Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Review

When reviewing games, the word perfect isn't used much, because quite frankly, no game is perfect. Every game has a flaw, however small. But if I had to name one game that was as close to perfect as possible, GTA: San Andreas would be it.

The first thing you'll notice about the game is it's sheer size. If you thought Vice City was big, it's not a patch on San Andreas. As with vice City, there are different areas for you to explore. Las Venturas is a take on early 90s Las Vegas, full of flashing neon signs and casinos. San Fierro is based on San Fransisco, with the fog and hilly terrains. Finally, Los Santos is loosely based upon Los Angeles, with downtown areas and ganglands. Each section offers plenty to do and see, and exploring the entire map is a task near enough impossible.

San Andreas follows a fairly linear storyline. You start confined to Los Santos, as an earthquake has taken out the bridges to the other areas. You must complete a few missions, and then you'll be allowed to roam around at your leisure. Progress is made based on the amount of missions you do. Some of the missions we've seen before, such as beating the crap out of people or blowing up cars. Others are new, such as pulling off a heist at a casino or strealing some top secret military hardware. All are largely entertaining and will keep you occupied for months.

There's more to San Andreas than can be explained in one review. You really need to get the game and experience the game yourself to know what I'm talking about. So phone your boss and say you won't be in for a few months, then take the phone off the hook, lock the doors, get some food, sit down and play San Andreas. You won't be disappointed.

This review was added on 11th December 2004 by Dan Clement.