Unlike the previous GTA games San Andreas isn't just a city; it's an entire state with three distinct cities and miles of backwoods areas that separate them from one another. Your adventure begins in Los Santos, an impressive recreation of Los Angeles and its surrounding areas. I’ve lived in and out of LA for the better part of my life and I can attest that the developers did an excellent job of recreating the city of Angels. Your next destination is San Fierro, an upscale snobby type of town that bears a resemblance to San Francisco. My girlfriend lived in San Francisco for the better part of her life so I spent an awful lot of time traveling on the I-80 en route to San Fran. This too is another amazing recreation that really hits the nail on the head. Your last destination is Las Venturas, the glamorous paradise filled with slots machines and all the hookers that you can fit into your ride. It’s an obvious take on Las Vegas but there are some nice touches sprinkled about. Most of the casinos were modeled after real life locales but they all contain tongue-in-cheek names. For instance Caesar’s Palace is now Caligula’s Palace while Treasure Island is now Pirates in Men’s Pants. It’s impressive to see all the lights in front of you, but it’s even more impressive when you realize that you can enter most of the casinos for some good old-fashioned gambling.
What really sells this game to me is just how believable the game world looks. I’ve knocked the franchise in the past for its barren landscapes and the wide open spaces that are supposed to pass for city streets. These days are long past us as each city block is teeming to the brink with the rubbish, foliage and fauna that we’ve come to expect from life. All of the generic store fronts have been replaced with actual stores that actually serve a dual purpose for those who like to travel by landmarks. I also want to commend the developers for creating a city that looks and feels like a city. There’s life at every corner and you really get the feeling that each of these places truly exist in real life. There’s an immersive quality that sort of engulfs you in the experience and allows you to leave the hustle and bustle of reality. It’s also nice to see life unfold around you; if you stop for a moment to watch the people you’ll see that they’re carrying on with their own lives. Some are conversing while others are arguing over minor traffic accidents. It’s really nice to be able to step back and realize that you’re not the only the catalyst that sets the world in motion. You really get this sense that life moves on in the world despite your efforts to screw things up.
Another aspect that reinforces this idea is the audio, namely the music. As you’re driving in an out of San Andreas you’ll have access to a number of radio stations. All of them operate like real-life radio stations with their own DJs and commercial breaks. Since the game takes place in a Compton-like setting it’s fitting that the soundtrack caters mostly to the Gangsta rap audience. If that’s not your bag you’ll be happy to know that there are some hard rock tracks thrown in as well. Vice City’s audio featured encoding for those with DTS decoders while San Andreas only caters to the Dolby Pro Logic II crowd. It’s a shame that the engineers had to downgrade the audio but it was the right move. The price of DTS decoders are coming down but it’s still a very niche market, more people have access to Pro Logic II. Besides, it’s very difficult to tell the differences between the two audio tracks. There are some problems with the clarity in the samples and the separation between channels isn’t as clean, but it still sounds superb. There are some nice touches sprinkled in between as well, such as the way that the radio sounds hollow when you’re riding on a motorcycle. Overall the audio is a step down from Vice City but it’s still superb in its own right.
What you have here is the most polished, feature-laden, action-packed Grand Theft Auto title to-date. I’ve had my qualms with the franchise in the past but this is the first time that I was able to sit back, shut off my brain and enjoy the experience. Sure, there are still some problems with the mission structure, but there’s a good chance that you’ll be too engulfed in the experience to realize these minor deficiencies. Just make sure you realize what you’re getting in to; once you step into San Andreas it’ll be a long time until you’ll want to set foot outside your door again.
A-
When you’ve won numerous game of the year awards and amassed huge success at retail, it’s tough to keep topping yourself. Apparently this isn’t how Rockstar Games sees it as it successfully keeps improving upon its vaunted Grand Theft Auto franchise. Even though the franchise has appeared on the PlayStation 2 for the third time, the series still manages to retain that sense of freshness that makes it so damn addicting.
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