Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

"Bigger and better than Vice City with its share of problems"

I gave the GTA double pack for Xbox a 9 out of 10 also, but that was simply because you got two games for the price of one. Make no mistake: GTA San Andreas is the best in the series.

Graphics: 7/10
The graphics in San Andreas are pretty pathetic, considering what Rockstar did with the Double Pack for the Xbox and how the PS2 version of San Andreas looked. Unlike in the Double Pack, although a minor feature, the hands are blocky, instead of having individual fingers. The textures are pretty muddy and the people look blocky and move like robots. But the cars look nice and, like in the previous games, have pretty realistic damage. Also, the sheer size of the map with such few load times warrant it an okay score.

Sound: 10/10
In the tradition of the GTA series, the sounds really make the game what it is. The radio shows are all pretty funny and play good music. The pedestrians never fail to make me laugh and the voice actors all did a pretth good job. The custom soundtracks were just icing on the cake.

Control: 6/10
The on-foot controls were done really well and pretty much left alone. It is a lot easier to manually aim and the fighting was redone allowing for a little bit of variety. The addition of the "hop the fence" button ('X') was really useful. Where Rockstar went wrong was the vehicle controls. It's easy to drive around, but trying to do a driveby is nearly impossible when you start out (it gets easier) and looking back (requiring you to push both the black and white buttons simultaneously) is nearly impossible when the police are chasing you. Flying is ever worse, where the black and white buttons turn for you.

Gameplay: 10/10
Despite it's other shortcomings, the gameplay more than makes up for them. In the same vein as prior GTAs, you [CJ-the main character] must go around the city, doing missions for different people, and causing havoc. The map is so large that it seems nearly 10x the size of Vice City. Unlike prior GTAs, now you must eat and keep up your health my exercising. It's a little distracting but adds to the depth. You can also take over other gang territories and have yours taken over. It really makes you feel like you're a gang member. Coupled with the superb story, you feel like you're really are the character.

Overall: 9/10 (Buy or rent?) --->Buy
It's a great game that will last you quite a while. It will take long enough that you won't be able to finish it in one rental time. Plus, those people who love to collect stuff will have another hundred hours of things to do. You won't be disappointed with this game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/27/05