LogFAQs > #950643183

#16 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2, 2004)


When I first tried out Grand Theft Auto 3 nearly 20 years ago, I thought it was pretty good. Maybe not the revolutionary title that many others thought it to be, but it was a solid, fun game that set the groundwork for something that could be truly special. Vice City was a slight step in the right direction. It went harder on the Scarface parallel, which was neat, and it dabbled in some weird stuff not involving driving or shooting, but I felt like it wasnt quite what I was hoping for.

San Andreas was absolutely what I thought Grand Theft Auto could ultimately be. CJ is my favorite protagonist in the series, Officer Tenpenny is my favorite villain in the series, the map is my favorite in the series; just about everything about the game is my favorite GTA has to offer.

But the real reason San Andreas is unequivocally my favorite Grand Theft Auto game is because of just how much they packed into this single game. The map size is enormous, and its all unique and fun to explore. Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas are very much like their real life counterparts and are so different, it almost feels like they each encompass a different game. And thats before even getting into all the country roads in between.

Also, the mission variety is unmatched. A lot of the time, youre driving somewhere and shooting someone, sure, but theres a mission where you have to torch a big marijuana field, and the more you burn, the crazier the camera gets. Theres a mission where you have to pilot an RC plane strapped with bombs and take out a bunch of cars before they blow up key sections of the map. Theres a mission where you have to infiltrate the San Andreas equivalent of Area 51 and steal a jetpack.

And this isnt even touching upon all the sidestuff you can do thats completely optional. Theres blackjack, theres pimping, theres organized stealing, theres dancing, theres lowrider battles, theres graffiti-tagging, theres triathlons, theres horse betting, theres stunt jumping, theres driving school, there are gang wars, theres roulette, theres taxi driving, theres dating, there are gym workouts, theres video poker, you can play basketball, there are arcade games, theres the shooting range. There is a fleshed-out 8-ball pool minigame with decent physics.

AND YOU CAN DO MOST OF THIS WITH 2 PLAYERS. Did you remember you could find the little icons around the map that would let a second player join in on the madness? Cuz I only vaguely do, but now that Ive been reminded, I remember doing all kinds of dumb shit with friends. One of my fondest gaming memories of the time was getting out on the freeway and causing all kinds of mayhem and watching as the oncoming traffic would get out of their cars and fight each other instead of us.

Man, those were good times. So is GTA5, btw. Looking back, I think I mustve overlooked it, because it wouldve easily made my list somewhere, probably in the upper 40s somewhere. Whoops. Not much I can do about it now, though.

San Andreas > 5 > 4 > Vice City > 3 > Chinatown Wars

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Xbox GT/PSN name/Nintendo ID: TatteredUniform
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