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WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Rockstar, rockstar, rockstar. This game is simply unimaginable the landscape is HUGE way bigger than any of the other games, trailing through the hick countryside to vegas, to the ghetto to like a mountainy desert. More cars, bikes, planes, helicopters, bicycles, a tractor, a bulldozer, a huge dumptruck etc, etc and even a lawnmower!!!!!!! You can now eat, you can now swim, shop for clothes, dance at clubs, highjack trains, fly with a jetpack, have assets on property, descend with a parachute.... seriously people the list goes on and on into eternity. If you own any system you should by this game, it will not dissapoint you.

More of the same

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 06, 2005
Author: Amazon User

By this point I've almost come to expect a new moral debate with the nigh-annual release of a new chapter in the Grand Theft Auto story. Whether it was the anti-police sentiment of GTA 1, the mass-genocide potential of GTA III or the heavy drug use of Vice City, the entire series hasn't exactly distanced itself from controversy over the years. The concept of pushing the envelope to the point of cultural war is far from novel to the men and women behind these games, so your average gamer is by this point powering up each new GTA with a certain set of expectations. If you remain loyal the series today, you're expecting to be shocked by the vulgarity and humbling potential reality of it all. Bearing that in mind, there's no denying the fact that San Andreas, "coffee" or not, is Rockstar's most ambitiously adult-flavored outing yet.

After a brief hiatus into semi-homage with the Scarface meets Miami Vice storyline of Vice City, San Andreas effectively brings the series back into the territory of wholly original storytelling. The saga begins as Carl "CJ" Johnson, the story's focus, returns home to the city of Los Santos to discover his mother in the ground and his friends and family on the losing end of a bitter gang war. His old running buddies resent him for leaving them to try his luck in Liberty City five years ago, the streets where he was raised have been overrun by drug dealers, his brother hasn't forgiven him for missing out on their mother's funeral and a corrupt police department is breathing down his neck, just waiting for him to make a mistake. In short, things could be better. Fortunately, despite their uncertainty in his loyalties, CJ's friends have no qualms about bringing him back up to speed in the gang's business and allowing him to prove himself through blood, sweat and tears, (or various, mission-based tasks, as it were) and the driving force of the story revolves around this struggle to regain CJ's previous level of respect among his peers while making things right around the homestead. The main characters of the story are rock solid, and Carl is easily the most realistically flawed lead in GTA history. He made some mistakes before the story began and he'll make a few more before it ends, but he never crosses that thick line between sympathetic hero and irredeemable monster, even after curb-stomping a few grandmas. I think it's the game's incredible comedic timing and dry wit that keep CJ appealing; whether it's his brother picking at his driving or his often-venomous conversations with random pedestrians, there's always time for a snide comment or sarcastic remark after a brutal hit and run.

The setting, a dead ringer for early-'90s Los Angeles (with clones of San Francisco and Las Vegas playing supporting roles) is as much a player in the story as the individuals themselves. You can almost feel the weight of the town's imminent civil unrest pressing down on your shoulders throughout the early chapters, and as things build to a climax, that impending explosion just gets closer and closer to reality. There's an extremely angry tone to this game, even when compared to those that came before, and on the whole it feels much more mature (for lack of a better word) and true-to-life than its often-cheesy immediate predecessor. The feel of impending doom you're charged with throughout the game slowly, casually builds to a horrific boiling point that provides the backdrop for one of the most enjoyable, seat-of-your-pants final levels I've ever played. I never thought I'd play a game with a more rewarding, exciting, Hollywood action movie-style climax than I saw in the very first Halo, but if San Andreas doesn't surpass it, it undeniably comes extremely close.

Unfortunately, while the storytelling elements of San Andreas have markedly improved in the years since Vice City, the actual gameplay experience has taken a hit or two. Don't hear me wrong, the open-ended style of gameplay that defined the previous titles in the series is still here in full effect. It's still a blast to jog around the city with a blunt object and beat random civilians into submission, or to stand in the middle of the street and look around as motorists become more and more frustrated with you for blocking their way. There just wasn't as much room for innovation here as there was between GTA3 and Vice City. The addition of motorcycles, airplanes and helicopters were substantial changes to the game, natural steps forward from what had been established before. This chapter's additions of bicycles, an intricate character customization system and a variety of level-based skill power-ups isn't quite the same, and often serves to aggravate rather than amuse. Instead of pulling up to a destruction derby or BMX race and trying your luck right away, for example, you must first spend hours building up your "driving ability" or "biking ability." Some missions require you to gain some weight by eating a dozen fast food meals, while others ask you to lose some weight by running aimlessly on a treadmill for fifteen or twenty minutes. Playing a game shouldn't feel like work, and that's what a lot of the activities required to build your stats feel like.

This was my first experience with the series on the Xbox (I own PS2 copies of the last two GTAs) and I found the translation of controls to be a little awkward, to say the least. Most of the buttons are a simple, literal masking of the PS2's functionality onto the Microsoft controller, such as the "A" button as a run / fire button or the "X" button for jumping. Where the box really loses ground is with its lack of a second "L" and "R" trigger, as well as the additional freedoms bestowed upon players with the right analog stick and the camera angle it controls. Where the L2 and R2 buttons gave players the freedom to easily look to the left, right and behind them while behind the wheel of an automobile, that same functionality is mapped to the Xbox's mysterious black and white buttons with disastrous results. On my Type-S controller, those particular buttons are so small and out of the way that I was almost immediately screaming for the return of my old Dual Shock. Performing a precise drive-by shooting, which is a necessity on several missions, is nearly impossible with these tiny buttons... and forget about looking behind you while you roam the highways of Los Santos.

Where the series has really begun to show its age with this installment is in its graphics. Though the size of the map is just insanely large, close to three times the size of Vice City, the contents are almost identical visually. Though the old engine from GTA III has been tweaked to the very limits with this release, it's still that same old engine at heart. Player models don't exactly hold up when compared with similar games released within the same year. The variety of city buildings and wall decorations is still impressive, but the actual quality of those textures leaves a lot to be desired. After hearing almost endless praise about the differences between the last two games on PS2 and on Xbox, I was left feeling extremely underwhelmed after my first experience in San Andreas.

Fortunately, the same shortcuts apparently taken with the visuals are not repeated in the audio department. The soundtrack to San Andreas, while not quite as awe-inspiring as that of Vice City, is still a behemoth of its own and does an outstanding job of setting the tone for an area and covering a wide range of genres, tastes and ethnicities. Hop into a car in the ghettos of Los Santos and you're likely to hear an excellent collection of the founding fathers of hip hop or the pioneers of gangsta rap. Steal a car in the forest-coated, far less populated towns well outside the city limits, and you're much more likely to hear some country. While the obvious focus is on rap and hip hop, there really is something for everyone here, and the collections showcased on each station are almost indisputable. The famed comedy of the on-air commercials, personalities and programming choices, while not quite up to the same level as the last two games, is still good for a laugh or two and far, far above the level of GTA's closest competitors. The sophomoric humor herein takes a step away from the sarcastic tone of previous games in favor of a slightly cheesier bathroom joke or two.

Well, when push comes to shove, I can't say that I got all I was expecting out of this package. I intentionally waited for the Xbox release for this one, hoping to enjoy it in all its glory on what's quickly becoming the most desirable platform, but in the end I would've been better off just buying it on the PS2 in the first place. The Box offered little to no visual separation over previous titles on the Sony system, and what difference I did notice in load time was balanced out by an occasionally poor control scheme and horrible problems with invisible buildings. Despite some weak innovations in the gameplay, this is still a lot of fun to play and I'd recommend it just for the ongoing insanity of that final stage, but don't expect to be completely blown away, because this is hot-and-cold stuff.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Halo 2 is All I Need

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 11
Date: June 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

These are the only two games that I own for Xbox and for good reason. I have bought many games in the past, but after I beat them I just sell them to at least get half the purchase price back. I have yet to be bored with Halo 2 (thanks to Xbox Live) and I know this game will be the same way after playing it for two days now. The world is HUGE and I have yet to make it out of the first of three cities. I have been wanting to play this game since it came out on PS2, but I am glad to have waited the 6 months now due to the improved graphics and 30 second replays that the Xbox version has to offer. Easily worth buying!

kids review/ Parents to blame not developers

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: July 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

You see it's not even the matter of the "hidden sexual" content. The fact of the matter is, that there is an M (Mature rating) on the game. The parents that buy the game for their kids need to pay more attention to the games and there rating. Each rating states who can and who cannot buy a game. So don't put the blame on the developers, put the blame on the parents. The developers have done what they need to do so that this would not happen. At one time they said that the TV was a bad influence on kids. Now it's video games. What next.

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas - ROCK ON!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: July 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I've been playing the Grand Theft auto series since part one was released. As each release comes out, they just get better and better. Rockstar gives me just what I want in a video game - and more. Videogames arent just for Kids. I'm 28, and I play this game several times per week. Thumbs up to everyone at Rockstar for this --- and people, be careful for letting the 'Hillary Clintons' of our country make their decisions for us. Parental control starts with the word "No" and the flip of a switch. If we're not careful, we're only going to be able to play games like "Super Pope 5000" and "Sim Church."

Very Addictive. Makes GTA III look like Barney and Friends.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: January 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

After recently hearing all the hype about the first edition of GTA San Andreas, I had to check it out. Instead of buying the censored 2nd edition, I went to Ebay and got the first edition. While I do agree that games like this should not be played by children, what I don't agree with is that mature adults have to be forced to play a censored version of the game, just because some parent does not monitor what they buy for their kids and want to cause a big stink about it. Some idiot grandmother in New York wanted to sue Rockstar because she bought this game for her grandson and saw how bad it was. How can you sue them for the game when YOU BOUGHT IT FOR HIM! Why even have the rating labels on games if parents aren't going to pay attention to it anyway? Rockstar should not have succumed to the pressure and continued to sell the 1st edition. Like another reviewer suggested, if you want this game, get the 1st edition, and not the censored 2nd edition one.

While I really enjoyed GTA III. I thought Vice City was very boring and after playing it for a couple of days, I got tired of it. San Andreas is totally different. It took a couple of plays to realy get into it, but now I can't put it down. Rockstar has really outdone themselves this time. Your character, CJ can do almost anything. You can buy all types of clothes down to different color bandanas and chains, go to the gym, get haircuts, tattos etc etc.

Basically the story starts off when CJ returning from Liberty City, to bury his mother. As soon as he gets back, he is stopped by some crooked cops and is basically forced back into a life of crime. He meets up with his old friends and with them they start rebuilding their gang. One of your first missions is spraying over rival gang graffiti with your own.

All of the elements from the previous GTA games are back; carjacking, picking up prostitutes, beating up robbing people for no reason etc. But also this time around there is so much more you can do. First of all you can go to the gym and make yourself stronger. You start off pretty skinny, but after a while you are given the opportunity to go to the gym to build muscle and stamina. In addition to this you can get haircuts to pretty much any style you want, you can get tattoes all over your body, you can buy clothes and change them as you like. You can even go outside in nothing but underwear if you want. The game gives you so much freedom is amazing.

The voice overs are done amazing well. MC Eiht is the voice of one of the main characters (Ryder) and he does a very good job. Other notable voices in this game are Samuel L. Jackson, The Game, Ice T, and Charlie Murphy. One of my favorite things is that this game has so much more varieties of music while driving. As for me, growing up in the late 80's early 90's, a lot of these songs I remember playing in my own car crusing around with friends. A couple of song's from Dr. Dre's Chronic are on there, as well as the soundtrack from Deep Cover with Dre and Snoop. Tupac has a song as well as NWA. include Cameo, Isley Brothers, Rick James, Slick Rick, James Brown, ths list goes on and on. I don't even play my own CD's during the game, because there is such a wide variety of music.

The graphics are pretty good, but nothing spectacular. During the cut scenes you will see alot of pointed edges and the animation is sub par. However this does not take away from the game at all, the game is so fun to me, that I don't even pay attention to the graphics all that much. They are just good enough to keep you involved, and don't distract you at all. While walking down the streets of San Andreas you will feel that you are actually there. The scenary seems lifelike and the styles change depending on what part of the city you are in. The game even went so far to add the famous "HOLLYWOOD" sign in the hills. Although it does not say "HOLLYWOOD". Also the Watts Towers are in the game as well. The people you encounter as you are walking also change depending on where you are. If you are downtown, you will see a lot of people in business suits.

One of the downsides about the graphics is that its easy to get stuck in very weird areas and not able to get out. I recall I went to a club and jumped behind the counter where the bartender was. I ended up on top of the bar and couldn't get down. I finally had to turn the game off. I don't know if its because I enabled the "Hot Coffee" cheat, but that was pretty frustrating to say the least.

Another complaint is that it can be very cumbersome to shoot people especially when performing drivebys. There is just so much stuff you have to do to aim, you will find your hands fumbliing all over the place. Hopefully I'll get used to it as time passes.

One of the coolest parts of the game is just interacting with the various characters in the game. People are always walking down the street talking to each other and even to you sometimes. Outside your own home people are always hanging out with the occasional prostitute or bum walking by. Go to the wrong hood, and you will get shot at by rival gangs, if you are driving and stop, they will pull you out of your car and beat you up and/or kill you. I found myself in redneck country one afternoon and saw people driving tractors in the road. I even got in a fight with a couple of hillbillies because I hit their car with a pool stick. To top it all off, a cop in a cowboy hat got out of his Ford Bronco cop car and started shooting at me. While I enjoy the missions as well, the freedom to do anything you want is probably the most enjoyable part of the game.

After being dissapointed with Vice City, I didn't expect to like this game very much, but I plesantly suprised. It is very addictive, and I rarely even play my other XBOX games anymore. It is a very fun game but IS NOT FOR KIDS. There is a lot of cursing for one thing; every four letter word is said in this game, something I never even heard in a game before. I have a small child, so I only play this game if he's not home or has gone to bed for the night. This is the first game that I honestly can't play around my son. Like my title suggests, GTA III is nothing compared to San Andreas, but its still a very good game for mature ADULTS.

For the parents who complain about their kids playing this game, I have one simple solution. DON'T BUY IT FOR YOUR KIDS! DUH!

Before it's gone...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 10
Date: July 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Better pick up the M version quick- other retail outlets have pulled it over its recently uncovered sexual explicity. This version is bound to become a collector's item...

Great

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: July 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

this is a great game it is the best game i have ever played

Far Cry From Vice City

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 23
Date: June 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

First of all,to the kid who reviewed this game,what you said was the most stupip and racist review I have ever seen and you should be locked away.Second of all THE GAME SUCKED, THE GAME SUCKED,THE GAME SUCKED. Don't get me wrong, if this was the first game in the series it would be great, but the cold hard fact is its not. It is the fifth and to tell you the truth I don't like the main character in this game, not because he is black, because I was warming up to Tommy. There is never going to be another character like Tommy, unless the guys making the game decide to bring back Tommy. He was and still is the greatest video game character ever.

Third of all, the guns in this game. The first time I played it I didn't know what was going on. I can see having to learn to shoot, but guys, COME ON.

Fourth of all the levels are nearley impossible to beat. The level with with the General caused me to get killed 12 times and I beat Vice City 9 times. They did not make this game more of a challenge to play, they made it sort of a "miracle if you win game" and I get into the games I play, so when I don't win I get very,very,very,very angery.

Fifth of all, the new features aren't that great. The cars and guns wouldn't make me want to buy this game.

And last but not least, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", which is exactally what's going on here. Make a new game, I understand that, but here's what they should have done:
1.Keep the same character

2.add new guns, but not new way to shoot

3.forget new cars, old ones were fine

4.change the storyline
If they had done this, The game would have sold just as much, and all around, be a better game.

If you are looking into buy this don't, buy 1,2,3,and Vice City. And if you already have them, take a brake play some other game and it will be allright.

Murder Simulator Removes Nipple Shot: Now Walmart Approved

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: June 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

All serious social commentary aside (for the Moment),GTA steadily improves the franchise with every release, and the game differences between Vice City and San Andreas enhance the already exciting playing experience by quite a bit. Although Drive-By's are maddeningly difficult on the X-Box compared to real-life (just kidding), the controls seem more intuitive and the new manual option for aiming makes the game much more enjoyable. Various skill levels and experience meters add an RPG feel to the action and the expanded wardrobe is a fun diversion.

As far as this products purported harm to children, my friends 11 year old sister plays for an hour a day after she does all her homework and is on the honor role. While the disc could be broken and the jagged edge used to stab someone, the actual damage this game can cause to children is negligible compared to an improperly secured, loaded hadngun.

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