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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is 13
- Thread starter MBS
- Start date
Legendary game.
If I had to make a list (I don´t) it would probably go like this:
1. VC
2. SA
3. V
4. IV
5. III
If I had to make a list (I don´t) it would probably go like this:
1. VC
2. SA
3. V
4. IV
5. III
Rockstar might be a horrible company run by horrible people (if allegations to be believed) but it's pretty amazing how they basically gave a middle finger to racism by making CJ the protagonist. Granted, I think gaming culture was a little bit different in 2005, but it definitely did upset some people. GTA: San Andreas is a technological masterpiece for the PS2. There was really nothing else like it. Looking back, the technological limitations are glaring, but considering the hardware it was built for, it is an amazing accomplishment.
Horrible difficulty spikes are the only real blemish. Also the crappy PC port that blessedly does have some fan patches.
Horrible difficulty spikes are the only real blemish. Also the crappy PC port that blessedly does have some fan patches.
I was so hyped for this. I followed updates on the main website and all the fan sites (gtagaming, PlanetGTA, Gouranga!, etc.) all the way to release. I still have the trailers, screenshots, and even some of the flash video files from the website on my computer somewhere. Used what little money I had to go to my closest gamestop and reserve my copy. It was absolutely insane what they were able to pull off on that hardware in just 2 short years after Vice City.
This was high school for me. The memories. I still have my Edition 1 PS2 copy. I'll never forget the day I got it. It was one of the first games I ever pre-ordered. Team America had come out a day or two before and I went to see it with friends, got strep throat, and had to miss school. My dad had to pick up my copy and he was nice enough to get me the guide. I was so excited.
what one?
the one that i hated was the RC plane. of course it wasn't until i had attempted it a load of times i realised it was optional.
So much time spent just driving up Mount Chiliad and doing crazy stunts jumping off from the top. Or going jetpack crazy on the military base. Or flying airplanes through the city and then parachuting on top of the highest building.
Repetitive gang wars weren't too bad because on PC you had fast, precision aim that let you handle it easily.
I'm doubtful I would get the same enjoyment out of it in my current life, but as a teenager, the game was fucking amazing.
Repetitive gang wars weren't too bad because on PC you had fast, precision aim that let you handle it easily.
I'm doubtful I would get the same enjoyment out of it in my current life, but as a teenager, the game was fucking amazing.
I loved this game so much.
I played it at a friends house for the first couple of years since I had no Playstation 2 back then, but then it finally came out on Xbox and I spent so much time on it. The first time I made sure to take over all of the territories
Really an amazing game that did things way ahead of its time. How they got that game running on a PS 2 is still a mystery to me.
I played it at a friends house for the first couple of years since I had no Playstation 2 back then, but then it finally came out on Xbox and I spent so much time on it. The first time I made sure to take over all of the territories
, even though I knew I was going to lose them right after.
Really an amazing game that did things way ahead of its time. How they got that game running on a PS 2 is still a mystery to me.
Gosh, thanks for the existential crisis OP.
Seems like yesterday I was cursing at R* for their shitty design decisions (so now that they're on the train they resist bullets? Wtf?)
Seems like yesterday I was cursing at R* for their shitty design decisions (so now that they're on the train they resist bullets? Wtf?)
By far my favourite GTA game, even though I couldn't pass the last mission. I was only able to play it on my cousins PS2 till it came out on the Xbox.
SA being so great made IV so disappointing.
All you had to do was follow the damn train, CJ!
SA being so great made IV so disappointing.
All you had to do was follow the damn train, CJ!
Was going to post this.
One of my top 10. Fond memory was driving along a cliffside road in a camper out in the sticks and seeing San Fierro approaching in the distance for the first time.
Exactly. Tenpenny is a master class of how to build an antagonist. I'm surprised how many games have not been able to get their antagonist right since GTA:SA, even Rockstar. Like, I just want to go over and shake writers/producers and be like "Do what Rockstar did with San Andreas to make a meaningful bad guy!"
The only other games to make approachable bad guys, ones who have personalities and are ever-present in your story do it the cheap way... They make him a good guy and then give you a lame plot twist at the end where he's actually a bad guy, and that's supposed to motivate you to want to kill/dispose of him. A lot of people might think of Bioshock and the prime antagonist there, who is actually your ally throughout most of the game and then SWERVE he's actually been a bad guy all along and now you want to kill him and he's a super-human monster!!! And it's just so lame compared to San Andreas and Frank Tenpenny.
Tenpenny actually has personality, you know his personality, he's got charisma, you know why other people would want to associate with him, you know why he's untouchable to you, when you have to do bad things for him you know and understand why you have to do them... It's just so well done, and it's something that no other game has done as well since GTA: San Andreas. Even Rockstar lost this and couldn't replicate it in GTA IV, RDR, and GTA V. I think Prey might come close, but I haven't finished the game yet and it's a game that really throws you around narratively so it's tough for me to predict where it's going, but the relationship between your protagonist and your brother (who seems setup to be the main antagonist throughout most of the early story) is done pretty well, but I know there's some major swerves coming.
Especially if you played it on the original PS2 version. The Zero RC plane mission was patched to make it easier on the Xbox, PC, and subsequent versions. One of the toughest missions of any game that I can remember, and I beat it back before most guides were out on the internet, and so the only way I beat it was by taking a photo of the map with my friend's digital camera and then manually mapping out the routes based on certain times in photoshop. Eventually figured out an ideal way to cover all ~6 drivers/motorcycles and realized I could do it if I did it pretty much perfectly with no mistakes.
And then you get a measley $7000/week business when you beat it (and the next mission which was much easier)... and at that point I had already made like billions playing the horse racing gambling game.
Yeah, that mission nearly drove me crazy. I remember then getting the xbox version and dreading having to play through that mission again, but of then I just breezed through it and it was like, what the hell?
Yeah I had a similar experience on the PC and thought "It must just be easier because of the precision of the mouse..." (although I played those missions with two controllers basically... would use a PS2 controller to fly around and then as I got close to the ground, I'd switch to a mouse to fire. I played the whole game that way actually which is really weird, regularly had the controller on my lap for movement, and the mouse in my right hand for aiming/firing)..
But then I later read that the buffed the plane/nerfed the difficulty. On the original PS2 release, your RC plane's gas was basically a timer... It counted down at a fixed rate constantly, so you basically had a specific time limit to finish the mission which was very, very difficult. On the Xbox/PC/future releases, your RC plane's gas was actually used like gas, so it's only go down when you were using the throttle, so you could fly up to a point and coast (like any airplane in GTA) and it wouldn't use gas, or if you were coasting on the ground or near a target (to increase stability) it wouldn't use gas. It meant that on Ps2 you'd likely finish it with a SLIVER of gas left, but on Xbox/PC, you could finish the mission with half your tank left easily, so you could take your time or miss a couple times lining up shots.
Still crazy to me that the older game did more than it's successor when it came to extras. The difference in side content in GTA:SA and GTA 4 is night and day.
BigSmoke said:
BigSmoke said:
First GTA, and still best GTA. You make me want to go and replay it now. Owned on PS2, Xbox 360, PC, and PS4. If Rockstar made a remake or ported it to the Switch, I would be so happy.
The best sandbox game of its generation and the best atmosphere of any GTA. I know that map back and forth better than any other game. All of the secrets in the game and the mods on PC made it so magical. I still believe Bigfoot is out there, haha. San Andreas is what got me into my plane love in video games. They have the best controls out of any game series. I loved the 3 Cities, but the country was the best. Playing two player out there was amazing. We would always go on cross country road trips just driving "normally" and roleplaying. The most hikarious thing to do was punch those old grannies in the country then jump on a house. We would laugh for hours while they insulted us and tried to punch us on the roof. Man I'm on a nostalgia ride now. Time to watch some YouTube videos now.
San Andreas was the last GTA i thoroughly enjoyed. Since then they just haven't clicked with me anymore. Feels kinda bad not feeling any interest in this series any longer. I mean i played every game since the first one. It is a big part of my gaming history. Well nothing lasts forever, i guess.
It feels longer than 13 years.
Like the game but I never managed to finish the story, my PC died last time I tried to play it.
Furthest I got was the Grove 4 Life mission, Sweet kept getting run over.
Like the game but I never managed to finish the story, my PC died last time I tried to play it.
Furthest I got was the Grove 4 Life mission, Sweet kept getting run over.
as old as I was when I bought the game, really makes you think. still remember the queue in Game full of people's parents getting them it.
I remember the build up to the game quite solidly, never been as hyped for a game since.
I remember the build up to the game quite solidly, never been as hyped for a game since.
Came for this.
I was only 13, but my momma is real chill. I got this and a strategy guide for Christmas that year. I spent so much time playing this that its funny. I can hear the loading music in my head now. One of the all time greats.
OP
OP
This and Samuel L. VA also played a huge part shaping the entire persona. Tempenny would've been much different without him.
Probably my least favorite GTA game. I didn't like CJ, and this was one instance where Rockstar just implemented too much stuff like the weight gaining, working out, stamina, etc.
The early rumors helped with the hype and the overall feeling of of the game, the world was so big with enough new things that it actually felt like you might bump into aliens, bigfoot or leatherface in the woods at night.
I mostly liked getting one of the top two wanted ratings and seeing how long I could outrun law enforcement for on a motorbike, that was never the same in later titles as they'd kill you too quickly for it to be fun, a successful switching vehicles mid-chase was always a great feeling.
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I loved the 80's style and music in Vice City, but San Andreas perfected the GTA formula as far as I'm concerned. GTA:IV felt like a massive step back at the time and I never really got on with it, though GTA:V fixed many of the issues I still miss certain game mechanics from San Andreas.
I remember going to pick the game up on launch before college started and our lecturer letting us hook a PS2 up to the projector at lunch so long as we let him have a quick blast.
I remember going to pick the game up on launch before college started and our lecturer letting us hook a PS2 up to the projector at lunch so long as we let him have a quick blast.
Whoa. I feel sort of old now then. First played this when I was in high school and then finished it again about a month ago.
San Andreas is definitely my favorite GTA game just a few points ahead of III. After finishing SA, I jumped to IV but that didn't really live up to the previous game.
Guess I was very patient when I was younger since I found all of those collectibles without a guide. Man, those were a pain.
San Andreas is definitely my favorite GTA game just a few points ahead of III. After finishing SA, I jumped to IV but that didn't really live up to the previous game.
Guess I was very patient when I was younger since I found all of those collectibles without a guide. Man, those were a pain.
Still a very good game. The only things that drag down replays are the airplane and racing missions.
Always thought it was called what it was called rather than 13 but I wasn't part of the cool crowd back then.
I loved SA (for the sheer size of the game, the narrative, the characters etc) back in the days but I always have this niggling doubt whether this game is truely that good or am I just wearing my rose tinted glasses.
You see, I bought the GTAV not long ago. Despite having the knowledge that the map is a lot bigger than any of its predecessors; GTAV felt small and confined.
In SA the desert area felt huge and mysterious, difference between Los Santos and Las Venturas felt distinct, the South-West of the map truly felt like it's middle of no where.
In GTAV the map just felt like a city at the south, small desert in the middle and that's about it. Yes there are long highways around the island but I never had that sense of traveling like it did in SA.
Is it because of the map layout? Is it because of the mission variety? Is it because of the location being utilized on mission are limited? I do not know.
I am sure many people can pull out all sort of statistics to prove that GTAV is x times bigger than SA in every possible way, but in my experience playing the game it just isn't like that. Or may be I am just getting older and these type of Open World isn't for me anymore?
On the contrary, I am completely immersed in the Witcher 3, the world felt a lot more "alive" than it is in V. That sense of exploration is unbeatable.
Feel free to disagree, I am not trying to raise an argument here, just personal feelings.
You see, I bought the GTAV not long ago. Despite having the knowledge that the map is a lot bigger than any of its predecessors; GTAV felt small and confined.
In SA the desert area felt huge and mysterious, difference between Los Santos and Las Venturas felt distinct, the South-West of the map truly felt like it's middle of no where.
In GTAV the map just felt like a city at the south, small desert in the middle and that's about it. Yes there are long highways around the island but I never had that sense of traveling like it did in SA.
Is it because of the map layout? Is it because of the mission variety? Is it because of the location being utilized on mission are limited? I do not know.
I am sure many people can pull out all sort of statistics to prove that GTAV is x times bigger than SA in every possible way, but in my experience playing the game it just isn't like that. Or may be I am just getting older and these type of Open World isn't for me anymore?
On the contrary, I am completely immersed in the Witcher 3, the world felt a lot more "alive" than it is in V. That sense of exploration is unbeatable.
Feel free to disagree, I am not trying to raise an argument here, just personal feelings.