The Introduction



The Introduction is a roughly 20 minute video, created with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' video engine, that details how events in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City led to events in GTA San Andreas. It was available with the American PS2 Special Edition of GTA San Andreas or the official soundtrack double CD. It is set in late 1992, and replaces the need for a GTA San Andreas Stories prequel, like Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (each explained the events leading up to Grand Theft Auto III and GTA Vice City respectively). The video ends directly at the beginning of GTA San Andreas, when Carl arrives in San Andreas after hearing the news his mom died.

Frank Tenpenny and Eddie Pulaski
The video features a scene that depicts Frank Tenpenny and Eddie Pulaski, who had just came from a meeting with Big Smoke, and begin discussing Jimmy Hernandez' assignment with them, and the threat Ralph Pendelbury poses. In a later scene, Tenpenny is overheard verbally harassing an unknown person on the phone. When they go to pick up Hernandez, he appears to be a good, straight cop, and Tenpenny is particularly hard on him. In the last scene featuring this trio, Pulaski is kicking a downed officer, obviously Pendelbury. Tenpenny hands a pistol to Hernandez and tells him, "You cap him or I cap you." Hernandez shoots and kills the downed officer.

Mike Toreno and T-Bone Mendez
Another scene features T-Bone Mendez and Mike Toreno (who is sitting on a parked ZR-350), focusing on Mendez beating Jose to death against a shipping container for ratting. Toreno discusses with Mendez about a "buyer down in Los Santos."

Ken Rosenberg and Salvatore Leone
A later thread of scenes documents Ken Rosenberg's path from Vice City to San Andreas. The first scene depicts Johnny Sindacco proposing to Salvatore Leone a three-way split between the Sindacco Family, the Leone Family, and the Forelli Family of a new casino, with Salvatore's five million dollar investment managed by the Sindaccos. Salvatore isn't pleased with the terms of this offer, and names his own terms; he gets control of the books. He then suggests to Johnny that he would be pleased with a "neutral" third-party to manage things, and tells Johnny to get rid of their guy to prove the value of his involvement.

The next scene shows Ken Rosenberg walking out of the Fort Carson Medical Center, talking to himself about being sober, being disbarred from practicing law, needing a job, and needing a ride. Later, Ken tries to call Tommy Vercetti from a pay phone, and reveals that he is avoiding Ken's calls.



The following scene depicts two anonymous Sindacco Family thugs digging a hole for the body of Mickey and burying it, while discussing the rumor that the Leone family is lending their bosses some money. The next scene shows Johnny Sindacco walking into Salvatore Leone's office to tell him they've gotten rid of their guy. Salvatore suggests a lawyer he's heard about that just got out of rehab; he used to work for the Forellis in Florida.

The final scene in this thread depicts Salvatore barging into Ken Rosenberg's office, demanding to know why Ken hasn't worked harder to earn his investment back. Salvatore implies that he got this job for Ken so that he could be his man.

Kent Paul and Maccer
Another scene features Kent Paul and Maccer in a recording studio in England. Their cryptic conversation consists of becoming owner of a band, buying Maccer out of his contract, and Maccer's excitement over going to America.

CJ and Sweet
The main thread of scenes in the video, focusing on CJ and the members of gangs in Los Santos, begins with three Ballas members smoking a joint in an alley, talking trash about Grove Street Families, and discussing their plan to murder Sweet.

The next scene shows Big Smoke and Ryder in Ryder's house, having a cryptic conversation about "destiny" and "choices". The scene that follows features Sweet, Big Smoke, OG Loc, and some other Grove Street Members shooting craps on the sidewalk. Smoke is warning Sweet that "standing by our principles" may be the reason they're "losing the streets". Loc explains that he's a "Gangsta Rapper", and gives himself the name OG Loc. Smoke and Sweet tell him he should avoid a life like theirs and go to college, "Make something of yourself". Smoke asks Sweet if he's heard from his brother CJ, and Sweet explains that they're not speaking.

The following scene shows CJ in Liberty City, attempting to steal cars parked on the side of the road until he pulls a man out of his stopped car and steals it. He then speaks on the phone to Joey Leone, and asks where to take the car, as he needs to get it off the street. There is a quick cut-scene of a green Sabre pulling out of a garage, then the next scene depicts CJ mugging a man in an alley.

There is another shot of a green Sabre cruising down a road in Ganton, then the final scene features the Sabre driving down the street Sweet's house is on, and then gunfire coming from the car, riddling the Johnson house with bullets. As the car drives away, Sweet rushes into the house, then back out to stop Kendl, who was just about to enter. As Kendl weeps on the steps of the porch, Sweet calls CJ to tell him that his mother Beverly is dead.

The first mission of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas continues the storyline from this point on.

Deaths

 * Mickey - Killed by a member of Sindacco Family to get investments for Caligula's Casino.
 * Ralph Pendelbury - Killed by Jimmy Hernandaz in order to gain acceptance in the C.R.A.S.H. unit.
 * Beverly Johnson - Killed by members of the Ballas gang in attempt to kill Sweet.
 * Unknown hispanic man - killed by T-Bone Mendez Possibly for snitching

DVD Trivia

 * All of the scenes (with the exception of Liberty City) were shot in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas locations despite the fact they are meant to be somewhere else. For example, Kent Paul's studio in England is actually the interior of Madd Dogg's mansion.
 * One of the possible reasons Tommy Vercetti does not talk in this movie is that Ray Liotta, the voice actor of Tommy, had a dispute with Rockstar North about how much "effort" he put in to Vice City.
 * The appearance of Sex Club 7 in the Liberty City scene is a canonical error. Before 1998, it was called Paulie's Revue Bar. This happened because Rockstar wrote GTA: Liberty City Stories after GTA: San Andreas.
 * In the Mike Toreno scene T-Bone is seen beating up someone. The person although bleeding heavily appears to look like Jose from the mission Cesar Vialpando who questioned about CJ being in Azteca territory. The white V-neck shirt (although covered in blood) gives off a possible hint.

External link

 * The Introduction YouTube Video
 * The Introduction script on GameFAQs

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