Gaming Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

[Charles]

There wasn't a thread in the E3 listing so I decided to create a new topic dedicated to the next installment in this series because there are finally some screens to show off.

[img]http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/ss/screen01.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/ss/screen02.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/ss/screen03.jpg[/img][url="http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/ss/screen03.jpg"][/url]

There's not much else to say at this point but these screens do give you an indication of what the main character looks like, how you can now use bicycles, and a glimpse at some gorgeous locales (and the fact that the character models still haven't evolved much). Hopefully this is only the start of a flood of new media for the game. It's been veiled in secrecy for quite a while now.

[NorykoAngelcry]

[quote name='Charles']how you can now use bicycles[/quote]

[COLOR=darkred][SIZE=1][FONT=Verdana]Good. . because after playing the easily boring games of GTA and GTA Vice City, I was like. . "Man, I sure hope the next one is going to have bicycles!!" :sleep: Well, another GTA game that I will pick up from a friend, race around a few cars, punch in cheat codes to get guns and see how long I can kill people before I am taken out, then proceed to systematically grind the game into a fine powder which I poor into people's gas tanks. . Sorry, did this reply seem ill? [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]

[Charles]

[quote name='NorykoAngelcry][color=darkred][size=1][font=Verdana]Good. . because after playing the easily boring games of GTA and GTA Vice City, I was like. . "Man, I sure hope the next one is going to have bicycles!!" :sleep: Well, another GTA game that I will pick up from a friend, race around a few cars, punch in cheat codes to get guns and see how long I can kill people before I am taken out, then proceed to systematically grind the game into a fine powder which I poor into people's gas tanks. . Sorry, did this reply seem ill? [/font][/size'][/color][/quote]Actually, believe it or not, people have been looking forward to bicycles for quite a while now....lol

I'll only care if you can ring a bell or something personally.

[NorykoAngelcry]

[COLOR=darkred][SIZE=1][FONT=Verdana]Charles, now, by 'people' do you mean 'monkeys?' Because monkeys look pretty funny riding little bicycles. . rofls~

I'm sure I will see tons of 10-15 yr olds buying the game, looking for blood and violence, picking up hookers then beating them, and stealing cars and shooting people. . Whatever though. Everyone has their own taste in games, it would just be nice if they had GOOD taste. [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]

[Shiguru]

Well someone doesn't like a bunch of humor and cool car chases in thier games.

I think it looks cool, but why use the name San Andreas? Use a diffrent city name dammit! Remember Grand Theft Auto Miami?... oh, that turned to Vice City.

And bikes have been around since GTA and GTA2.

Hopefully you can play the gangs against eachother again. And which one is the main character?

[Charles]

[quote name='Shiguru']Hopefully you can play the gangs against eachother again. And which one is the main character?[/quote]It looks like it's the guy crouching in the second picture. The figure riding the bicycle appears to be wearing the same clothing, so it's a reasonable guess.

NorykoAngelcry--I think that monkeys would add a lot of interest to the game for me. People underestimate what the mere presence of a primate can bring to a game. If I cite examples like Turok 2, where the availability of monkeys were present in multiplayer was its biggest draw then it becomes obviously clear.

Anyway, I'm sure a lot of that demographic will buy it--which is a shame. Personally, I don't think a ten year old belongs anywhere near this game. I'll enjoy the rich narrative and top quality voice acting and soundtrack but I definitely don't think they're approrpriate for children. Games have been making use of increasingly vulgar language and I'm certain this game will employ heavier swearing than the previous titles. Especially since it seems to focus on gang war (which was like a footnote in Vice City).

If the mission structure is more complex and they've made some creative changes I think that a trip to San Andreas could be worth it. :accepts loyalties offhand:

Vice City did a good job of making the missions more interesting and challenging than in GTA so I'll expect a lot here--and that's what it's going to take now that the market is saturated with games like this.

[Shiguru]

Personally I've been a fan since GTA. GTA2 got me hooked, and GTAIII and GTA:VC made me love the game's immersive humor and soundtracks along with the steller voice acting.

Hopefully if they change the name and make the lead guy black (A cool move in my own opinon.) and change the name as well as making a great storyline like Vice City did then we have a winner already. I hope you can actually sit down on benches this time though to help you rest faster. And the cars better be sweet dammit!

[Ben Holiday]

I have been a fan of the series since GTAII and though III and Vice City evolved well beyod the first two games it was a nice change. After the quality of voice actors in VC and the superb soundtrack I truly hope they can make SA take the next step in the evolution process and it rises above the first four like it's predecessors before it. I must say it's the missions that have always held me enthralled with this series more so then the whole violence factor though that does play a big part of my fascination for the game it's stands completely overshadowed by the various missions and their givers. To be perfectly honest it's a sad gamer that gets enjoyment out of picking up the women of the night beyond the few humorous lines they say which were quite funny in the last game.

The whole issue with children playing the game does upset me a bit but mostly at their parents and relatives that buy them the games ignoring the ratings then coming back later stating they didn't know it was this type of game. Especially now that pretty much every video game store or store that carries games has the rating system posted right there. As the old adage says would you buy your child a mature movie then why would you buy them a mature game!

[Charles]

Some new information regarding the plot has surfaced. I'll post it so that we can have a slightly better understanding of what we're talking about here:

[quote]"Five years ago Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas.. .a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption; where film stars and millionaires do their best to avoid the dealers and gang bangers.

Now, it's the early 90s. Carl's got to go home. His mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart and his childhood friends are all heading towards disaster.

On his return to the neighborhood, a couple of corrupt cops frame him for homicide. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets."[/quote]And, just to play off of what Ben said, I agree that people underestimate the interesting mission structure in the Grand Theft Auto games. The GTA franchise has become the popular property to bash because of its success, but I think that a lot of what made it successful was that the games are just purely enjoyable to play and there are a lot of things available for the player to do.

I've never blindly bought the games because of their adult content--I could see worse in a movie. On the contrary, I love the stories, the exploration, and the incredible atmosphere the games generate.
[font=Verdana][size=2][/size][/font]
[b]Edit: [/b]I just got the new Game Informer.

I'll highlight some important points.

[list]
[*] San Andreas is not a city--it's a state.. The game is not set in a version of Los Angeles (Los Santos) or Sanfransico ( San Fierro) or Las Vegas (Las Venturra), but all three--and with the countryside in between.
[*] Each city is relatively the same size as Vice City, and will be fully open to the player at different points in the story arch--the game is estimated to be four to six times as large as the entirety of either of the previous entries in the series. And that's not considering the countryside between cities which have their own unique characters and gameplay sequences.
[*] San Fierro is hill-intensive because it's an element that wasn't explored in Vice City.
[*] A mountain is included in the countryside.
[*]The maps look a lot crisper and there's more going on (i.e., there's more interactivity).
[*] The graphics engine has been overhauled to incorporate real-time reflections on cars, windows, and mirrors, as well as new techniques like raidal lighting, which allows for more realistic shadowing and soft-shadow lighting for interior levels.
[*] Everything in the game now has independent models for day and nighttime, in order to make sure that objects look as detailed and vivid during the evening hours as they do during daylight.
[*]Tons of interiors have been fully rendered out, and tailored to facilitate new types of gameplay, most notably robbing houses.
[*] Purchasing real estate has a much higher importance. You can run a casino which you have bought and built.
[*] Here's the plot: Carl Johnson finds himself comes back to San Andreas after spending five years in Liberty City. Johnson left his neighborhood in the ghetto of Los Santos after the death of his brother Brian, who died in a tragic incident. Carl's older brother Sweet Johnson blamed him for Brian's death, leading to a period of estrangement that is broken by the sudden passing of his mother.

On returning home for the funeral, Carl finds his bilogical family and his former gang, the Orange Grove Families, in disarray. Sweet and his sister Kendall are at each other's throats. His former crew--Sweet, longtime family friend Smoke, and Ryder--have fallen from power on the streets, and are now besieged by both rival gang factions and internal quarrels.

Although Carl is reluctant to get dragged back into the street life, fate intervenes when his crew comes under the thumb of Frank's TenPenny and Eddie Polaski, who Houser characterizes as a "heavy-duty pair of lunatic corrupt policemen on your case." As always, events soon spiral out of control, and Johnson finds himself on a frantic adventure that will take him across the state of San Andreas as he fights to preserve his family, his gang, and his life.
[*] The game is slightly more serious than previous games, but is still very much a satire.
[*] There will be some tie-ins to the other games
[*] The AI has been overhauled. NPC intelligence behavior has now become so varied that voiceover recording sessions for an average pedestrian charater's dialogue have gone from a mere ten minutes to an hour in length.
[*] Dynamic difficulty will be implemented to adjust to the player's progress.
[*] You can now recruit a gang to accompany you on missions (you can do four-person drivebys). Now, you won't have the feeling that you're a glorified mob errand boy.
[*]More minigames will be included. You can gamble, for example.
[*]Burglaries require real skill and planning.
[*]You'll see the results of your character's lifestyle right before your eyes. Carl will have to eat to maintain his physical state--which is also reflected in a stamina meter. Consuming fast food and avoiding excercise will make Carl gain weight, which affects everything from your speed to the character's physics, to humorous effect (missions will be harder to accomplish and people will call you a "fat bastard."
[*] You can go to the gym and work out to gain muscle and speed.
[*] Targeting has been overhauled.
[*] There will be a lot more variety in hand-to-hand fighting tehnique. Also, there's new types of car jacking and you can swim.
[*] Rag-doll physics are being implemented.
[*] You can dual-weild pistols.
[/list]

[BlueYoshi]

[COLOR=Teal]Sounds interesting.

What really gets me about the GTA series are the plots involved. While basic and predictable at first, they tend to have a habit of completely twisting, leaving you puzzled and in mystery.

It seems that the role-play element has been topped up even further, too. I wouldn't go as far as to compare it to The Sims, but I can easily tell that SA will gain most attention from actually building up CJ's stats and promoting relationships with gangs rather than the actual story, heh. Admittedly, it's hard to get bored of GTA, something new comes along every time.

As for minors playing the game, it's not as if actions haven't been taken to prevent this; the game was banned in Australia after all. But I believe it's another case of judging a book by its cover, with the violence at first glance and all, but the game genuinely is fun.[/COLOR]

[Shiguru]

HOLY *****!

This has already surpassed my expectations. And I'm definetly more psyched about this than the new Zelda.

That and this setting looks awesome, and a lot of great jokes akin to those seen in Friday and Don't be a Menace... have the opprotunity to arise if done right.

[Ashura]

[QUOTE=Shiguru]
I think it looks cool, but why use the name San Andreas? Use a diffrent city name dammit! Remember Grand Theft Auto Miami?... oh, that turned to Vice City.

And bikes have been around since GTA and GTA2.
[/QUOTE]

They are using the name San Andreas because the three cities in GTA1 were named Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas city. Rockstar wanted to have the 3D games take place in the cities that they had already developed so that people who had played the previous games would get a kick out of being in a 3D version of these cities, as well as the fact that it would avoid outrage from actual cities. If Vice City was actually called GTA: Miami, Miami would probably sue as soon as the game was released as they could claim that the game gave people false views of what Miama is actually like.

Bikes have been around since GTA1, and I believe may have been removed in 2, but the bikes that were being referred to were push bikes, not motorbikes. I really can't see how riding a push bike will be any fun though, as anything slow most people try to avoid. Would you like to 'hoon' around on a motorbike that goes at the speed of a Manama? Probably not.

Overall, the game is sounding very impressive. Graphically, I'm not getting too excited, as there are other games that look purdyier, but they look great and do their job well. I wasn't expecting it to look as good as Far Cry or anything, and so the graphics are good enough for me. The size of San Andreas sounds great, and should add a bit of longevity to the game. Gang warfare sounds awesome, as does multiple person driveby's. I hope that Rockstar stick with voice acting for the main character, as this was a big part of the charm of Tommy Vercetti. Personally, I'd like a return to the more defined areas of GTA3. Vice City really didn't have much structure to it. It seems that GTA: SA will take both of these into account.

It all seems very impressive. If only there wasn't a wait for Xbox and PC owners...

[QUOTE=BlueYoshi][COLOR=Teal]Sounds interesting.
As for minors playing the game, it's not as if actions haven't been taken to prevent this; the game was banned in Australia after all. But I believe it's another case of judging a book by its cover, with the violence at first glance and all, but the game genuinely is fun.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

GTA was never really 'banned' in Australia, it was just removed from shelves for about a month while Rockstar were forced by the OFLC (the video game rating people in Oz) to remove the hookers from the game, as they refuse to have an R rating for video games (which is stupid in my opinion). It seems that this initially slipped past them, but they eventually caught on and told Rockstar to either remove the hookers (or more specifically, what you could do with said hooker), or remove the game. Obviously Rockstar didn't want to lose out on sales, so they removed them and re-released the game. I agree with the 'judging a book by its cover' though, but because of the OFLC screwing everything up, there's not much we can do. We weren't missing out on anything to important anyway. :D

[BlueGender]

[size=1][color=blue]Wow Rockstar just keeps outdoing themselves. To tell you the truth I was expecting to be dissapointed with the next title but it sounds like it's going to be the best GTA title yet. I have heard reports the Eminem and 50 Cent have been linked to voice acting and original music. The game look's to have a heavy Hip-hop(thank god since its pretty much all I listen to)/gangsta movie influence which to tell you the truth ounds alot more interesting then doing mob erands or taking of Vice City. It almost makes you want summer to be here and gone just so you can play the game. [/color][/size]

[Guest Zen]

Hey :) I'm new to this forum so forgive me for any stupid comments. but all i have to say really is GTA San Andreas WOW!!! :love: I have followed the GTA games for a while (playing the PS1 games, but not seriously. Although i must say i really liked GTA London) I truly question anyone who believes the games have a weak storyline, granted they'll never have an in depth plot like a Final Fantasy game but what they lack in this emotional level they make up for in pur DESTRUCTION!!! :devil: But seriously now, i bet the people who say these games have poor storylines have never actually played one of the games seriously, probably playing a mission or two and basing their opinions on a tiny percentage of the game. Basically what i'm trying to say is... GTA RULES!!!!! AND ANYONE WHO DISAGREES CAN GO TO HELL!!! :devil:

[HoT LaVa 904]

The rumor is the 50 cent is going to be the voice of Carl Johnson. I just heard this from a website I don't know if it's true. But their names are almost alike Carl Johnson-Curtis Jackson.
I don't think he should be the voice though. It would not sound right. They should have someone from the west coast like Ice Cube yah that would be nice. I could picture it now.

[Ashura]

I can [I]hear[/I] it now. I can hear the voices of all the GTA fans laughing at how stupid Rockstar are to get Ice Cube to do any voice, let alone the main character's. Although, I do agree that 50 Cent isn't much better. I just wouldn't put Ice Cube. Enough people hate him as is. He'd just bring down GTA:SA as soon as everyone heard he had anything to do with it.

[DDG]

[font=Arial][size=1][color=darkslateblue]Wow, the screens look very impressive. Heh, also, I've been wanting to be able to have the main character ride a pedal bike for a long time.[/color][/size][/font]

[QUOTE=Charles]

[list]
[*]San Andreas is not a city--it's a state.. The game is not set in a version of Los Angeles (Los Santos) or Sanfransico ( San Fierro) or Las Vegas (Las Venturra), but all three--and with the countryside in between.
[*]Each city is relatively the same size as Vice City, and will be fully open to the player at different points in the story arch--the game is estimated to be four to six times as large as the entirety of either of the previous entries in the series. And that's not considering the countryside between cities which have their own unique characters and gameplay sequences.[/quote]
[/list][font=Arial][size=1][color=darkslateblue]Wow, that's a lot of area. I'd never expected that Rockstar could design a game with that much space to roam around in and such.[/color][/size][/font]

[quote=Charles]
[list]
[*]San Fierro is hill-intensive because it's an element that wasn't explored in Vice City.
[*]A mountain is included in the countryside.
[*]The maps look a lot crisper and there's more going on (i.e., there's more interactivity).[/quote]
[/list][font=Arial][size=1][color=darkslateblue]More interactivity? Very nice, I've always disliked the maps for having so little activity in them.[/color][/size][/font]

[quote=Charles]
[list]
[*]The graphics engine has been overhauled to incorporate real-time reflections on cars, windows, and mirrors, as well as new techniques like raidal lighting, which allows for more realistic shadowing and soft-shadow lighting for interior levels.
[*]Everything in the game now has independent models for day and nighttime, in order to make sure that objects look as detailed and vivid during the evening hours as they do during daylight.[/quote]
[/list][font=Arial][size=1][color=darkslateblue]Now that's something that will really give this game much praise from myself. Seeing as how they have made independent models for day and night, I'm sure that the entire game's landscape and objects will look magnificent and much more detailed.[/color][/size][/font]

[quote=Charles]
[list]
[*]Tons of interiors have been fully rendered out, and tailored to facilitate new types of gameplay, most notably robbing houses.
[*]Purchasing real estate has a much higher importance. You can run a casino which you have bought and built.[/quote]
[/list][font=Arial][size=1][color=darkslateblue]Robbing houses and running a Casino? Now this game has really started to sound like the Sims. Its giving the user much more freedom to do what they want which is very cool.[/color][/size][/font]

[quote=Charles]

[list]
[*]You'll see the results of your character's lifestyle right before your eyes. Carl will have to eat to maintain his physical state--which is also reflected in a stamina meter. Consuming fast food and avoiding excercise will make Carl gain weight, which affects everything from your speed to the character's physics, to humorous effect (missions will be harder to accomplish and people will call you a "fat bastard."
[*]You can go to the gym and work out to gain muscle and speed.[/quote]
[/list][font=Arial][size=1][color=darkslateblue]Now that's something I'm really not happy with. Those little factors right there make the new GTA way too much like the Sims. Of course, having those factors does make the game much more realistic, seeing as we have to eat to keep healthy and if we eat way too much fast food, we will get fat, heh.[/color][/size][/font]

[quote=Charles]

[list]
[*]There will be a lot more variety in hand-to-hand fighting tehnique. Also, there's new types of car jacking and you can swim.[/quote]
[/list][font=Arial][size=1][color=darkslateblue]Another thing I've been waiting for: swimming. It gets very frustrating to walk a little ways out into the ocean and then have your character start drowning at about chest deep.[/color][/size][/font]

[font=Arial][size=1][color=darkslateblue]Overall: GTA: SA sounds like a definite buy to me. Few of the new features that are going to be used in the game, do I really dislike, but I'll deal with it and play the game. GTA is an addictive game, something that you could play for hours at a time. Its not something that I'll miss out on getting.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=1][color=darkslateblue][/color][/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=1][color=darkslateblue]As for minors playing the game, yes, I am a minor, but that doesn't mean that I play the game for its violent content or swearing or sexual content. No. I play the game because it is [i]fun[/i]. I love GTA for its endless gameplay, its ability to let you do what you want. Its a game where if you don't want to play a mission, you don't have to.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=1][color=darkslateblue][/color][/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=1][color=darkslateblue]Yes, minors playing a game like GTA is not a very good thing, but, not all minors are the same. Some are much more mature than others and see the game not for its violence and such, but for its fun and interactive gameplay and other such [i]good[/i] things about the game.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=1][color=darkslateblue][/color][/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=1][color=darkslateblue]^_^ I can't wait until this game comes out. Thanks for all the info, Charles.[/color][/size][/font]

[BlueYoshi]

[color=teal]New Screen:[/color]

[img]http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/519/519073/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas-20040526102136973.jpg[/img]

[color=teal]There are a few others as well, but they only look like loading screens so they aren't really that important right now.

Also, if you check out IGN you'll find a chunk of new, and old, information on San Andreas that came from the official site. It sheds light on a few other characters, runs through the very small list of guns and vehicles as of now, and states that bosses and characters from GTA 3 may make their appearances.

Oh and, the voices haven't been confirmed yet; what you've heard are just rumours, heh:[/color]

[quote][b]Q: What actors can we expect contributing talent to the game?[/b]

Current rumours suggest that Dave Chappelle or Ice Cube may be voicing Carl Johnson, but then we could start a rumour that says it's going to be Mary Kate and Ashley Olson. There's just no way of telling for sure right now. Rockstar is adamant about not selling a game based on recognizable celebrity. Their goal is to find actors who fit the roles, not big names that happen to have an open schedule. Basically, it could be anyone. The only known actor is Frank Vincent, returning as Don Salvatore Leone from GTA III who, as we mentioned earlier, stated on his personal website that he had been commissioned to reprise his role for San Andreas. That statement has since disappeared without formal retraction, but he remains credited on IMDB.com.[/quote]

[Guest Vash331]

Well personaly i hate the ps2 and hope it burns in hell. i mean seriously the gta series could have so much better graphics and resolution and everything if it were on the xbox or even the gamecube!
Was that black guy on the second pick really the main character?! what about good old tommy vercetti? And bicycles? what the hell am i supposed to do with that? deliver the paper? i'm not getting away from the cops or any rivaling gangs on that thing.
All i can say is rockstar better make up something new and kickass, otherwise i won't even care to pick up this new title, i wanna be a pimp.....oh well.

[Charles]

[QUOTE=Vash331]Well personaly i hate the ps2 and hope it burns in hell. i mean seriously the gta series could have so much better graphics and resolution and everything if it were on the xbox or even the gamecube!
Was that black guy on the second pick really the main character?! what about good old tommy vercetti? And bicycles? what the hell am i supposed to do with that? deliver the paper? i'm not getting away from the cops or any rivaling gangs on that thing.
All i can say is rockstar better make up something new and kickass, otherwise i won't even care to pick up this new title, i wanna be a pimp.....oh well.[/QUOTE]

The Playstation 2 is the logical choice from an economical standpoint. I'm extremely doubtful that the other consoles could produce a significantly better experience bearing in mind the goal of the developers. Visuals have never been a focal point in the Grand Theft Auto series. I reference the first two as my primary examples. Even the three dimensional iterations feature crude polygonal figures and simple texture mapping. The primary focus in this franchise, I think, is providing an expansive, open-ended gameplay experience. Bearing that in mind, I think the games look pretty good for what they are.

If you want better resolution, buy the PC version or cross your fingers and hope for an Xbox port. A GameCube version would present its own set of problems from a technical point of view based on the limited amount of disc space it provides. The robust soundtrack and gigantic streaming environments would result in a multi-disc game. I don't know why anyone would want to trouble themselves with that if they didn't have to.

As for your complaint about the main character--please tell me you're not one of those guys who's bothered by the fact that the main character is black. I still can't believe that so many morons put up such a fuss over the skin color of a video game character. It makes me wonder what year we're living in when it comes to that. Tch. :rolleyes:

[Zen]

[color=green][size=1]

Yeah, and not to be racist, but not the average white man belongs to a west coast street gang. Fits the part better than a mobster wearing a hawaiin shirt and acid wash jeans. :p

Now back to business. I am a huge fan of Vice City, and the fact you can go threw out a state really blows me away. Its amazing how much work and improvment they have put into the game. I'm looking forward to the bikes personally, aswell as the thicker story line. But my favorite part is gonna be the character health maintenance and the enhanced hand to hand combat system. Thats gonna be cool. Maybe they'll incorperate learning martial arts or something into the game. But even without that, its gonna be cooler than the basic "punch, punch, punch and floor stomping" from the previous games. I can't wait.[/color][/size]

[TheShinje]

Yep, SanAndreas is going to rock! The improvements over "3" and Vice City are to numerous to mention, but I'll got through what I'm most lookign forawrd to.


[b]3 cities[/b]

This is by far the best enhancement, making it worth he wait (between Vice and SA) and, with all 3 cities, Las Venturra, Los Santos and San Fierro, will be 6 times larger than Vice City. I don't know about anybody else, but I'm just looking forward to exploring such a vast landscape.

[b]Countryside in between cities[/b]

I like this idea lot, instead of the load screen, between islands, you smoothly run from city to open countryside, where, apparently alot of wierd ******* (stuff) happens. So, it will be alot like GTA1, where you had 3 cities, but without the cities being accessed by menu. You'll have to drive through there, and country folk can give you missions. Also, there will be an array of country-specific vehicles, hehe, perhaps I'd like to run amok in a tractor, or a crop duster! I wonder if there will be Amish communities in the country you can do misisons for!

On to of this, there will be a mountain in SanAndreas, and it will be huge. I think I'm looking forward to the mountain most.

[b]You can now, swim.[/b]

Gone are the days of taking a hell load of bullets, only to drown fallign into a lake.
A good and necessary enhancement, big badass mob runenr can't swim? yeah right!


[b]Okay, cool, but this is ridiculous![/b]

Carl will have to eats to stay fit, but if he eats too much donuts, he gets fat.
To add to this, mob bosses can reject you for missions if you are too unfit.
To this end, there is a gym, you use it to get back in shape. I wish I were joking.

You can also go to a barber shop and get a haircut. A little too realistic? Whay the need for haircuts? Granted, it gives you a little creative control over your character, but what's next? The need to sit down and read the morning's paper? Walk the dog or it will ruin your front lawn? Go to the toilet or you will, er, get messy? I think that there are some great improvements, no doubt. Some though, like the latter, I have to question.

[natetron46]

yes they have clearly gone overboard with some of the stuff. the haircut is rediculous, this isnt the sims, its about murder and money. i like the countryside idea, i didnt like the idea of three cities right on top of each other, it was kinda wierd. this game is getting really in depth though, next year your going to be able top go in the gap and get a new button-down shirt! :cool:

[BlueYoshi]

[quote name='Sir Auron']You can also go to a barber shop and get a haircut. A little too realistic? Whay the need for haircuts? Granted, it gives you a little creative control over your character, but what's next? The need to sit down and read the morning's paper? Walk the dog or it will ruin your front lawn? Go to the toilet or you will, er, get messy? I think that there are some great improvements, no doubt. Some though, like the latter, I have to question.[/quote]

[color=teal]I kind of agree with this. It can't be stressed enough that the GTA series is what it is today because of the literal potential that it's already exceeded. For one, I was happy enough with the standard of GTA3. Vice City was basically a complete enhancement of it; transcending the story and many, many other features -- something that I greatly appreciate -- but with that, you're only left to ask yourself "What else can be done?".

San Andreas has basically crossed the t's and dotted the i's on Vice City. For example, swimming and being able to ride a bicycle. To me, that's as good as it's going to get baring in mind that other qualities, good qualities that is, are left untouched. One thing that scares me though, is how Rockstar will go about various changes or so called improvements. The tier system in VC was brilliant, and it fitted in so ideally that you'd consider there to be a wider variation of weapons and such in SA, but to be fair, VC has already posed quite a substantial arsenal of weapons, pretty much putting Rockstar in a stalemate considering their next incentives on that motive.

So yeah, making haircuts and fitness a pivotal factor seems only like a stratagem from where I'm standing, which in a way is as good as much as it's bad. I'm relatively easy going with my games; as long they're simple to play and bare a gripping storyline, then I ain't complaining.[/color]

[gumby]

[font=Arial][size=2][color=darkred][QUOTE]Carl will have to eats to stay fit, but if he eats too much donuts, he gets fat.
To add to this, mob bosses can reject you for missions if you are too unfit.
To this end, there is a gym, you use it to get back in shape. I wish I were joking.
[/QUOTE] [/color][/size][/font]

[font=Arial][size=2][color=darkred]Easy fix just ride your bike everywhere. easy way to keep fit. GTA has always been cool but it always causes so much controversy when it's released in Australia that we get the watered down version, which I for one hate. The people who protest about it should be kicked in the balls.[/color][/size][/font]