Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh title in the Grand Theft Auto series, and the follow-up to the 2002 game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It was released in October 2004 for PlayStation 2, and in June 2005 for Microsoft Windows and Xbox. The game is set within an open world environment that players can explore and interact with at their leisure. The story follows former gangster Carl "CJ" Johnson, who returns home after the death of his mother and is drawn back into his former gang and a life of crime while clashing with corrupt authorities, rival criminal syndicates, and other enemies. Carl's journey takes him across the fictional U.S. state of San Andreas, which is heavily based on California and Nevada.[lower-alpha 2]

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Developer(s)Rockstar North[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)Rockstar Games
Producer(s)Leslie Benzies
Programmer(s)
  • Adam Fowler
  • Obbe Vermeij
Artist(s)Aaron Garbut
Writer(s)
Composer(s)Michael Hunter
SeriesGrand Theft Auto
EngineRenderWare
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

The game features references to many real-life elements of the world, such as its cities, regions, and landmarks, with its plot heavily based on several real-life events in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, including the rivalry between real-life street gangs, the crack epidemic of the 1980s and early 1990s, the LAPD Rampart scandal, and the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Unlike its predecessor, San Andreas brought with it new elements of gameplay that would be later incorporated in future titles, including RPG-style mechanics, customisation options with both clothing and vehicle appearances, a vast array of activities and mini-games, and the inclusion of gambling games.

Considered by many reviewers to be one of the greatest video games ever made, San Andreas received critical acclaim, with praise directed at its music, story and gameplay, and criticism for its graphics and some aspects of its controls. It was the best-selling video game of 2004, and with over 27.5 million copies sold worldwide as of 2011, it is the best-selling PlayStation 2 game and one of best-selling video games of all time.[3] Like its predecessors, San Andreas is cited as a landmark in video games for its far-reaching influence within the industry. The game's violence and sexual content was the source of much public concern and controversy. In particular, a player-made software patch, dubbed the "Hot Coffee mod", unlocked a previously hidden sexual scene. A high-definition remastered version of the game was released for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2015. In June 2018, the game was added to the Xbox One Backward Compatible library. San Andreas has been ported to various other platforms and services, such as OS X,[4][5] Xbox Live, PlayStation Network[6] and mobile devices (iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Fire OS).[7] The next main entry in the series, Grand Theft Auto IV, was released in April 2008.

Gameplay
The player driving a Banshee towards the Grove Street cul-de-sac in Los Santos around the afternoon.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is an action-adventure game with role-playing and stealth elements. Structured similarly to the previous two games in the series, the core gameplay consists of elements of third-person shooter and driving games, affording the player a large, open-world environment in which to move around. On foot, the player's character is capable of walking, running, sprinting, swimming, climbing, and jumping as well as using weapons and various forms of hand-to-hand combat. The player can operate a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, buses, semis, boats, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, trains, tanks, motorcycles, and bicycles. The player may also import vehicles in addition to stealing them.

The open, non-linear environment allows the player to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. Although storyline missions are necessary to progress through the game and unlock certain cities and content, the player can complete them at their leisure. When not taking on a storyline mission, the player can freely roam the cities and rural areas of San Andreas, eat in restaurants, or cause havoc by attacking people and causing destruction. Creating havoc can attract unwanted and potentially fatal attention from the authorities. The more chaos caused, the stronger the response: police will handle "minor" infractions (attacking pedestrians, pointing guns at people, stealing vehicles, manslaughter, etc.), whereas SWAT teams, the FBI, and the military respond to higher wanted levels.

The player can partake in a variety of optional side missions that can boost their character's attributes or provide other sources of income. The traditional side missions of past Grand Theft Auto games are included, such as dropping off taxi cab passengers, putting out fires, driving injured people to the hospital, and fighting crime as a vigilante. New additions include burglary missions, pimping missions, truck and train driving missions requiring the player to make deliveries on time, and driving/flying/boating/biking schools, which help the player learn skills and techniques to use in their corresponding vehicles.

Not all locations are open to the player at the start of the game. Some locales, such as mod garages, restaurants, gyms, and shops, become available only after completing specific missions. Likewise, for the first portion of the game, only Los Santos and its immediate suburbs are available for exploration; unlocking the other cities and rural areas again requires the completion of specific missions. If the player travels to locked locations early in the game, they will attract the attention of SWAT teams, police, and police-controlled Hydras if in an aircraft.

Unlike Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City, which needed loading screens when the player moved between different districts of the city, San Andreas has no load times when the player is in transit. The only loading screens in the game are for cut-scenes and interiors. Other differences between San Andreas and its predecessors include the switch from single-player to multiplayer Rampage missions (albeit not in the PC version), and the replacement of the "hidden packages" with spray paint tags, hidden camera shots, horseshoes, and oysters to discover.

The camera, fighting, and targeting controls were reworked to incorporate concepts from another Rockstar game, Manhunt, including various stealth elements,[8] as well as improved target crosshairs and a target health indicator which changes from green to red to black as the target's health decreases. The PC version of the game implements mouse chording: the player has to hold the right mouse button to activate the crosshairs and then click or hold the left mouse button to shoot or use an item, such as a camera.

The player has a gunfight with members of an enemy gang.

For the first time in the series, players can swim and climb walls.[9] The ability to swim and dive underwater has a great effect on the player as well since water is no longer an impassable barrier that kills the player outright (although it is possible to drown). For greater firepower, the player can also dual-wield firearms or perform a drive-by shooting with multiple gang members who can be recruited to follow the player. Due to the size of San Andreas, a waypoint reticule on the HUD map can be set, aiding the player in reaching a destination.

Role-playing game features in character development

Rockstar has emphasised the personalisation of the main protagonist by adding role-playing video game elements. Clothing, accessories, haircuts, jewellery, and tattoos are available for purchase by the player, and have more of an effect on non-player characters' reactions than the clothing in Vice City. CJ's level of respect among his fellow recruits and street friends varies according to his appearance and actions, as do his relationships with his girlfriends. The player must ensure that CJ eats to stay healthy and exercises adequately. The balance of food and physical activity affects his appearance and physical attributes.[9]

San Andreas tracks acquired skills in areas such as driving, firearms handling, stamina, and lung capacity, which improve through use in the game.[9] CJ may learn three different styles of hand-to-hand combat (boxing, kickboxing, and kung fu) at the gyms in each of the game's three cities. CJ can speak with some pedestrians in the game, responding either negatively or positively. According to Rockstar, there are about 4,200 lines of spoken dialogue for CJ when the cutscenes are excluded.[10]

Vehicles

In total, there are 212 different vehicles in the game compared to approximately 60 in Grand Theft Auto III. New additions include bicycles, a combine harvester, a street sweeper, a jetpack, and trailers, amongst others. Car physics and features are similar to the Midnight Club series of street racing games, allowing for much more mid-air vehicle control as well as nitrous upgrades and aesthetic modifications.

There are several different classes of vehicles that serve different purposes. Off-road vehicles perform better in rough environments while racing cars perform better on tracks or the street. Jets are fast, but usually need a runway to land. Helicopters can land almost anywhere and are much easier to control in the air, but are slower. While previous Grand Theft Auto games had only a few aircraft that were difficult to access and fly, San Andreas has eleven different types of fixed-wing aircraft and nine helicopters and makes them more integral in the game's missions. There is also the ability to skydive from aircraft or from the tops of certain skyscrapers using a parachute. Several types of boats were also added to the game, while some were highly modified.

Other additions and changes

Other new features and changes from previous Grand Theft Auto games include:

  • Gang wars: Battles with enemy gangs are prompted whenever the player ventures into enemy territory and kills at least three gang members. If the player then survives three waves of enemies, the territory will be won, and fellow gang members will begin wandering the streets of these areas. The more territory owned by the player, the more money that will be generated. Occasionally, the player's territory will come under attack from enemy gangs and defeating them will be necessary to retain these areas. Once all marked territories are claimed for the protagonist's gang from one of the two hostile gangs, the opposing gang can no longer attack. Once the player takes control of all territories from both rival gangs, none can come under attack.[11]
  • Car modification: Most automobiles in the game can be modified and upgraded at various garages. All car mods are strictly visual apart from the stereo system and nitrous oxide upgrade, which increases bass and gives the car a speed boost when activated, respectively; and hydraulics, which lowers the car's height by default and allows the player to control various aspects of the car's suspension. Other common modifications include paint jobs, rims, body kits, side skirts, bumpers, and spoilers.
  • Burglary: Continuing the series' tradition of controversy, home invasion is included as a potential money-making activity.[12] By stealing a burglary van, CJ can sneak into a residence at night and cart off valuables or shake down the occupants.
  • Minigames: Numerous minigames are available for play in San Andreas, including basketball, pool, rhythm-based challenges (dancing and "bouncing" lowriders with hydraulics), poker, and video game machines that pay homage to classic arcade games. Also, there are the aforementioned casino games and methods of gambling, such as betting on virtual horse races.[13]
  • Money: The money system has been expanded upon, compared to previous titles. Players can spend their cash on gambling, clothes, tattoos, meals, etc. Excessive gambling loss can force the player to sink into debt, which is shown in negative red numbers. When the player leaves a safehouse, CJ gets an unexpected call, and a mysterious person tells him about his debts. Four gang members suddenly appear and shoot Carl on sight if he does not erase the debt when the mysterious person calls him a second time.
  • Multiplayer: Rampages have been modified to allow two players to complete them. The players are both shown simultaneously on the screen, meaning they must stay within proximity of each other. The multiplayer rampages provide such functionality.

Synopsis

Setting

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas takes place in 1992 within the fictional US state of San Andreas – based upon sections of California and Nevada as seen in the early 1990s – which consists of three main cities: Los Santos (based on Los Angeles), San Fierro (based on San Francisco), and Las Venturas (based on Las Vegas). Various regions of forest, desert, and small rural towns are scattered in between the major cities.[9] Liberty City, the city featured in Grand Theft Auto III which is based on New York City, also makes several minor appearances in the game, most notably during a mission which sees the player travelling there to assassinate a rival mob boss. The city itself is not explorable and only appears in cutscenes, with the entire mission taking place inside a bistro.

The game's setting forms part of the Grand Theft Auto series' "3D Universe" canon,[14] though unlike previous entries set in this continuity, San Andreas incorporates fictionalised versions of real-life landmarks and environments from the cities and US states it is based upon.[15] It was the largest setting in the series until it was beaten by Grand Theft Auto V's own depiction of San Andreas.

Characters

Like the previous two Grand Theft Auto games, San Andreas features several well-known Hollywood actors and other celebrities as voice actors, including David Cross, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Penn, James Woods, Peter Fonda, Wil Wheaton, rappers Ice-T and MC Eiht, and musician George Clinton. The game earned a place in The Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition for having the largest voice cast of any video game at the time, featuring 861 credited voice actors, and including 174 actors and 687 additional performers, many of whom were fans of the series who wanted to appear in the game.[16]

The player assumes the role of Carl "CJ" Johnson (Young Maylay), a veteran member of the Los Santos-based Grove Street Families street gang, who left his friends and family behind five years prior in favour of a better life in Liberty City, but returns home in the event of his mother's murder. The gang is led by CJ's estranged older brother Sean/"Sweet" (Faizon Love), and includes his childhood friends Melvin "Big Smoke" Harris (Clifton Powell), Lance "Ryder" Wilson (MC Eiht), and aspiring rapper Jeffrey "OG Loc" Cross (Jas Anderson). Throughout the game, CJ befriends various characters that become important allies, including Cesar Vialpando (Clifton Collins Jr.), the leader of the Hispanic street gang Varrios Los Aztecas and the boyfriend of Carl's sister Kendl (Yo-Yo); hippie weed manufacturer "The Truth" (Peter Fonda); tech genius and RC shop owner Zero (David Cross); blind Triad crime boss Wu Zi Mu/"Woozie" (James Yaegashi); government agent Mike Toreno (James Woods); crooked lawyer Ken Rosenberg (William Fichtner); music producer Kent Paul (Danny Dyer); singer Maccer (Shaun Ryder); and renowned rapper Madd Dogg (Ice-T).

At the same time, Carl comes into conflict with a number of enemies, including the rival Ballas and Vagos gangs; the highly corrupt C.R.A.S.H. police unit, consisting of Officers Frank Tenpenny (Samuel L. Jackson), Eddie Pulaski (Chris Penn), and Jimmy Hernandez (Armando Riesco); the Loco Syndicate drug cartel, headed by Toreno, pimp Jizzy B. (Charlie Murphy) and San Fierro Rifa leader T-Bone Mendez (Kid Frost); and the Leone, Sindacco, and Forelli crime families. At various points in the storyline, CJ also works with Cesar's criminal cousin Catalina (Cynthia Farrell), and mob boss Salvatore Leone (Frank Vincent), both previously featured in Grand Theft Auto III.[17] GTA III's silent protagonist Claude also makes a cameo appearance in the game, while GTA: Vice City's protagonist Tommy Vercetti is mentioned.

Plot

In 1992, following his mother's murder in a drive-by shooting, CJ returns home to Los Santos to attend her funeral. Upon arriving, he is intercepted by C.R.A.S.H., who threaten to frame him for the recent murder of another police officer (actually killed by them for threatening to expose their corruption), unless he co-operates with them. After leaving them, CJ reunites with Sweet, Kendl, Big Smoke, and Ryder at the funeral and agrees to stay and help reestablish the Grove Street Families and defeat the Ballas. During this time, he befriends Cesar Vialpando after discovering he genuinely cares for Kendl, and helps OG Loc make a name for himself in the rap industry. Shortly after the Families regain their strength, Sweet makes plans to attack the Ballas in a large fight. Before he can join his brother, CJ is contacted by Cesar with information on the drive-by shooting, revealing that Big Smoke and Ryder have sold out the gang and arranged the attack alongside C.R.A.S.H. and the Ballas, which was actually meant for Sweet.

Realizing Sweet is headed into a trap, CJ attempts to save him, but both end up arrested by the police. While his brother is incarcerated, C.R.A.S.H. arrange for CJ's release and have him carry out jobs outside Los Santos to prevent their corruption from going public, one of which leads to him meeting and befriending The Truth. With the gang disbanded and the Ballas flooding Los Santos with drugs, CJ works to make money to support Kendl and Cesar, who also left the city. He commits several robberies alongside Catalina and participates in street races, where he meets Woozie and wins a garage in San Fierro from Claude, Catalina's new boyfriend. Going there with Cesar, Kendl, and The Truth, CJ works with them and the latter's old acquaintances to turn it into a profitable business. To stop the Ballas' cocaine shipments, supplied by the local Loco Syndicate, CJ infiltrates the organisation and earns its leaders' trust, before bringing it down with Woozie and Cesar's help, destroying its drug lab and killing its leaders and Ryder in the process.

Later, CJ is surprised when Mike Toreno, who faked his death, contacts him for assistance and reveals himself to be a government agent. CJ carries out several jobs for Toreno, who promises to have Sweet released, before travelling to Las Venturas. There, he prevents Madd Dogg (whose career he inadvertently ruined while helping OG Loc) from committing suicide, and helps Woozie, who is facing problems in opening a casino because of the Mafia, plan a robbery of the rival mob-run casino. After CJ earns the Mafia's trust by working for Salvatore Leone, he and the Triads carry out the heist, allowing them to open their own establishment and earning CJ a position as Woozie's business partner. Meanwhile, Tenpenny betrays CJ, leaving him and Hernandez, who turned on his partners, to be killed by Pulaski; after killing Hernandez, Pulaski is in turn murdered by CJ. With the Triad casino a success, CJ is approached by Madd Dogg to become his manager. Returning to Los Santos, CJ rebuilds Madd Dogg's career, aided by Ken Rosenberg, Kent Paul, and Maccer, whom he rescued from Salvatore's clutches.

Toreno eventually honours his promise and allows CJ to be reunited with Sweet. Although delighted to have him back, Sweet berates CJ for thinking about money and persuades him to assist in rebuilding the Families. Tenpenny is eventually arrested for corruption, but is acquitted in his trial, provoking violent riots across Los Santos. Meanwhile, CJ assists Madd Dogg in dealing with OG Loc, and weakens the Ballas and Vagos, in the process helping Cesar reclaim his gang's territory. After tracking down Big Smoke at his fortress, CJ confronts and kills him over his betrayal. Tenpenny arrives to claim his share of Smoke's money and kill CJ, but the latter survives and pursues Tenpenny with Sweet's help. The brothers' pursuit eventually causes Tenpenny to crash outside CJ's family home, whereupon he dies from his injuries. With the riots eventually over and the Families restored, CJ and his allies celebrate their success in his home. In the midst of the celebrations, CJ leaves to check things out around the neighbourhood.

Marketing and release

The Introduction short film

As part of the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Special Edition re-release for the PlayStation 2 and the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Official Soundtrack, a DVD was provided containing a short 26-minute long film made through San Andreas' in-game-engine. The film, titled The Introduction, incorporates locations from both the game and Grand Theft Auto III, and focuses on events that take place before the start of the main story, providing insight into various characters from San Andreas prior to CJ meeting or reuniting with them. It explains key plot points from the main game, such as Big Smoke and Ryder's betrayal of the Grove Street Families, the murder of officer Ralph Pendelbury at the hands of C.R.A.S.H., how Ken Rosenberg and Kent Paul, previously seen in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, arrived in San Andreas, and the fateful drive-by shooting that killed CJ's mother Beverly and caused him to return to Los Santos in the first place. Alongside the short film, the PS2's DVD also included a live-action documentary on the custom car culture (featured prominently in the game) called Sunday Drive.

Soundtrack
Main article: Music of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

As with the previous two entries in the Grand Theft Auto series, San Andreas has music taken from the time in which the game is based.

San Andreas is serviced by eleven radio stations; WCTR (talk radio), Master Sounds 98.3 (rare groove, playing many of the old funk and soul tracks sampled by 1980s and '90s hip-hop artists), K-Jah West (dub and reggae; modelled after K-Jah from Grand Theft Auto III), CSR (new jack swing, modern soul), Radio X (alternative rock, metal and grunge), Radio Los Santos (gangsta rap), SF-UR (house music), Bounce FM (funk), K-DST (classic rock), K-Rose (country) and Playback FM (classic hip hop).

The music system in San Andreas is enhanced from previous titles. In earlier games in the series, each radio station was mainly a single looped sound file, playing the same songs, announcements and advertisements in the same order each time. In San Andreas, each section is held separately, and "mixed" randomly, allowing songs to be played in different orders, announcements to songs to be different each time, and plot events to be mentioned on the stations. This system would be used in Grand Theft Auto IV. WCTR, rather than featuring licensed music and DJs, features spoken word performances by actors such as Andy Dick performing as talk show hosts and listener callers in a parody of talk radio programming.

Lazlow again plays as himself on the show "Entertaining America" on WCTR in the same persona as in III and Vice City. He takes over after the former presenter, Billy Dexter, is shot on air by in-game film star Jack Howitzer. Lazlow interviews guests such as O.G. Loc, who is one of the four characters Carl encounters during the game that is on the radio, along with Big Smoke, Madd Dogg, and The Truth.

The Xbox, iOS, and Windows versions of the game include an additional radio station that supports custom soundtracks by playing user imported MP3s, allowing players to listen to their music while playing the game. This feature is not available on the PlayStation 2 version of the game or when played on the Xbox 360.[18]

Reception

Upon its release, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was met with critical acclaim. It received an average review score of 95/100, according to review aggregator Metacritic, tying for the fifth-highest ranked game in PlayStation 2 history.[21] 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.[13] GameSpot rated the game 9.6/10, giving it an Editor's Choice award. Jeff Gerstmann said "San Andreas definitely lives up to the Grand Theft Auto name. In fact, it's arguably the best game in the series."[9] San Andreas also received an A rating from the 1UP.com network[38] and a 10/10 score from Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Common praises were made about the game's open-endedness, the size of the state of San Andreas, and the engaging storyline and voice acting. Most criticisms of the game stemmed from graphical mishaps, poor character models, and low-resolution textures, as well as various control issues, particularly with auto-aiming at enemies. Some critics commented that while much new content had been added to San Andreas, little of it had been refined or implemented well.[39]

Nevertheless, since its release, San Andreas has been regarded as one of the greatest games of all time, placing at number 27 in Edge's Top 100 Games to Play Today. Edge declared that the game remains "the ultimate expression of freedom, before next-gen reined it all back in".[40] In 2015, the game placed 8th on USgamer's The 15 Best Games Since 2000 list.[41]

Sales and commercial success

By March 2005, the game had sold over 12 million units for the PlayStation 2 alone, making it the highest-selling game for PlayStation 2.[42] The game received a "Diamond" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[43] indicating sales of at least 1 million copies in the United Kingdom.[44] As of 26 March 2008, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas had sold 21.5 million units, according to Take-Two Interactive.[45] The Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition lists it as the most successful PlayStation 2 game, with 17.33 million copies sold for that console alone from the total of 21.5 million in all formats.[16] In 2011, Kotaku reported that according to Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas had sold 27.5 million copies worldwide.[46]

Controversies

San Andreas was criticised by some for its perceived racial stereotyping.[47] Some saw the alleged stereotyping as ironic,[48] while others defended the game, noting that the storyline could speak to people of different backgrounds.[49] A study of how different groups of youths engaged with the game found that "they do not passively receive the games' images and content".[50]

Hot Coffee mod
Main article: Hot Coffee mod

In mid-June 2005, a software patch for the game dubbed the "Hot Coffee mod" was released by Patrick Wildenborg (under the Internet alias "PatrickW"), a 38-year-old modder from the Netherlands. The name "Hot Coffee" refers to the way the unmodified game alludes to unseen sex scenes. In the original version of the game, the player takes his girlfriend to her front door, and she asks him if he would like to come in for "some coffee". He agrees, and the camera stays outside, swaying back and forth a bit, while moaning sounds are heard. After installing the patch, users can enter the main character's girlfriends' houses and engage in a crudely rendered, fully clothed sexual intercourse mini-game. The fallout from the controversy resulted in a public response from high-ranking politicians in the United States and elsewhere and resulted in the game's recall and re-release.

On 20 July 2005, the ESRB, which establishes content ratings for games sold in North America, changed the rating of the game from Mature (M) to Adults Only (AO), making San Andreas the only mass-released AO console game in the United States. Rockstar subsequently announced that it would cease production of the version of the game that included the controversial content. Rockstar gave distributors the option of applying an Adults Only ESRB rating sticker to copies of the game or returning them to be replaced by versions without the Hot Coffee content. Many retailers pulled the game off their shelves in compliance with their store regulations that kept them from selling AO games. That same month in Australia, the Office of Film and Literature Classification revoked its initial rating of MA15+, meaning that the game could no longer be sold in the country.[51]

In August 2005, Rockstar North released an official "Cold Coffee" patch[52] for the PC version of the game and re-released San Andreas with the "Hot Coffee" scenes removed (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Version 2.0), allowing the game to return to its "M" rating. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions have also been re-released with the "Hot Coffee" scenes removed in the Greatest Hits Edition, the Platinum Edition, and the "Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Pack".[53]

On 8 November 2007, Take-Two announced a proposed settlement to the class-action litigation that had been brought against them following the Hot Coffee controversy. If the court approved the proposed settlement, neither Take-Two nor Rockstar would admit liability or wrongdoing. Consumers would be able to swap their AO-rated copies of the game for M-rated versions and may also qualify for a $35 cash payment upon signing a sworn statement.[54] A report in The New York Times on 25 June 2008 revealed that a total of 2,676 claims for the compensation package had been filed.[55]

Legacy

Following the success of San Andreas, Rockstar followed it up with two handheld titles by Rockstar Leeds - Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, set in the late 1990s, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories in the early 1980s. Both were developed for the PlayStation Portable handheld, and designed as prequels to Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City respectively, though eliminating some elements introduced in San Andreas, such as the need to eat and exercise, and swimming (although Vice City Stories re-introduced it, but in a limited capacity).[56] The series would continue with 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV, and 2013's Grand Theft Auto V.

San Andreas marked the technological pinnacle of the Grand Theft Auto III era, although the development team believed that the design of its setting, incorporating three cities based on their real-life counterparts, had been too ambitious and did not allow the real-life locations to be emulated properly.[57] Although the continuity of the setting would be retained in the handheld-focused spin-offs, Rockstar began establishing a new continuity for the series with the advent of the seventh-generation consoles, focused more on realism and details, including a full emulation of real-life cities used in settings, though with a scaled back list of celebrity voice actors that had been prominent in the previous continuity. The launch of Grand Theft Auto IV led to Rockstar redesigning the setting of Liberty City, with the third incarnation being more heavily based upon the real-life New York City - amongst the improvements made included more depth in the number of buildings used and the detail with each,[58] and removing any dead spots or irrelevant spaces.[56] When Ars Technica reviewed Grand Theft Auto IV, he noted that the "slight regression of the series from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" in terms of its setting was "surprising".[59]

The focus on realism and depth was continued with Grand Theft Auto V, though aimed at providing a more expansive setting than Grand Theft Auto IV, with the development team re-designing Los Santos, a city in San Andreas,[60][61] to fully emulate the real-life city of Los Angeles, thus creating a setting with a higher quality,[62] and at a grander scale with the incorporation of countryside and desert areas.[63][64] Houser elaborated that "to do a proper version of L.A., [...] the game has to give you a sense of that sprawl — if not completely replicate it", and thus deemed that dividing both the budget and workforce to create multiple cities would have detracted from the goal of emulating the real-life setting,[62] Garbut felt that in the PlayStation 2 era the team did not have the technical capabilities to capture Los Angeles properly, resulting in the San Andreas rendition of Los Santos feeling like a "backdrop or a game level with pedestrians randomly milling about".[62] effectively deeming San Andreas as a jumping-off point for Grand Theft Auto V with the newer generation of consoles. As Garbut explained, with the move to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 hardware, "our processes and the fidelity of the world [had] evolved so much from San Andreas" that using it as a model would have been redundant.[62]

Steam version

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was made available on the digital distribution platform Steam in January 2008, and received a notable amount of updates after its launch. On 7 November 2014, an update caused controversy after 17 tracks from the soundtrack were removed due to expired licences.[65] Other drawbacks of the update included removal of widescreen support (which was later fixed via another minor update), and certain regions being incompatible with older saves. Both old and new owners were affected by the update, unlike with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, where only new owners were affected due to a similar update. Additionally, the game received native support for XInput-enabled gamepads and the removal of digital rights management software.

Mobile version
Gameplay of the iOS version

A port of San Andreas for select iOS devices was released on 12 December 2013.[66] It was followed closely by ports to Android devices on 19 December 2013,[67] Windows Phone devices on 27 January 2014,[68] and Fire OS devices on 15 May 2014.[69] The upgrades and enhancements from the original game include newly remastered graphics, consisting of dynamic and detailed shadows, greater draw distance, an enriched colour palette, plus enhanced character and car models.[24]

Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions

In 2008, the original Xbox version was released on Xbox 360 as an emulated port, and part of the Xbox Originals line-up. However, in late 2014 it was removed from the Xbox Live Marketplace and replaced with a port of the mobile version on 26 October 2014, the game's tenth anniversary. It featured HD 720p resolution, enhanced draw distance, a new menu interface, and achievements. While it introduced many new features, around ten songs were removed from the HD version that were present in the original due to licensing issues, and numerous new bugs were introduced.[70] A physical release followed on 30 June 2015 in North America[71] and 17 July 2015 elsewhere,[72] under the "Platinum Hits" banner ("Classics" in PAL regions).

San Andreas was first released on PlayStation 3 in December 2012 as an emulated PS2 Classic. This version was also removed in late 2014, leading to rumours of a PS3 HD release. However, this was not the case at the time, and the PS2 Classic later returned. In early November 2015, the game was re-rated by the ESRB for an upcoming PS3-native release. The HD version was released on 1 December 2015, replacing the PS2 Classic on the PlayStation Store, and on physical media, gaining instant "Greatest Hits" status in North America.[73] There has also been a PlayStation 4 version released, though unlike the port for the PlayStation 3, it is the PlayStation 2 game running via emulation, although it still has trophies and some songs edited out due to licensing restrictions.

Notes
  1. Ported to iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Fire OS, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 by War Drum Studios.[1]
  2. Games in the Grand Theft Auto series are grouped into distinct fictional universes, which share interconnected plots and characters. The "3D universe" consists of Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City (2002), Advance (2004), San Andreas (2004), Liberty City Stories (2005), and Vice City Stories (2006). The San Andreas rendition of Los Santos is different from the rendition in Grand Theft Auto V (2013).[2]

References
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