Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a Rockstar North developed GTA III Era game, and so has references to storylines and characters from both Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It is the only game so far set in the fictional state of San Andreas, consisting of three cities: Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas, and includes vast expanses of countryside, forests, and a desert as well as a mountain. The game is centered around the return of Carl Johnson (also known as CJ) to his gang (the Grove Street Families), and their subsequent return to power.
Storyline
The protagonist of GTA San Andreas, Carl Johnson (CJ)
Five years ago Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in his hometown, Los Santos, San Andreas. Now, it's the early 90s, and he's got to get back 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 the homicide of a police officer. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and take control of the streets.
Gameplay
San Andreas is similarly structured to the previous two games in the series. The core gameplay consists of elements of a third-person shooter and a driving game, affording the player a large, open environment in which to move around. On foot, the player's character is capable of walking, running, swimming (the first GTA game in which diving is possible), limited climbing and jumping, as well as using weapons and various forms of hand to hand combat. Players can operate a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, boats, airplanes, helicopters, trains, tanks, motorcycles and bicycles. Players may also import vehicles rather than steal them. CJ is Grand Theft Auto's most customizable protagonist due to the possibility in-game to change his clothes, tattoos, hairstyle and even his body mass in which he can be fat, skinny or muscular.
Game Information
- 100% Completion — Detailed information on how to complete the game 100%.
- Assets — Assets are places where you can periodically go to collect a predetermined amount of money.
- Businesses — There are many different types of businesses featured.
- Carl "CJ" Johnson - The protagonist of the game.
- Cheats — Cheat codes are available for the PS2, Xbox, and PC versions.
- Collectibles — Information about the types of items that can be collected.
- Controls — The controls are different for PS2, Xbox, and PC versions of the game.
- Criminal ratings — A list of the different criminal ratings in San Andreas and how many points you need to reach them.
- Myths and Legends — See GTA San Andreas Myths and Legends here (Article can be edited).
- Gameplay Features — Gameplay mechanics and features in San Andreas.
- Gang Warfare — Gang Warfare is a tactical section of gameplay which involves taking over enemy gang territories.
- Girlfriends — Information on all six girlfriends in San Andreas.
- Main Story Missions — Walkthroughs for all of the main story missions.
- Mods — Third-party mods add different elements to the game.
- People — The people who make the gameworld immersive.
- Plot — The whole plot that makes the gameworld story understandable.
- Radio Stations — The radio stations heard in-game.
- Restaurants — See the food-chains in San Andreas.
- Restricted Areas — Restricted areas such as Area 69 and The Easter Basin Naval Base.
- Safehouses — All of the accessible safehouses and how to obtain them.
- Places — Many different locations are within San Andreas, you might want to visit them all.
- Schools — Information about the types of schooling offered such as the Pilot School.
- Statistics — Different statistics are used to track your progress.
- Trailers — Trailers showcasing this game.
- Vehicle Missions — Missions are available for specific vehicles.
- Vehicles — A list of the numerous vehicles found in the game
- Weapons — A list of the various weapons found in the game.
San Andreas Gangs
Rockstar North conducted massive amounts of research before developing the gangs of San Andreas-this involved talking to DJ Pooh, Mister Cartoon, Estevan Oriol, and hundreds of other well-known faces. Gangs play a much larger role than they did in Vice City. Firstly, the number of gangs has increased. Aswell as having the large, dominating gangs, we see smaller, more local gangs. Generally, gangs cause a bit more trouble than they did in previous titles-toppling cars, crowding streets and using various new methods of attack. In some areas of the map, you are welcome, and in others, you are not. San Andreas gives you the ability to 'take over' areas of the map, and recruit new members into your gang to help and defend you. Gang members are recognised by their clothing, tattoos, and hand signs. These are useful for two reasons-it allows police to identify a gang set or victim, and it allows gang members to interact with one another. Each gang has its own territory, indicated by street warnings, wall graffiti, or simply violence. In Los Santos, each of the 4 gangs are split up into different 'sets'. This is good and bad news. Bad, because not all sets get along, and good, because there's always plenty of backup available.
Gang Wars & Territory
Winning territory involves gang war, and this must be done carefully. Enter the area you wish to control, and kill every opposition member in sight. Killing 3 members ON FOOT will provoke a gang war, and the area under attack will flash red on the radar. The opposition attack in 3 waves to defend their land. Keep a close eye on the radar, and watch where the attackers are coming from. They may attack unexpectantly or in large numbers, so make sure you have a plentiful supply of health and armor before starting the war. If possible, shoot from long distances or from rooftops. Survive the 3 waves, and the area is yours. That area is now highlighted green on the map. Other gangs may try and take your territory, and it's upto you to defend it. Gang wars and territory are introduced during Sweet's mission Doberman. After the mission The Green Sabre, CJ no longer has the ability to win new territory, or defend his own. The feature returns during the mission Home Coming, in the Final Missions strand.
Recruitment
Recruit some homies by pressing Up on the D-pad whilst targeting a member. CJ can recruit a maximum of 7 members at any given time. The maximum number of recruits depends on CJ's respect level. A coach or bus will hold all 7 members, where as a typical car will carry a maximum of 2 or 4. Press Up on the D-pad and your homies will follow you. Press Down on the D-Pad, and they will stay put until told to do otherwise. Your homies will return fire to those who attack you, and shoot at rival gang members and cops. They will also participate in drive-by shootings, just like Sweet, Smoke and Ryder demonstrate in the mission 'Drive-By'. Don't depend on your homies too much as they aren't very reliable. They can, however, draw fire away from CJ. Press L1 with the camera to have a picture taken with your homies.
The Main Article GTA San Andreas Gangs
Tips and Tricks
Reception
Prior to its release for the PlayStation 2, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was one of the most highly anticipated video games of 2004, along with Halo 2. San Andreas met most of these expectations, as it was praised as one of the PlayStation 2's best games, with an average review score on 95%, according to Metacritic, tying for the fifth highest ranked game in PlayStation 2 history. IGN rated the game a 9.9/10 (the highest score it has ever awarded to a PlayStation 2 game), calling it "the defining piece of software" for the PlayStation 2. GameSpot rated the game 9.6/10, giving it an Editor's Choice award. San Andreas also received an A rating from the 1UP.com network and a 10/10 score from Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. As of March 26, 2008, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has sold 21.5 million units according to Take-Two Interactive. The Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition list it as the most successful game on the Playstation 2, with 17.33 million copies sold for that console alone, from a total of 21.5 million in all formats. The New York Times' Charles Herold gave the only non-positive review for San Andreas, giving it a 'mediocre' rating of 6.0 out of 10, criticizing the "annoying" mission structure, and the casualness of the intense violence featured in the game.
Sales:
- PS2 - 17.4 million
- PC - 2.3 million
- Xbox - 1.9 million
Controversy
The game has received widespread acclaim for its technical achievements and free gameplay. However, it also received widespread criticism - initially due to its "gangster" elements, which include drugs, prostitution, and murder; but later due to the discovery of disabled interactive sex scenes, nicknamed Hot Coffee, which could be re-enabled using third-party mods. This led to the re-rating by the ESRB of the game from Mature to Adults-Only until a second version, with the sex scenes fully removed, was released.
Trivia
- GTA San Andreas contains many references to the popular 90s Hood Film "Boyz n' The Hood". Some characters in the game are visually and/or mentally based on characters from the film, as well as some events that take place.
- Somehow GTA Vice City files and beta pics exist in txd folder. The beta files consist of the beta map, beta intro and outro pictures, and beta loading screen.
- The word "fuck" and its derivatives are used 365 times, not counting the soundtrack or random NPC interactions.
- GTA San Andreas is the first Grand Theft Auto game to use strong, and sexually explicit language, i.e. "Fuck", "Motherfucker", "Cunt".
- GTA San Andreas is also the first Grand Theft Auto to include many features, such as customising Carl Johnson in many ways (Clothes, Tattoos etc), ability to go to the gym and gain muscle, and the ability to go on dates with girls, and also have 'Hot Coffee'.
- GTA San Andreas was the only GTA III Era to feature hip hop gangs eg GSF,Ballas rather than mafia type gangs eg Leone Family.
Official Site
Useful Links