Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Xbox, 2005)

After spending an ungodly number of hours playing it, I’ve come to the conclusion that despite its imperfections, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is perfect.

A contradictory statement? Sure, but it’s the most concise way to explain my feelings about this game. While there have been times where aspects of the game’s mechanics caused me to gnash my teeth in rage, I’ve become so immersed in its world that no number of frustrations can induce me to return to reality.

Like the previous games in the GTA series, San Andreas allows players to have all the fun with crime they can stomach. Former gang-banger Carl Johnson returns to his old home in the ghetto streets of Los Santos (based on Los Angeles) after hearing his mother was gunned down. While he doesn’t get a warm reception from some of his old running buddies, he soon works his way back into their good graces thanks to a willingness to help the gang of his youth, the Grove Street Family, reclaim its former glory from the drug-pushing hoodlums who are slowly taking over the streets.

Things get complicated, though. A trio of crooked cops led by a particularly manipulative bastard (played by Samuel Jackson -- one of many recognizable names lending their voices) has framed him for the murder of a more upstanding officer in order to force him to do their dirty work. Also, some of Carl’s buddies seem to have their own motives for enlisting his help, which eventually leads to his forced exodus from his hometown.

At this point, despite having done a couple dozen missions, Carl has likely explored less than one-quarter of San Andreas’ map. Simply put, this game is HUGE -- so large that a representation of one of America’s largest cities only takes up one corner of its world. Also in the game are San Fierro (San Francisco), Las Venturas (Las Vegas) and miles upon miles of the surrounding countryside, which is loaded with farms, villages, mountains and even a top-secret military base. And very little space is wasted. During the course of play, Carl will find himself doing either mandatory or optional missions that force him to cover virtually every square inch of this vast realm.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that, as the game’s diversity made me want to see everything. Cities have tons of real-life buildings and landmarks scattered throughout vast urban sprawls. Take a trip out to the countryside and enjoy speeding down winding dirt roads that may lead to a peaceful country village or up the side of a mountain. Add in the fact there are about a dozen radio stations playing 12 or more songs, as well as humorous DJ commentary and hilarious satirical commercials and simply driving around in San Andreas can be a treat.

Just as diverse as the terrain are the missions. Carl will find himself doing a lot of killing, as he gets into confrontations with gang members, cops, government agents, the mafia and pretty much just about any other breathing life form -- but that’s only one GIANT piece of the puzzle. He’ll also master the art of driving a variety of vehicles in order to win high-stakes races, as well as learn to fly airplanes, infiltrate a rival gang, burn down a marijuana field before the cops arrive to bust its owner and help a geeky store owner defeat his rival in battles involving toy airplanes and other miniature vehicles.

And this doesn’t even take into consideration all the non-story things Carl can do. Getting on the bicycle parked near a particular Los Santos convenience store a

I've been playing GTA since the early days on PC. Where you run around from a helicopter sytle view killing little people. My oh my have we come a long way.

The story like is actually quite intense. You are given the opportunity to choose your path and acquire more property, money and weapons for certain missions.

DO NOT LET CHILDREN PLAY THIS GAME. It is much too violent for any kid. You run around shooting cops, watching hookers beg for clients, watching people sell drugs on the corner. You regularly have to kill of rival gang members - but the action doesn't stop there. It grows into a storyline that even Oliver Stone could appreciate.

Let me cut to the chase - if you are an adult who enjoys video games, then you should own this already. If you don't get off your butt, buy it, and get ready to be playing nonstop for the next month. If you are looking to buy for a child, please move to the next review (you can see others from me!).

...Another review by Sublime Boutique.

i bought the hot coffee edition simply because i wanted to see for myself what the controversy is about..... it's nothin special to be honest, (the hot coffee part, that is.) it was overall a great game with huge expanses of territory to roam and hundreds of vehicles, a fairly decent story line, the voice acting left a lot to be desired, with cheesy lines that often made little sense, also the game seems a bit wonky at first, but you can adjust sufficiently to make it playable, a game that totally makes up for all its flaws with all the cool stuff you can do, whether you prefer stealth missions where you're stealing a harrier jet of a loaded military warship and trying like hell not to get a new hole in your head, or competing a bicycle race down a huge mountain, or just flying around in downtown los santos in your jetpack, even small minigames like atari style arcade games, or just kickin back in your tank and blowin the SH*T out of some cops, you'll love this game, there's litterally about a hundred hours of good gameplay in this thing, unless you cheat, or get internet help (same thing) and too much to do to even begin to list it all, this does mean theres a small lack of a specific focus to the game as a whole; it isn't a dedicated rpg, or a dedicated racing game, or a dedicated fps, it's all that and more in one, not a game for everyone as theres a lot of swearing, but most people can get over that. it really is one of the few games that is hard enough for the most experienced gamer, but fun enough to be enjoyed by even the first time player. and lastly i must say if you plan to buy it and have the option of going for xbox version or ps2 version, go for the xbox version, it is much cleaner, smoother, and better graphics overall. enjoy the game and i hope you like it as much as i have.

For those who appreciate the sophomoric, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the ultimate indulgence. This particular storyline follows Carl Johnson, "CJ", who takes it upon himself to regain his "street cred" in his old Grove Street neighborhood, all the while cleansing his home city of gang violence and building his business empire across the cities of San Andreas. Despite the challenging missions, what makes the game so much fun is that it is truly a cartoon for adults. Character voices include the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Charlie Murphy, and Peter Fonda, among many others. The developers' attention to detail and variety of side-missions will have any gamer discovering new features and laughing at new jokes many months after starting a game. In other words, San Andreas has a very long shelf life before it gets old.

Like its most recent predecessor, GTA: Vice City, San Andreas could be considered a "period piece"--this time for late 80's/early 90's West Coast living. Get into any vehicle, and as you surf the radio stations you may hear Ice Cube, Stone Temple Pilots, or Eddie Money--with George Clinton or Axl Rose as the radio DJ. Whereas previous GTA games focused on one city, San Andreas is a state with 3 major cities--caricatures of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas--with countryside in between, thus making the landscape of this RPG absolutely enormous. The developers' sophomoric sense of humor spares no detail in their creations. Virtual doppelgangers of places like Luxor Las Vegas and Camelot are renamed into much raunchier (and funnier versions). You may ride in a boat called a "Reefer" or a car called the "Bf Injection". As you walk past pedestrians in different neighborhoods, you overhear strange parts of silly (and sometimes nasty) conversations. There is even a "secret" army base in the desert, called Area 69. Needless to say, this game is not for children. Even clean jokes may be over the heads of some minors because of the subjects they parody. All in all, if you like a challenging role playing game and can appreciate the little details in a big world; you will get your money's worth from San Andreas.

San Andreas is by far the crown jewel of the Rockstar Lineup. As Carl Johnson you return to the fictional city of Los Santos after your mother has been murdered. Along the way you meet a slew of characters, voiced by high profile celebrities such as James Woods, Samuel L. Jackson, and many others.

Unlike previous GTA games, San Andreas is a state, with three large cities and miles of sprawling country side. The storyline of this game is great, with a plot that will keep you interested from start to finish. Once you complete the storyline the game remains fresh with plenty of mini games, side missions, and the overall fun that comes with causing random mayhem by gunning down pedestrians, blowing up cars, skydiving, swimming, working out, and more.

Your video game collection is not complete until you own a copy of San Andreas, arguably the greatest game ever to hit any console.