.J., the game's main character, has just returned to San Andreas after his mother’s death to find his old gang, the Orange Grove set, in disarray and the hood besieged by their sworn rivals, the Ballas, from all sides. After a decisive run in with a cop who seems to know him well, C.J. decides to stay in town and help rebuild his gang set. From the mute, no name character in GTA: 3 to Tommy Vercetti and now C.J., the series has evolved into a distinctly cinematic experience. Dialog is well written and the pacing, point connection and elasticity of the story are smooth like a well-directed movie. Characters are fleshed out more than before and the family oriented conjunctive nature is almost like an RPG.

GTA:SA is stellar for all of the same reasons the series has ever been - plenty of cars, great control, racy themes, comprehensive and interesting mission based game play, freedom in an expansive environment and seedy criminal orientation. All of these have been expanded, tweaked and upgraded and the environment and every other aspect of the game dwarf Vice City many times over. So what makes San Andreas anything more than just a bigger, prettier Vice City with more options? For starters, San Andreas obliterates the scant extra’s we were given in all previous games. Almost everything in San Andreas can be customized from C.J.’s hair, clothes and physique, to the cars he jacks, the territory he controls, how well he is respected in his hood, etc., etc. Lifting weights and exercising will improve his stamina and make him buff, eating too much and driving everywhere will make him slow, sluggish and heavy. The first ten to twenty hours of game play can easily be consumed by materialistic pursuits - desperately trying to make some cash to try out all of the shops and features, lifting weights and exercising or jacking cars and souping them up into hood hoopties with nitrous oxide, hydraulics, expensive rims, grills and even bass speakers among other things. It’s literally overwhelming especially when matched with the size of the state of San Andreas.

Grand Theft Auto without cars would be like Friday the 13th without half-witted, sex starved naked teenagers gallivanting in the woods. San Andreas is about cars, cars and more cars, trucks, boats, planes, bicycles and all sorts of other vehicles. While there is not a huge amount of vehicle types that we are not used to there are some that are quite exotic like the Camper which looks like an old Volkswagen van, and the oil tanker which is about a block long. But cars like the low rider, which is kind of familiar but enhanced for this game, are customizable adding a great deal to the variety of available cars.

Thrown into the familiar GTA mix is a healthy sampling of relevant mini games and peripheral missions. Though the main missions are similar to those in Vice City in format they are ultimately much more engaging with multiple parts composing a whole. For instance, in one mission C.J. helps one of his homies, Smoke, against a Russian gang in a shootout which leads to an epic car chase halfway across Los Santos with Smoke driving and C.J. rattling off shots from the back of a bike. The missions feel fuller, more important and much more integrated into the storyline.

There is also a new focus on cash flow in the game. In Vice City money was little more than a side note allowing you to buy weapons and property. As cool as this was it felt very scripted since you got only a certain amount of money from each mission and freelance money-taking rarely afforded more than pocket change. In San Andreas your palms start to itch from the opening scene. A quick ride around your hood will stoke the flames of capitalism as you find tattoo parlors, restaurants, a pool hall, clothing stores and 24hr. grocers. Later there are mod shops, more expensive clothing stores, AmmuNations and various other ways to waste your hard stolen cash.

Since the bulk of the first ten to fifteen missions reward you only with respect in the hood and very little money, players are forced to find inventive ways of making ends meet. Much like in Vice City, mistaking someone’s skull for a baseball a few times consecutively will yield a few dollars. Jacking taxis will add the cabbie’s fare to your wallet and, after a few missions, you’ll be able to back a van up to some fool’s house and make off with their TV set, VCR and Stereo under the cover of darkness. What’s amazing is that the game manages to instill in the player a sense of desire for all of these material items - tattoos, car upgrades, sunglasses and bandanas. A bit of patience can find you sitting on a nice lump of cash with a souped up ride and some slammin’ gear.

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Posted: October 30, 2004