Every time a new Grand Theft Auto game is announced, people take heavy notice. After all, the series has only spawned dozens of clones and introduced gaming to the masses. Now that the last major GTA game on the Playstation 2 is out, does it live up to the hype?

In a way, San Andreas does live up to the hype. Rockstar had been very secretive about the game up until right before it released, but expectations were enormous. San Andreas does have many new features and upgrades that greatly enhance the classic formula, but if you’re looking for a drastically different game then you may be slightly disappointed.

Graphics are one area where people could criticise the game. The Playstation 2 is beginning to show its age and limitations, and in this respect, the Xbox GTA Double Pack likely looks better. However, compared to the Playstation 2 version of Vice City, San Andreas is a decent step up. Character models have been improved and display more detail, and there are more cars and characters on screen at one time than in past games. Cars are now more detailed, and it is easy to tell when you have crashed it into something. Weather effects are also beautiful, and rival those seen in other games. However, San Andreas is not perfect. There are some minor graphical glitches that will remind you of past games, such as minor clipping and pop-up (sometimes things will just appear in front of you for no apparent reason). While the graphics certainly are a step up, they still have limitations (frame-rate issues will often occur when there are too many cars and other activities going on at one time).

The characters in San Andreas actually have feeling, and there is a bit more of a “storyline” than in the past couple games. In this game, you play Carl Johnson, a member of the Grove Street Families, which consists of his close family and friends. It adds to the atmosphere of the game, and you are able to gain more respect from your gang by completing missions (money is harder to come by in San Andreas, as not all missions give you money upon completion).

San Andreas brings to mind movies such as Menace 2 Society, mainly because this is likely the most expletive heavy videogame ever (and the gang theme is common). Many of your fellow gang members will be saying expletives almost every other word, so if this bothers you then perhaps you need to be playing a different game. Even if it seems extreme, it represents the gang culture quite well. In typical Rockstar fashion, the company has included many licensed songs as well as original commercials and talk radio that relate to the time period (the 90’s). No matter what your tastes are, you are likely to find something you like, as there is a lot of variety to the music in San Andreas.

If you’ve ever played a Grand Theft Auto game, then the control scheme should feel familiar. Improvements have been made to the system though. CJ is able to do a quick sprint with taps of the X button, and is also able to ride bikes and motorcycles (and the handling is improved over Vice City). Not only this, but some missions even mimic a dancing game, and you must press buttons to a rhythm in able to complete them. Targeting has been improved over Vice City, as you can now manually target with any weapon. Auto-targeting still feels a little off at times, but for the most it is an improvement.

If there’s one advantage that San Andreas has over its predecessors, it would have to be the diversity. Every mission in the game offers something different, and you won’t know what will happen next. On one mission you will have to be the gunner on a back of a motorcycle, while the next you might be chasing a gang member through the sprawling city. And the environments in San Andreas are huge. Rockstar has created a virtual state, and it will take you almost twenty minutes to get from one end of the game to the other.

Not only will you be accepting and completing missions, but you will also be taking on numerous subquests. Graffiti spots replace the hidden packages from previous game, and are well hidden. Also, a little ways into the game, CJ is able to get a girlfriend. By taking her places and completing her requests, you will be able to advance your relationship. It’s a fun side-mission to undertake, and certainly doesn’t lack challenge.

New to the series is the stats system. CJ has statistics, such as Stamina, Muscle, Fat, and Sex Appeal. He can work out at the gym to increase muscle and stamina, and eat fast food to regain health. It is also possible to buy new clothes, haircuts, and tattoos in order to customise CJ as much as you wish. It really makes San Andreas feel like a whole different game. One other improvement is that your character is finally able to swim, making it possible to explore many different areas, and continue police chases.

San Andreas also boasts a new camera system. While the default camera still tends to get hung up and not show the best view, you can now control it with the analog stick manually, allowing for a better view of the action. This drastically helps in dire situations, and is handy to have.

A brief but limited two-player mode is hidden within the game world of San Andreas. In it, players can play minigames, or have one player drive while the other does drive-bys. It’s fun for a little while but eventually gets boring (all you can do is drive around the city, no missions etc). However, it was a nice surprise, and it’s good to see it was included.

San Andreas is not without its flaws however. Besides the aforementioned graphical glitches, there are some other minor problems. First, mission difficulty is very uneven. Although this is typical for the series, it’s something that could’ve made the game even more fun to play continuously. Second, despite all of the new additions, the game is not a radical departure from its predecessors, so if you were expecting something completely different than you will be disappointed. Finally, the hand-to-hand combat system is still very generic. While you can now do brief combos, it still pales in comparison to other games (San Andreas is still very much a weapons based game).

Overall, San Andreas lives up to the hype generated since its initial announcement in March. While it may not be the best game ever, it certainly is a major improvement for the series, and currently one of the best games available for the Playstation 2. If you didn’t like past games in the GTA series you may want to skip this (as it won’t likely make you change your mind), but converts and casual gamers should definitely pick it up. Rockstar has a lot of work ahead of them if they hope to top San Andreas, as it is truly a milestone for the series.

Chris Dahlberg