Welcome to the Jungle

[JsARCLIGHT]

I keep finding more and more to do in San Andreas... Now that I have access to the car mods I find myself swiping car after car just to see what kind of mods can be put on them. I also just now started noticing all the various mini games that are hidden everywhere in the game. Basically any time you see an arcade game in the game you can walk up to it and "play it". The games may just be simple one screen old school fare but it's sad how much they suck you in just as much as the real game does.

Also, having bricked a few missions last night I also like the new "advance time" function they added so you don't have to replay long boring sections of failed missions just to get to the part you screwed up on.

So far, aside from the unfixed and still frustrating aiming system, this game keeps getting better and better. Word of caution though to the younger audience or the parents out there: they drop more cuss bombs in this game than any previous GTA release. I mean, these characters cannot speak one sentance without cussing. F this, N that... if you have a low tollerance for four letter words and racial slurs you might just get overloaded with this game. As Rod Flanders said: "Ow my freakin' ears!"

As for Halo, you cannot deny the game's success but at the same time you can always say the same thing all the "Halo Haters" say: it's one of the only good early games for the XBox. I owned an XBox a while back and the only two games I had for it that I could tollerate were Halo and Gotham Racing... and the racing game got boring really fast. I myself equate Halo to games like Resident Evil 1 for the PS1... when the system came out you had a choice between a few titles, most of them stunk. But then there were one or two that were pretty good and those games sold like pants in the congo. Halo may be a fair FPS console title but you cannot deny that a major portion of it's popularity and sales come from the fact it is one of the few decent titles for that system, making it an almost "required purchase". Being a flagship title really boosts sales, just ask Mario.

[JsARCLIGHT]

One thing just now pointed out to me by a co-worker that I totally did not notice when playing the game last night (although in hindsight it should have been totally obvious) is that the new aiming reticle that appears for weapon lockons (the little green three point thing) actually changes color from green to yellow to red to black to show the health level of your target. I guess it is because I was shooting people and the whole "one shot one kill" with the Tec 9 kept me from seeing that. My friend also said you can "lock on" to people when you fist fight with them but I can't seem to get that to work outside of fighting the boxing guy... who you totally maul into a pulp easily. Then when you gain new fist fight techniques you can then really beat the tar out of people... especially if you guy is "ripped".

One last coment on the changes in the game that I noticed: the weapon pickups no longer have the "halo of light" around them. Seeing the dropped weapons and cash of your victims is kind of hard now as they no longer have that ethereal green glow about them...

[mikeszekely]

Halo may be a fair FPS console title but you cannot deny that a major portion of it's popularity and sales come from the fact it is one of the few decent titles for that system, making it an almost "required purchase". Being a flagship title really boosts sales, just ask Mario.

You're right, you can't deny that being a good launch game helps. But it's still very high on the sales charts today, and you can't really say that it's one of the only good games on Xbox now, since most blockbuster titles appear on both Xbox and PS2 (Xbox will get San Andreas in the spring), plus great exclusives like Knights of the Old Republic and Fable.

[Skull Leader]

see, that's what I think when people talk so high and mighty about "Halo". I always counter that "One good game, a system does not make." And since apparently the "Fable" RPG was vastly overhyped (all the Xbox owners I've talked to that have it aren't all that thrilled with it), it seems it's time for microsoft to fall back on it's old cash cow again.

Sure, you guys may get "Halo 2" (or as we call it "Gaylo 2" ), but I get:

Star Wars: Battlefront (Once again, Star Wars is fun to play!)

Ace Combat 5 (totally kicking ass right now)

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (equally kicking ass)

Metal Gear Solid III: Snake Eater (more likely than not WILL kick ass)

Gran Turismo 4 (which we KNOW will kick ass)

Your awesome title may outsell many of these games, but I'll have variety when I want it, and none of them will dissapoint (admittedly I'm taking a leap of faith on the Metal Gear coming out, but I loved SoL, so I'm sure I'll like this one)

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Keep the SA reviews coming! I need something to tide me over until I can buy it

[JsARCLIGHT]

But being one of those good titles it means even though the game ages people keep buying it because it is one of the good titles. Games like KoTOR fade out because they are a bit too heady for most people to pick up and enjoy like a good shooter. Plus add to that that it took years for Halo to port to another system, PC at that. The only real way to play Halo for most people is to buy a $150 XBox or buy a $2000 computer. Most people will choose the first and then buy Halo.

It is a credit to Microsoft that they had a game like Halo in their stable and that they only ported it to their "other console" the PC, forcing people to buy an XBox to play the game. I bet if Halo had a wide release across several consoles like many other big name blockbuster titles it's sales would have been much less... but that is speculation. It is always hard to explain the sales of "phenomenon" games like Halo or GTA... you'd think they would burn out eventually yet they don't. How many times can they re-release GTA and Halo? We'll see.

(JsARCLIGHT puts down his re-re-re-re-released GTA super collector's first special edition PC package)

[Ghadrack]

I got in about 3 hours of play time on GTA:SA last night, I loved Vice City, in fact I spent about 1/3 of a weeklong vacation in Hawaii in the hotel room killing hookers and listening to 80's tunes, San Andreas so far looks to be a good sequel. There are tons of little things to do to occupy your time, the free roaming nature of the GTA series fits pretty darn perfectly in the southern California gangland theme. The soundtrack is great, the only flaw I can find with the game is that the lighting seems too dark to me.

The targetting system can be a little frustrating but I think with a little practice it gets a lot easier, combat can be pretty chaotic though if you are surrounded by 2 or 3 cops, a half dozen gang bangers and there are some pedestrians trying to run for cover all in close proximity.

I like the RPG aspect of the game and the character building, but it looks like they have engineered a pretty time dependent system, you will have a play a lot to max out your character's stats. Like Vice City though, I imagine that towards the end of the game it is still hella fun to be cruising around in a tank laying waste to the barrio with the army trying to stop you

I am pleased so far, the GTA series has been a lot of fun for me.

[JsARCLIGHT]

OK, I hate to keep gushing about this game but has anyone else seen some of the acting credits for the voices? Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Penn as the crooked cops are just perfect. Plus all the "hidden" voice actors on the radio stations like Ice T, Axl Rose, Chuck D and others just add some more class and help "sell" the game better.

Has anyone parked and listened to the radio stations for a while yet? I plan to do that this weekend just to see what sort of comedy gold hides in those airwaves...

[JsARCLIGHT]

The soundtrack is great, the only flaw I can find with the game is that the lighting seems too dark to me.

I thought that I was having that issue because I was playing the game back on my HDTV in widescreen (yes, for those who have HDTV's GTA:SA has a widecreen mode)... I even jacked the brightness all the way up to compensate for it but the image on screen seems very dark at times. I think it has something to do with the new "sun glare" effect they put in. If you notice, the times the game characters seem way too dark they are usually "in shadow" with a hard light source behind them. Plus add to that that the characters in this game are very dark... no that is not a racial slur, they are dark. Meaning they are dark skinned, wearing dark clothes and standing in poor lighting conditions at times.

I noticed that when you are buying clothes in the stores and then walk outside "into the daylight" you can see the clothes better, the colors are more noticeable... yet at night and when in shadow your character becomes not much more than a black sillouette.

[NSJ23]

OK, I hate to keep gushing about this game but has anyone else seen some of the acting credits for the voices? Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Penn as the crooked cops are just perfect. Plus all the "hidden" voice actors on the radio stations like Ice T, Axl Rose, Chuck D and others just add some more class and help "sell" the game better.

Has anyone parked and listened to the radio stations for a while yet? I plan to do that this weekend just to see what sort of comedy gold hides in those airwaves...

George Clinton is a DJ, Fazon Love (Big Worm In Friday) is Sweet, Big Smoke is the dude in the bright red suit in Rush hour).

I love the game, so far I found the LA Convenstion center, but No Staples center. Stole a nice car and now all the hood rats that wouldn't give me any play are jockin' me hard.

[mikeszekely]

see, that's what I think when people talk so high and mighty about "Halo". I always counter that "One good game, a system does not make." And since apparently the "Fable" RPG was vastly overhyped (all the Xbox owners I've talked to that have it aren't all that thrilled with it), it seems it's time for microsoft to fall back on it's old cash cow again.

Sure, you guys may get "Halo 2" (or as we call it "Gaylo 2" ), but I get:

Star Wars: Battlefront (Once again, Star Wars is fun to play!)

Ace Combat 5 (totally kicking ass right now)

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (equally kicking ass)

Metal Gear Solid III: Snake Eater (more likely than not WILL kick ass)

Gran Turismo 4 (which we KNOW will kick ass)

Your awesome title may outsell many of these games, but I'll have variety when I want it, and none of them will dissapoint (admittedly I'm taking a leap of faith on the Metal Gear coming out, but I loved SoL, so I'm sure I'll like this one)

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Keep the SA reviews coming! I need something to tide me over until I can buy it

Variety is actually one of the reasons that I bought all three systems, although I haven't found much use for my Gamecube.

Well, aside from Ace Combat, the Xbox basically has (or will have) everything on your list. I mean, Star Wars Battlefront was more or less built for the Xbox, San Andreas will DEFINATELY make it to the Xbox (It'd be out for Xbox now, if not for some deal Rockstar signed with Sony), probably with an overhaul like the Xbox editions of GTA3 and Vice City. And Gran Turismo 4 is getting screwed so that Sony can rush it out in time for Christmas, and all the while, Forza Motorsport is looking better and better. You got me on Ace Combat 5 (especially since that's what I'm playing now), and MGS3... although as much as I loved SoL, I'm not really hyped for Snake Eater. Maybe if Konami pulls another "Substance..."

Console loyalty only hurts the loyalists. I'm not saying Halo is better than GTA, because that's like saying playing football is better than eating pizza... two vastly different things. I'm only saying that I think Halo 2 will outsell San Andreas. And I'm not arguing that that Xbox is better than the PS2, either. I happen to enjoy both a great deal, and because I'm open-minded and don't claim any loyalty to either Sony's beast or Microsoft's beast, I have a greater selection of games to choose from. I can enjoy Ace Combat on my PS2, I can enjoy Halo on my Xbox, and I can enjoy... um... well, I'll let you know if I ever find anything that I really enjoy for my Gamecube.

[Panzer]

^^^ i was gonna say all the same things you said Mike to correct that guy.

also you can buy Halo today if you've never played it and still think its the best game you've ever played. its that good. the way Bungie designed the game is pure genius, its liquid smooth and doesn't have one flaw that i've ever found except maybe the kinda crappy enemy weapons.

and I thought Fable was probably the best and most awe-inspiring RPG i've ever played. but it was also really short.

i played san andeas last night and found the graphics to be heart breaking. someone else posted before that if Rockstar spent more money on development and less on voice actors to say "f**k" and "n**ga" every ten seconds it might have looked close to what an xbox game can acheive.

and once again the controls are awkward and detached. running around and driving a car feels very sub-par to what other games have acheived in the area of controls.

and i find driving around, running people over and stealing cars cool for about 30 minutes. i don't get endless enjoyment from pointless activities that don't go anywhere in a game.

[NSJ23]

^^^ i was gonna say all the same things you said Mike to correct that guy.

also you can buy Halo today if you've never played it and still think its the best game you've ever played. its that good. the way Bungie designed the game is pure genius, its liquid smooth and doesn't have one flaw that i've ever found except maybe the kinda crappy enemy weapons.

and I thought Fable was probably the best and most awe-inspiring RPG i've ever played. but it was also really short.

i played san andeas last night and found the graphics to be heart breaking. someone else posted before that if Rockstar spent more money on development and less on voice actors to say "f**k" and "n**ga" every ten seconds it might have looked close to what an xbox game can acheive.

and once again the controls are awkward and detached. running around and driving a car feels very sub-par to what other games have acheived in the area of controls.

and i find driving around, running people over and stealing cars cool for about 30 minutes. i don't get endless enjoyment from pointless activities that don't go anywhere in a game.

To each there own. To me there is nothing more boring than a Short RPG (or now a days any RPG in general) or A FPS.

And games with better Gameplay than Graphics are always a plus in My book.

[mikeszekely]

^^^ i was gonna say all the same things you said Mike to correct that guy.

also you can buy Halo today if you've never played it and still think its the best game you've ever played. its that good. the way Bungie designed the game is pure genius, its liquid smooth and doesn't have one flaw that i've ever found except maybe the kinda crappy enemy weapons.

and I thought Fable was probably the best and most awe-inspiring RPG i've ever played. but it was also really short.

i played san andeas last night and found the graphics to be heart breaking. someone else posted before that if Rockstar spent more money on development and less on voice actors to say "f**k" and "n**ga" every ten seconds it might have looked close to what an xbox game can acheive.

and once again the controls are awkward and detached. running around and driving a car feels very sub-par to what other games have acheived in the area of controls.

and i find driving around, running people over and stealing cars cool for about 30 minutes. i don't get endless enjoyment from pointless activities that don't go anywhere in a game.

To each there own. To me there is nothing more boring than a Short RPG (or now a days any RPG in general) or A FPS.

And games with better Gameplay than Graphics are always a plus in My book.

I'll go for gameplay over graphics, too (I still like to play the classic NES Megaman games for just that reason)... but the gameplay in GTA3 got boring to me fast, hence my lack of interest in San Andreas.

I'm not a huge fan of FPS, but I do think Halo had solid gameplay. As for RPGs, KOTOR and the Baldur's Gate games rocked, but the Japanese stuff (ESPECIALLY Final Fantasy) seems to be less about being good games and more about being stories that make you say "What the hell?!"

[JsARCLIGHT]

While I think that San Andreas could definately have had much better graphics, there comes a point when you have to draw the line to keep the gameplay intact. I fell that SA's graphics do their best to keep the game playable without constant load screens and disc swapping. Think just how huge the game world is... now imagine how slow gameplay would be if the graphics were boosted into space. You could drive about five seconds before the PS2 would have to pause to load... I'd think you could get away with better graphics on a greater platform like the PC but on the PS2 they had to strike a balance between looks and feels.

As for the control issue I started playing GTA on the PC with Vice City and going from mouseaim to teeny control sticks and a pissy autoaim feature made me feel like someone lopped off my left arm and put me back in the game. I think when San Andreas comes out for the PC not only will it "control better" but they will do like they did with Vice City and boost the resolution so the game should look better too.

[Panzer]

its sad how limited PS2 games are. gamplay over graphics has typically been the case for a lot of PS2 games.

with an xbox you get both, awesome gameplay- the S-Controller is the best available and graphics- the best around with gamecube in second place.

sorry PS2 owners, you'll have to be satisfied with just your gameplay for awhile until Sony releases a next-gen system on the same plane as xbox.

[JsARCLIGHT]

... or you could just buy a PC like I did.

Edit: I should also say the only reason I own a PS2 is because my wife wanted it. Yeah, yeah I know "excuses excuses"... but it really was her that wanted it. I myself prefer PC gaming with all its perks to craptastic console gaming. But let's keep this thread on topic and not derail it into another pointless internet console vs. PC Halo vs. the rest of the world mire.

Edited October 27, 2004 by JsARCLIGHT

[Max Jenius]

Graphics ARE important to me because its part of the immersion. From what I've seen of GTA:SA they appear to meet my standards for the PS2.. you've got to take into account how old the system is and how big the world is.

IIRC, the PS2 doesn't have that much ram... even for the time it was released.

[ComicKaze]

I just can't play GTA because the graphics are so outdated and tired looking. Bland textures, low polys, load times, etc...

I stayed with the PC version of Vice City, but only because I love the 80s so much and I spent the whole time just riding bikes around the city, but the physics really pissed me off eventually...and I was also frustrated with the fake vehicles when I realized what they were really supposed to be.

I guess I'm just spoiled by computer graphics and haven't purchased anything for a console since the Dreamcast and even then, I prefered 2D games on that.

I also hate the whole "Cali" hood/thug/latino/rapper cliche atmosphere. The epitome of everything I hate about that culture.

Edited October 27, 2004 by ComicKaze

[Limbo]

The thing that bothers me more on SA is the bad framerate. I don't care for graphics, and I would rather have models with half polygons and texture over SA choppy framerate.. specially when you are driving around, the poor ps2 just can't handle.

[Kin]

Does anybody know where I can download a tool to mirror my monitor display? (no, I'm not going to hold a real mirror next to it )

It gives vice city a whole different view and fun to play... ofcourse you have to edit controls since left is right and vice versa And yes it doesn't matter if u see Russian on your screen.

Edited October 27, 2004 by Kin

[Zentrandude]

wonder if sa will have more abililty like in liberty city i can jump on a truck and play sniper and then ride the truck as long as you can b4 you get knocked off, in vice city i did the same but i can crouch, but i want to be able to lay down in the truck bed and snipe so i have some protection from the cops who shoot at you if you just have 1 star.

[JsARCLIGHT]

I'm starting to wonder if my enthusiasm for the game is not blinding me to more issues... I did not experice one choppy section or low frame rate last night playing. Where are people getting the choppiness at so I know where to look for it at?

... and is anyone else running the game through component cables (or in widescreen for that matter)? I'm wondering if some of the claims of "muddiness" I hear around the web could just be the hookup meathods as my screen is very clear.

Edit: and on the topic of graphics I HATE the new "speed blur". Especially on that first bike chase mission... I could not focus on the road or my target because that darn blur makes you feel like you have cadaracts.

Edited October 27, 2004 by JsARCLIGHT

[mikeszekely]

IIRC, the PS2 doesn't have that much ram... even for the time it was released.

You do recall correctly. It was ridiculously short on RAM, yet state of the art (at the time) in other respects. One developer said that the PS2 was like driving a Ferrari with bald tires in the rain... a few limitations make it difficult to really push the system. Combine that with the fact that the PS2 is a bitch to program for, and many developers complained loudly... even as they jumped on the PS2 bandwagon.

[Effect]

I'm really looking forward to listening to the different radio stations in GTA:SA. One of the things I tended to do a lot with GTA3 and Vice City when I didn't have time to play was to park somewhere where my character couldn't get into any trouble and just have the radio stations on to either listen to the music, or the talk shows. More so the talk shows at times then the music. Those(music and talks shows) alone at times tend to be worth the price of the games.

Edited October 27, 2004 by Effect

[Zentrandude]

I'm really looking forward to listening to the different radio stations in GTA:SA. One of the things I tended to do a lot with GTA3 and Vice City when I didn't have time to play was to park somewhere where my character couldn't get into any trouble and just have the radio stations on to either listen to the music, or the talk shows. More so the talk shows at times then the music. Those(music and talks shows) alone at times tend to be worth the price of the game.

plently of latin music and beach boys i bet.

[JsARCLIGHT]

Actually the San Andreas music selection is very... not typical.

They have two rap stations (one "classic" and one "modern"... no insult but who ever heard of a "classic rap" station? Then again who ever heard of a dance music station either...), a Techno/Dance station, a Classic Rock station, a Gen X Alternative station, a Country station, a Reggae station, an Urban station (think Modern Soul meets Urban Contemporary), a Hip Hop/Funkadelic station and a few more. Much like Vice City they cover the musical fads of the early '90s but not the more "mainstream, everyday" music.

[gerwalk25]

Got my copy at Gamestop yesterday for less than $50, had mine reserved in June.

I always looked at the maps before I played the other GTA's; LC and VC and SA is freakin' huge! I like the way each major metropolitan parts of Cali/Nevada is represented. Why couldn't the Bay Area region represent Oaktown/Oakland, home of MC Hammer Too Short and over a hundred homicides in one year? Anyway I looked at the map for a good half hour before I even put the game in my PS2.

I'm playing now and it's awesome! I like the new life-sim aspect. Carl is like a Tamagotchi while carjacking and being an accomplice to many a drive-by. I'm having mine workout and eat salad meals only.

[ComicKaze]

Does anybody know where I can download a tool to mirror my monitor display? (no, I'm not going to hold a real mirror next to it )

It gives vice city a whole different view and fun to play... ofcourse you have to edit controls since left is right and vice versa And yes it doesn't matter if u see Russian on your screen.

Can you explain why you want to do this?

[Drad]

I'm having mine workout and eat salad meals only.

Careful. If Carl doesn't have any fat on him, his metabolism will burn hard-earned muscle tissue. For this reason, it's a good idea to include some fat in Carl's diet. That way, when you're running around town or just exerting yourself in general, you won't lose any of that valuable muscle.

I've maxed out Carl's stamina and muscle, and after each workout I have him eat about five or six "junk food" meals. It provides a small amount of fat that doesn't affect his physique and it gives his metabolism something to burn off. If only it worked that way in real life. In the human body, fat is always the last thing to go.

[Effect]

Who is voicing Carl?

[JsARCLIGHT]

Who is voicing Carl?

A new rapper named Young Maylay is the voice of CJ.

Other notable Hollywood voice tallent I noticed in the manual last night include James Woods, Peter Fonda, Samuel L Jackson (already mentioned by me above), Chris Penn (also already mentioned)... the game is also chock full of rappers and other urban/hip hop artists doing cameos and main character voices along with music industry classics.

Has anyone else seen the GTA character "cameos" yet? Such memorable scum as Kent Paul, Salvatore Leone, Ken Rosenburg and others from past games are all listed in the credits which means they are hiding in there somewhere...

Also has anyone else had the chance to try out the "two player rampage" feature yet? I only have one controller or my wife and I would be double trouble all over the place... we've found four "team up" icons so far.

[Effect]

Thanks. Can't wait to get my hands on this. Has anyone gotten to any of the other cities in the game yet or still on the first one?

Do you get a base of operations in the game or is it basicly like GTA3 and Vice City were you happen to get a place to park your cars/save or just a place to save?

[zeo-mare]

got my GTA today it is like the others you can buy new property and save and store your cars, love the size of the game the map is huge and the graphics are much better than vice city. I can see I am going to waste alot of time on this game, I am still on the first city, but you can now swim in the game so even though the bridges are blocked early on you can jump off into the ocean and swim to the other side, So i have had a chance to explore around alittle, only problem is when you leave to the other cities early you get a instant 4 star police rating so it is hard to last long but if you keep moving you can get far.

so far I am having alot of fun.

chris

Edited October 29, 2004 by zeo-mare

[UN Spacy]

It's gonna take a while to fine tune MY CJ.....time to give him a little mo bling bling to increase his sex appeal.

[zeo-mare]

It's gonna take a while to fine tune MY CJ.....time to give him a little mo bling bling to increase his sex appeal.

that is more or less what I am doing just running around and doing things to build up his stats. takes alittle bit but in the end it is worth it, mainly because it is fun.

chris