First Impressions:

As the fifth installment of the Grand Theft Auto series, San Andreas had big shoes to fill; Vice City, the fourth title, provided gaming fun the likes of which had never been seen before. Fortunately, San Andreas meets and beats that challenge with new cars, new weapons, an added Sim-like quality, and a totally new brand of hero.

Five years ago Carl Johnson was a gang-banging member of the Grove St. Families in Los Santos, proud of a life filled with violent chaos. But then his brother’s death brought a reality check that sent him fleeing to Liberty City (the site of Grand Theft Auto III) to escape a similar fate, regardless of the guilt he felt at the decision. Now, it’s the early 90s, and CJ’s mother has just been killed, another victim of gang violence. CJ returns home for the funeral, but as soon as he steps off the plane he finds himself framed by the police for a cop-killing, and guilt-tripped by his older brother Sweet into avenging their mother’s death, which Sweet insists was foul-play. CJ must wade through lies, deceptions, and double-crossings to discover the truth, making friends and enemies along the way, as his path leads him not only through Los Santos, but San Fierro and Las Venturas as well.

The story is much more personal than other titles in the Grand Theft Auto franchise have been; it’s not just about getting set up and craving vengeance. Carl has to face how he feels about his family, how he feels about himself, and how he feels about the world he’s been living in, ultimately discovering his own identity out from under the shadow of his elder brother. Not that there’s any lack of vengeance, of course, which adds an interesting element to the self-discovery storyline.

Graphics:

GTA fans have become accustomed to a certain style of animation in these titles, a sort of blockiness that almost makes them look low-budget, and San Andreas has that same quality. This is not to say that it is low-budget, or that there is any lack of attention to detail – quite to the contrary. Windows in cars and buildings smash when you run into them; mud, blood and rain splash onto the screen and are even tracked along sidewalks when people walk through puddles; cars have recognizable makes and models; even the landscapes of the cities (Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas) are amazingly similar to the real world.

Sound/Music:

Many of us were impressed when, in Vice City, the designers secured movie stars to do the voice-overs for the mafia characters (Ray Liotta, Tom Sizemore, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper, Fairuza Balk, etc.). They did a similar thing in San Andreas, but sticking with the gang-banging style of the story, this time they got rap artists for main characters and used Samuel Jackson, Chris Penn, James Woods, Peter Fonda, and other A-list actors to round out the cast. Also of note are the goofy comments of “extras” heard when Carl walks down the street from other pedestrians, or the shouted curses when car crashes produce road rage in unsuspecting fellow drivers.

And just as Vice City had the hits of the 80s on the radio stations in the cars, San Andreas uses songs we fondly remember from the 90s. The radio DJs include returning GTA favorites Maurice and Lazlow, as well as Axl Rose of Guns n’ Roses fame, Wil Wheaton, and comedian Andy Dick.

The audio design of the game is phenomenal as always. Crashes, sirens, weapons fire, water lapping upon the shore, everything is reproduced as realistically as possible.

Gameplay:

The folks at Rockstar went above and beyond when it comes to authenticity in San Andreas. Sometimes frustratingly so, as when Carl is knocked from his motorcycle in the middle of a chase, and it goes skidding away from him, or in manipulating vehicles through traffic jams. But unlike the other GTA titles, in San Andreas Carl actually gets better at things the more time he spends doing them. There are all sorts of skills that he develops over time, from driving and bicycling to stamina and lung capacity; even Carl’s sex appeal has a stat bar. To maintain optimum performance, he must eat healthy meals and exercise regularly. Hunh. There may be something to that…

The control is pretty precise, with different models of cars handling in distinct ways. Sports cars, when totally “opened up” seem to break the sound barrier as they careen down the highway. Big heavy dump trucks or other large vehicles take an awfully long time to gain momentum. And while the airplanes, helicopters and boats take a bit longer to master, perhaps that’s because so few of us have experience driving them in real life.

The storyline is generally linear, although at any given point there are usually a couple of different missions you can select to advance the storyline, and there are an abundance of mini-missions (races, gambling, truck driving, etc.) which unlock as the game progresses that can be completed as well.

Enjoyment:

Obviously, in a game called “Grand Theft Auto” there’s a lot of car stealing going on, with the violence that accompanies that line of work. But there are also a number of non-violent things to do in San Andreas: Casinos, racetracks, pool, basketball… Driving school, motorcycle school, pilot school, boat school… Carl can even date girls, take them out to dinner or dancing, and if she has a good time, she might invite him back to her place for some “coffee.” I think it’s safe to say that this game has a little something for everyone, even those uninterested in misogynistic mayhem. Not that there’s anything wrong with mayhem, especially after rush hour traffic; I’ve found this game to be remarkably cathartic in that respect.

Multiplayer:

Unlike most of the Grand Theft Auto titles, San Andreas actually does have some multi-player capability, although they adopted an unorthodox method. As you wander around the various cities, occasionally an icon will appear rotating in mid-air of two avatars holding hands. Stepping into these icons prompts the installation of a second controller, and then instructions for the two-player mission. Definitely a good time to be had by all.

Overall Impression:

Grand Theft Auto is known for an over-abundance of testosterone and misogynistic tendencies; lots of fast cars and fast women along with plenty of violence to fill in the cracks. GTA: San Andreas could be referred to similarly, but there’s so much more going on here that I would hate for it to get a bad rap. For every scantily clad prostitute, there’s a gun-toting girlfriend to remind Carl who’s boss. I had a blast playing it, and I eagerly look forward to the next installment.

Marketing Efforts Towards Women:

It looks like Rockstar’s PR department finally listened when women spoke up and complained about the representation of women in their games. While most of the women are built like Lara Croft, not all of them are, and there’s a lot of feminine strength peppered throughout. So it’s a step in the right direction, if a small one.