Grand Theft Auto- San Andreas

[Mattlowry]

Does anyone know when this comes out? I am going to pre-order it today.

IMO Vice City is the best game of all time (which can be backed up by the huge sales). San Andreas looks even better! 5-6 times bigger than vice city, you can swim, you have to eat healthy or u get too skinny or too fat, you can go to the gym, you can do up your cars (put NOS and spoilers and vinyls on em ect). It looks so good.

 

[Basic]

...you can go to the gym, you can do up your cars (put NOS and spoilers and vinyls on em ect). It looks so good.

Why bother? In about every GTA game I've ever played the average time I keep a single car would be around 2 minutes.
Check the games website or look at some online stores that might have a release date. If your pre-ordering they should know the date from where ever your getting it.

 

[thehardaway]

I have a PAL version on order at Cd-Wow, the release they say is November 1. I'm happy to get the uncensored version (according to them it is not the australian release) for under $70

 

[WZA]

I have had this game on order for some time. I'll be picking it up as soon as it hits the shores of Australia late this month. I posted a thread about this game in July, i'm not sure where it's gone though.

It's clearly going to be the greatest game ever made for PS2. The features that are listed is unbeleiveable and the pictures that i have seen are just plain crazy. I cannot wait to start the game, get my guy all muscled up at the gym, stick on afew tattoos, funk up my hair, get some new clothes and recruit some gang members. Even though i don't like rap and this game is going to be full of it, it won't stop me from playing it atleast 8 hours aday.

Some of the features -

General Information
The next GTA game will indeed be called Grand Theft Auto San Andreas and will, as far as we have been told, be Sony Playstation 2 exclusive. The game is said to be based on a number of recent films relating to the Californian gangster theme. The game will be produced on a dual layer DVD due to the enormous size and should take no less than 150 hours to complete for the average player.

The Story
Five years ago Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas... a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption. Where filmstars and millionaires do their best to avoid the dealers and gangbangers. Now, it's the early 90s. Carl's got to go 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 homicide. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets.

The Cities And Locations
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas will not just be a single city like it was in the previous two games. This time it will be a full state, which includes not one, not two, but three main cities and a number of towns and villages throughout. The state of San Andreas is made up of the cities; Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas which will be named Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturras respectively. Word has it that each single city will be the same size as the whole of Vice City therefore resulting in the full game being in the region of four to six times the size of the previous game. Along side the cities are the countryside and desert regions along with a mountain known as Mt. Chiliad which happens to be the biggest single object in the entire game. These out of city locations will provide a very big change in experience and also include a further twelve small towns for exploring. A few sources have also stated that each City will have it's own airport where a Full Winged Dodo can be found and flown.

Buildings
We are promised that there will be a lot more buildings which are open to entry than in Vice City. Each of the interiors are amazingly detailed and there are a number of different things which can be done inside of buildings. We have also been told that the only loading times in the game will be a short pause when you enter buildings which will certainly be a change from previous games. Some of the more interesting buildings include Reece's Barber Shop, a Tattoo Parlor and some of the fast food restaurants.

Graphics
The graphics engine from Vice City has been tweaked and as a result the graphics are looking a lot better than before, although it still looks like a GTA game. Smog will be present in Los Santos, and alongside that will be reflective surfaces, realistic shadowing and other types of lighting techniques. Every model in the game will have an independent model for day and night to improve the visual effects and shadowing. GTA San Andreas will take ideas from Manhunt in the way it introduces the ability to sneak through shadows where you will be able to pick off unsuspecting enemies. Real sunlight will be simulated and shadows will be placed realistically across the map. Along with this comes an addition to the weather effects. Vehicles will now accumulate dirt and rust as you play through the game. The Draw Distance in the game has been greatly improved from that in Vice City and will now be four times better in the countryside and up to two times better in the cities. When climbing the altitude on Mt. Chiliad, clouds will start to appear and in addition to this, the foliage in the countryside will only be drawn when the player can see it which improves the frame rate and keeps the game feeling vibrant and alive.

Game Play
A number of magazine articles have informed us that rag doll physics, or rather 'impact animation' will play a part in the game. Rumours also state that players will be able to buy and build, then run a casino in Las Venturras. You can recruit gang members and use them to do four person drive-by’s. More importantly we're told that being a Gang Member only makes up about 15% of the total game. Carl and the Orange Grove Families can take over areas and generate money from them. This is just one of the many things which can add to the replay value even after the game has been 'completed'. There are parts of the game where you will work as a gang, and parts where you will work alone. The game is now very non-linear, and depending what choices are made, it will be rare for 2 players to have the same type of game. The missions will be the same, but so much can change depending on choices you make. The characters have more bones which results in numerous different facial expressions. With the additions of sneaking, there are now many more ways to complete missions. You could run straight in shooting, or sneak through the shadows and pick off the enemies one by one. When the player only has one wanted star, hiding in the shadows should be enough to throw police off your trail. The camera will automatically zoom behind the player at the touch of a button and the player then has the ability to freely target using the analogue stick. The auto-target will still be a part of the game though. The longer the player holds down the R1 button, the more chance there is of getting a headshot on an enemy. The player can adjust the camera angle with the right analog stick. Carjacking animations have improved. Rather than pulling the driver out of the vehicle, CJ opens the door, whacks him in the face, and throws him onto the road. When using a gun, the right analog stick lets you aim with any and all ranged weapons. You can look in any direction, even when you're driving. Cars get dirty (even rust), and in turn you can now take em' through the car wash. Gangs now sport their own "social" clique. Have a good enough relationship inside the gang and they'll always be watching your back. The Police chopper searchlight now serves a much more important purpose. When shining down on you, you'll find that the searchlight impairs your ability to see clearly, making it harder to drive and shoot.

Weapons
Weapons can now be dual wielded in GTA San Andreas. This means you can be running along a street firing two Uzi's as the same time. We are also told that the choice of weapons will match the weapon selections of the early nineties. An accuracy meter will be displayed at the top left of the screen and the more enemies who are hit, the better the players accuracy will become. Crosshairs are also different and now more like those seen in Manhunt. They will turn Green if the targeted person has high health, yellow if the person has medium health and red if the character will die in the next shot.


Vehicles
A number of vehicles from GTA3 and GTA Vice City will reappear with slight modifications from their original models along with a huge selection of new vehicles including a BMX Bicycle, Mountain Bike, Police Motorbike, Monster Truck, Combine Harvester, Gas Tanker, Quad Bike and Full Winged Dodo to name a few. Some vehicles are made specifically for the countryside, while others are for the streets of the city. It is now possible to attach and detach the trailer on the back of large trucks. The Monster Truck does not have a hand brake, but rather the ability to switch to 4x4 steering mode, which gives the vehicle an extremely small turning circle which is great for navigating through the trees in the country side. Players will have to be very careful when driving the Gas Tanker as it will Jack-Knife very easily.


Artificial Intelligence
Enemy and pedestrian AI will be greatly revamped and they will think more logically. You can't beat someone to death in broad daylight and not have people notice and react. Your enemies will also be a lot smarter, which will make robbing houses and passing missions take a lot of skill. Each pedestrian has his or her own actions and animations based on where they live, and where they're at in the city or the country. It won't be uncommon to see two pedestrians walking down the street, holding hands. They will react it you walk between them, then hold hands again. Pedestrians have around an hour of dialogue each, as opposed to Vice City's 10 minutes. Pedestrians also have an independent existence in the game. You can follow them as they go through their daily routine (e.g. leaving their house, going to work, going to the store, meeting someone). Gang member AI is very advanced now. Gang members no longer stand around doing nothing during their downtime, they'll be chilling out with each other, smoking, drinking, greeting each other, and throwing gang signs. They'll even have conversations, too. Gang members also have different tactics to get you out of their territory. They may come at you at full force, or sit silently back waiting for you to get close and ambush you with a surprise attack.


Music
There will be a large number of radio stations in GTA San Andreas which will contain over three times the amount of licensed music than Vice City. Some of the new Radio stations include: SF-UR, Flash FM, Hit Radio and K-Jah West FM which will be playing a selection of Country, Rock, Funk/Soul, Reggae House, Alternative and Hip Hop with more expected.

New Features In Detail

House Robbery
One of the new features which we have heard about in GTA San Andreas is the ability to rob peoples homes. It seems this will be triggered like other R3 missions but can only be activated at night. It will involve sneaking into a pedestrians home, moving through their house and picking up objects to steal. They can then be placed in a truck and taken to a fence where they can be pawned for cash. Due to pedestrians living their own lives, players can expect to sneak up on sleeping victims and have the ability to hold them up with a shotgun or whatever other weapon they like. Be warned though that some pedestrians may be expecting a break in or have security defences in place which will make the robbery a bit harder, especially if you want to come away with your head intact.

Statistics And Ratings
Every previous GTA game in the series has contained scoring and statistics in some ways or others, and in a differing level of detail, however San Andreas aims to push this a lot further. No longer will statistics be used simply for score, but they will now effect the way your character changes. For example the more time you spend perfecting your skills on Motorbikes, the better you will become, and you will eventually 'level up' your skills which will increase certain attributes such as balance on the bikes, speed, handling and a variety of other things. This goes for everything too, the more you run, the longer you will be able to go for without getting tired, the more you shoot, the better accuracy you will have. The list goes on. Rockstar Games have also stated that some missions will require you to be skilled in a certain way before they can be completed successfully, although we have been assured that stats will be for the benefit of the player, but not required. Hardcore GTA fans can spend the time to level up all of their skills and make the strongest, toughest, most skilled character in the game whereas smaller players may just wish to keep everything simple. This is sure to increase the replay value after the game has been completed.

Eating
One of the stranger new addition to GTA San Andreas is the ability and requirement to eat food to stay fit. GTA Vice City introduced the ability to purchase food to regain health, however GTA San Andreas has actually implemented this as what could be considered a major part of the game. The player will have to head to one of the many restaurants and order a meal every few days or Carl will start to lose weight and become skinny and weak. Alternatively, eating too much food will result in Carl becoming overweight and moving extremely slowly. It will be up to the player to work out the perfect balanced diet for CJ. Rumours also have it that Carl will vomit should he be fed too much food in a short space of time.

Staying Fit
The eating section of San Andreas is undoubtedly a big factor in the gameplay, however one which is possibly bigger is the Staying Fit idea of the game. Previous games rewarded the player for the work they did. If they ran a lot, they would be able to sprint for longer before getting tired, but San Andreas will introduce a whole new set of objectives. The physical work that players put in while playing the game will have visual and physical effects on Carl and the gameplay. It will be very important to keep Carl in shape and the best way to remedy too many pizzas from the well stacked pizza company is the treadmill at the gym. Yeah, that's right, you can go to the gym to work out. We have seen such things as a treadmill, punch bag and a boxing ring so far and we've also been told that in each of the three gyms around the cities, different fighting techniques will be learned. In Los Santos we'll learn the basics of hand to hand combat, in San Fierro we'll be learning martial art kick combo's and in Las Venturras we'll be learning more rough and tough moves. Some missions require Carl to be in physical shape before they can be accomplished, however players will actually be building up his physique as they play through the game, sometimes without realising it.

Swimming
Another hugely requested new feature has been placed in the game by Rockstar. Once recorded as saying "Gangsters who swim are not cool", Rockstar have given in to the fans and allowed Carl to swim in San Andreas. This is great news for the reckless drivers who head straight off bridges and into water because as soon as you hit the water you'll have to option to escape the car and swim to shore. By default Carl will tread water however the player has the option to swim underwater where they have a limited supply of breath, or swim faster on the surface. It's unclear whether there'll be anything special under the water, although we can be pretty sure that there will be.

Haircuts
This is another new feature, however not exactly one which will add a great deal to the gameplay. The player now has the ability to get a haircut and wear a new style on his head. From what we have seen this is relatively simply done however it has been well documented so it was worth a mention. You walk into Reece's Barber Shop, sit in a chair and choose a new haircut, then pay for it, providing you have enough cash. The benefits of changing your hair adds to the uniqueness of each players character in game, but will also draw different reactions from pedestrians and gang members alike. If you want to be popular with the chicks, you're going to need a cool looking hairstyle. It seems that apart from the visual benefits and a few new pedestrian comments, haircuts will not be a massively important feature in the game, although good to have anyway.

Tattoos
Another new feature similar to Haircuts is the ability to get tattoos. Very much like the haircut feature you will walk into a tattoo parlour, sit in a chair and choose a tattoo and presumably a location you would like it done, then pay for it and watch the tattoo artist do his work. It is currently unknown if tattoo's will do anything in game apart from changing the look of your character, however gang respect may increase with more ink on your chest. We have also heard that you will be able to get a different selection of tattoos in each of the different cities, so they could become something of a collectors item. Tattoos could also be the prize of unlock able missions or side objectives.

Car Modifications
One of the latest new features we've heard about is the ability to modify your vehicle. Apparently any vehicle you take to Fender Bender will allow you to make changes to it, such as Exhausts, Front Bumper, Rear Bumper, Roof, Spoilers, Wings and the Colour. Obviously the prices are not cheap, and the changes will not effect physical vehicle performance, however it is what the fans asked for and once again Rockstar Games have provided. More information is certain to be released about this in the future, but this is pretty much all we know for now.

Side Missions
There are always side missions in GTA games, however San Andreas will have a huge number for players to entertain themselves with. We have only heard of a few, however these include Truck Driving where you must transport cargo in a time limit, Valet Parking where you are rewarded for parking a car in style and sources have it that you can make money by farming. There will of course be more side missions which we'll post when we hear about them.

 

[WZA]

Characters

Carl Johnson
Carl Johnson is almost certainly the main character in GTA San Andreas. Returning home after a 5 year break in Liberty City, Carl is back to attend his mothers funeral after she tragically died. When he returns home he is immediately reunited with his brother Sweet and his good friends Smoke and Ryder who are still a part of the crumbling Grove Street Families gang. With Carl's help they intend to regain power on the streets however he is reluctant to get drawn back into the gang lifestyle. Unfortunately he has no choice and begins his life again as a Los Santos gang member. Carl has a few family members close to him, mainly being his brother Sweet Johnson and his sister Kendl Johnson, however Carl also had a younger brother, Brian who was killed in a car accident and his mother Beverly Johnson who recently passed away.

Sean "Sweet" Johnson
The brother of Carl, and the main leader of the Grove Street Families, Sweet is fully behind getting drugs off the streets of Los Santos and also wants to make peace with a number of the gangs. Sweet and his sister Kendl are rarely seeing eye to eye and have common arguments about a number of things, such as the death of their mother Beverly.


Melvin "Big Smoke" Harris
A member of the Grove Street Families. Not the shot caller, but a powerful influence, especially over restaurant choice. Extremely overweight. Multiple arrests and convictions, but has never served a long jail sentence. Why not? Family background uncertain. Delusions of grandeur. Regards himself as potential savior and ruler of known universe.

Lance "Ryder" Wilson
Another member of the Grove Street families, and another important member. Ryder has been said to be the loose cannon of the Grove Street Families and doesn't take too kindly to Carl being offered all of the driving jobs in the early part of the game.

Old Reece
Reece is the owner of Reece's Barber shop. The place where Carl, and Idlewood residents will go each time they feel they need a change of style. Reece is a man who gives you what you ask for, and doesn't worry too much how you look. His crimes are many, but most of them are against fashion. A good source of information.

OG Loc
Wannabe Gangsta Rapper, Jeffery Martin has no criminal record. He does have some unpaid parking fines but is unlikely to be a threat. Do not, repeat do not listen to his music.

Mark "B-Dup" Wayne
Grove Street OG - B-Dup. Rumors suggest he has drifted apart from gang banging and into other activities. Allegations of false imprisonment and kidnapping of friends persist.

Madd Dogg
Madd Dogg is a Recording Artist and his problems with alcohol, cocaine and egomania persist. He raps a lot about being a gangster although he has no criminal record and no gang affiliation. He lives in his Vinewood Mansion and is never on the streets.

Maccer
Recording artist, hedonist, pleasure seeker in so many ways, Maccer has personified the Madchester scene for years. After a long career hiatus, caused by numerous legal disputes, Maccer is back, and this time, he's clean!

Frank Tenpenny & Eddie Polaski
Two corrupt cops who frame Carl for homicide and try whatever it takes to stop the gang life in Los Santos and all over San Andreas.

Brian Johnson
Carl and Sweet's younger brother who was killed as a 10 year old in a car accident.

Kendl Johnson
Carl and Sweet's sister. She is dating Carl's friend Cesar who is located in San Fierro. She strongly dislikes Sweet.

Beverly Johnson
Carl and Sweet's mother who's passing was the reason Carl made a return to San Andreas.

Wu Zi Mu
A blind Triad leader living in San Fierro.

Cesar
A friend of Carl living and working in San Fierro.

The Cabin Woman
A woman yet to be named who resides in a cabin in the woods working as an accomplice for Carl.

Gangs

Grove Street Families
Grove Street Families is the name of the gang which Carl will find himself taking a part in. Made up of his close crew of friends and family, the Grove Street Families strongly dislike the drugs trade which is ruining the streets of Los Santos, San Andreas. The gang is in decline because of their determination to not get drawn into the drugs trade, but Carl will be aiming to change things and make the families a larger force in Los Santos. Elder members (O'G's) include Sean "Sweet" Johnson, Melvin "Big Smoke" Harris, Lance "Ryder" Wilson, Mark "B-Dup" Wayne and Barry "Big Bear" Thorne. The gang are rivals of the Ballas however have tried to make peace with gangs on a number of occasions without much luck. It appears that the Grove Street Families do have some allies though, such as the Varios Los Aztecas. The Grove Street Families can be instantly recognised through their green gang colour.

The Ballas
The Ballas are one of the major criminal organizations in Los Santos. A street gang that have been around since the 1970's. They are involved in drug dealing, gang bashing, prostitution, arms dealing, vandalism, degeneracy. Sworn enemy of all families' sets, especially Orange Grove Street. Origins shrouded in mystery. Heavily involved in cocaine trade. Thought to be developing ties with Mexican (drugs) and Russian (weapons) mobs. The Ballas are famous for wearing the colour purple which is supposed to be a sign of respect on the streets.

Varios Los Aztecas
The Varios Los Aztecas gang are an extremely dangerous Hispanic street gang. Violent. Proud. Psychotic. Heavily involved in gun running, street violence. Have traditionally been anti-narcotics. Long term gang feud with Los Santos Vagos, as well as rivalries with all other street gangs in Los Santos. Dislike of San Fierro Rifa. They have been spotted seemingly mixing with the Grove Street Families without using violence. Allies? Known for wearing turquoise gang colours.

Vagos
The Los Santos Vagos are another extremely dangerous Hispanic street gang wearing the colour yellow. They are sworn enemies of Varios Los Aztecas.

Da Nang Boys
Vietnamese street gang. Extremely violent. At war with local Chinese ("Triads") gangs. Uncontrollable. Major interests in protection

San Fierro Rifa
Nothing is known about this gang, apart from the fact they are based in San Fierro. Strong rivalry with Los Santos' Varios Los Aztecas.

Triads
Another relatively unknown gang, the Triads are run by Wu Zi Mu in San Fierro.

Radio Stations

K-DST
SF-UR
CSR
Radio:X
Radio Los Santos
K-Jah Radio West
Bounce FM
K-Rose
Playback
Master Sounds

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http://www.gta-sanandreas.com/screenshots/images/screen_76.jpg

http://www.gta-sanandreas.com/screenshots/images/screen_74.jpg

http://www.gta-sanandreas.com/screenshots/images/screen_21.jpg

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http://www.gta-sanandreas.com/screenshots/images/screen_36.jpg

26 days, 10 hours, 2 minutes, and 22 seconds left until GTA:SA Is Released In Australia

 

[superstar]

This is going to be awesome, though i'll have to wait until my uni exams are finished before buying it...otherwise i'll fail them.

 

[Mattlowry]

I have it on pre-order now. I am so excited. I will probably fail my exams though now.

 

[Supermercado]

Bring back Wave FM - the greatest radio station ever...

 

[Jeffers]

GTA San Andreas and Pro Evo 4 coming out in the next month

like Big Kev.......I'M EXCITED!!

 

[sante]

when does it come to XBOX????

 

[Fraser]

Sound unreal!!

When will it be on PC + XBOX? I heard somewhere that because Sony have the exclusive rights, it may take upto 6-18 months for it's release on another platform

Bring back VVVVVV ROCK!

 

[HighReeve]

V Rock till you drop.

Can't wait for this game.

 

[wellsy]

The next GTA game will indeed be called Grand Theft Auto San Andreas and will, as far as we have been told, be Sony Playstation 2 exclusive.

when does it come to XBOX????

Not at the moment

 

[Mattlowry]

GTA San Andreas and Pro Evo 4 coming out in the next month

like Big Kev.......I'M EXCITED!!

I know! I will see if someone can get me Pro Evo 4 for Christmas. Gonna have a fun holidays no matter what now

 

[raboyle]

Does anyone here know whether or not the game will have a DTS or Dolby surround feature?

 

[thehardaway]

Does anyone here know whether or not the game will have a DTS or Dolby surround feature?

I'm sure I read that it would be in DTS again

 

[WZA]

I'm dying here waiting for this game. Although i should wait intil Christmas to purchase it, otherwise i won't get much training done but stuff that.

 

[raboyle]

I'm sure I read that it would be in DTS again

Sweeeeet.

Vice City sounded great with my home theatre... the DTS feature was a killer idea by the creators.

Sure it was just 4.1ch DTS but it still made for extra realism, especially when your being chased by the cops and if they're on your tail real bad, you can hear them from the rear channels and if they change the side they're chasing you on the sound adjusted accordingly. Good stuff.

 

[Mr Eagle]

PC version is slated for May-June 2005.

There is a list of the radio stations and their styles floating around somewhere. Each one includes the name of the DJ, the style, and an example track from their list. Although the name of the Talk station's DJ is being kept a mystery...


(can we say LAZLOW, boys and girls? )

 

[Supermercado]

Without WAVE the radio stations are nothing

Spandau Ballet, Gary Numan and Hall & Oates. Best music EVER to run people over with.

 

[WZA]

I have been told that Eminem, 50 Cent, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Xzibit musics will be on this game. I'm not sure if it's legit but the whole game is based around a Hip Hop structure.

 

[Mr Eagle]

I have been told that Eminem, 50 Cent, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Xzibit musics will be on this game. I'm not sure if it's legit but the whole game is based around a Hip Hop structure.

The theme is early 90s, so I'd say two of five will be in there at most.


Ah, here's that list I was talking about...
http://ps2.ign.com/articles/557/557665p2.html

I think I'll have Radio X on repeat!

 

[wellsy]

I cant wait till uni exams are over as i think i will finally bring my PS2 out of hiding

 

[Fraser]

PC version is slated for May-June 2005.

There is a list of the radio stations and their styles floating around somewhere. Each one includes the name of the DJ, the style, and an example track from their list. Although the name of the Talk station's DJ is being kept a mystery...


(can we say LAZLOW, boys and girls? )

That sucks! I hope Rockstar ditch this stupid contract rights deal with Sony

LAZLOW? He ruled! But I somehow doubt he would of survived the 1980's!

"Fast talking, mullet sporting, career obsessed DJ Lazlow is a man who believes he is on the way to the top. He loves the rock and roll life style, although he doesn't actually live it, and worships every morning at his mirror. He stole the V-Rock gig off his best friend and is desperate to get rid of the Vulture and make sure the focus remains tightly on himself. He believes being on the radio is a one way ticket to all the riches and girls the world has to offer. Unfortunately, it seems his ego may be the death of his career in rock and roll. Only time will tell."

Marice Chaveze (spelling?? lol) - Soon to be executed...was the best talk show host. I hope it's him!

 

[Mr Eagle]

Well dear Laz manages to survive all the way into the 2000s, seeing as he can also be heard in Liberty City!