Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas Details Revealed

Thanks to Eurogamer for its article revealing many new details about Rockstar North's ravenously-awaited PlayStation 2 title, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which had first screenshots revealed during last week's E3 show. Hitherto unavailable information includes the setting ("comprising Los Santos (Los Angeles) where you start out, San Fierro (San Francisco) and Las Venturra (Las Vegas), it's an epic environment allegedly six times the size of Vice City") and unorthodox new features ("through dozens of accurately modelled restaurants and other eateries, the criminal wannabe will be able to top up his stamina meter, and actually visibly gain weight"), with Eurogamer concluding happily: "We fancy that Rockstar North's dark and satirical sense of humour, and passionate obsession with minutely detailed gameplay will see us through many a lonely night in San Andreas."

BUT

[Lord Bitman]

is it possible to obey the law?
will police get all over you just for not slamming on your brakes when a light turns red?
can I hit someone over the head, drag them into a warehouse, chain them up, and fuck them with a dagger?
If I kill someone, will the police not just give up after 5 minutes of looking for me?
Are acciidents persistent?
Can I completely eliminate the prostitute population of the city?
If I start killing all the taxi drivers, will the taxi drivers stay home?
Will all the various murders which are just too fucking easy to pull off in vice city be harder to do en-masse?

I want a game that will let me kill people, but will beat me down if I dont do it clean!

Re:BUT

[Triprotic]

I want a game that will let me kill people, but will beat me down if I dont do it clean!

You've never tried Hitman?
Ok granted it's not on the same scale as GTA, but it does the job. (Shame the Hitman series seems to be getting worse with each new game)

Anyway, back on topic...
Reading that article it sounds quite promising. I'm still a little worried that not putting it in the 70s would make the game lose the tounge in cheek that Vice City had lots of!

Re:BUT

[relyter]

Ever play GTA 1? It was a very revolutionary game when it came out (the "killer app" for the PS2)
While Vice City was more evolutionary (and in my opinion more fun)

Re:BUT

[Captain Nitpick]

Ever play GTA 1? It was a very revolutionary game when it came out (the "killer app" for the PS2)

Eh? Grand Theft Auto 1 a killer app for the PS2?

I think you've confused it with Grand Theft Auto 3.

Re:BUT

[The Evil Couch]

GTA 1 was for the PS1, man. it wasn't a killer app, although it was a fun game. I think you're confusing it with GTA3, which was a giant step for gaming.

Re:BUT

[cpt kangarooski]

will police get all over you just for not slamming on your brakes when a light turns red?

No, they'll get all over you for being black.

Re:BUT

[Anonymous Coward]

I would prefer it if they actually sorted out the police AI to be a bit more fair about things.

I got a bit fed up of a gang attacking me with guns and the police doing nothing. As soon as I throw one punch at a gang member then I get the police on my back.

Though I suppose Rockstar is going for realism so it won't happen

Re:BUT

[Kevin108]

I want a game that will let me kill people, but will beat me down if I dont do it clean! Uhm...how about Splinter Cell? The GTA series is now perfect!

Re:BUT

[nicky_d]

If I kill someone, will the police not just give up after 5 minutes of looking for me?

Actually, if you kill someone in GTA so that the police know it was you (e.g they or see you), you'll get a two-star crime rating and they won't stop looking for you unless you get a change of clothes or find a bribe. And with higher wanted levels, even those won't fully get the cops off your back.

Anyway, as the first reply said, you might enjoy Hitman - check out the "Mafia don" demo level of Hitman 2, where you ha

Bigger...

[Anonymous Coward]

Vice City was supposed to be bigger than Liberty City, but they felt about the same size.

Re:Bigger...

[G-funk]

Personally vice city felt a fair sight smaller than liberty city to me. Frankly I don't want a whole lot extra added to what was VC, just more of it, and more unique missions. The storylines are interesting, but compared to the general feel of the game, they're so linear, especially in GTA3 like when the mob decides to stiff you, no matter what you do. Bah, I'm just ranting I suppose :)

GAMBLING!!!!

[g-san]

I can't wait to go throw down a million bucks on red then chain gun the whole casino when it comes up black.

Love it !

[oldManSquad]

Through dozens of accurately modelled restaurants and other eateries, the criminal wannabe will be able to top up his stamina meter, and actually visibly gain weight. In fact, he can overdo it. Says Houser, "Playing a mission when you're a fat bastard and everyone call you a 'fat bastard' in the game world is an amazing experience." It makes the mission harder, but Carl can always go to the gym to burn it off, and then head back and blow the dissenter's head off with his newfound dual pistols. nuff said!

First GTA - San Andreas site

[pheph]

Forum, pix, info and more at GTA-SA.com [gta-sa.com].

Re:boring

[Alizarin Erythrosin]

Turn off the trails in the video settings. For some reason they're on by default, and they give me a headache.

Re:boring

[(trb001)]

Amen. Who left this feature on by default? It took me 10 minutes of playing before I realized that my tv wasn't THAT crappy...

--trb

Could be cool, could be cool

[MilenCent]

I've only recently started playing the GTA games, and they're pretty cool. Not for the whole criminal focus, though I understand there are people who like that sort of thing, but for all the submissions and stuff. When I found out that GTA3 had its very own Crazy Taxi mode I nearly died.

To me, that's what makes GTA worth playing: the giant sandbox play style. Like Zelda taking place in a real city.

Indeed, GTA is a real argument against setting your gigantic sprawling action-adventure game in a fantastic setting. Because when you see a taxi running down the street, you immediately understand what that means, that there's a guy inside running fares for customers, and in general how that works. A sci-fi or fantasy implementation of that would have to do some extra work to connect that concept with that game's world.

It's possible, mind you, and one of the great things about Zelda is how they manage to put in a little of that despite the somewhat alien setting, but it doesn't have the same feeling of verisimilitude GTA has.

On the other hand, um, uh, GTA's talk radio stations cycle too much! Yeah!

Did Eurogamer.net plagarize ?

[keyshawn632]

This article was the feature of the June 2004 issue of Game Informer [the magazine].

Eurogamer's article seems to have almost "ripped" complete sentences, verbatim, from the GI magazine article [if my memory serves me correct; I read GI's article yesterday @ the library].

Can anyone confirm my suspicions ?

Re:Did Eurogamer.net plagarize ?

[black mariah]

"In fact, a lot of what Houser and Rockstar told Game Informer this month makes sense..."

There are only so many ways to say things, and people have a tendency to use things they heard/read recently.

better be careful...

[justforaday]

You'd better be careful when you pick up that pretty "female" prostitute in San Fierro.. :-p

Rockstar in a Rut

[superultra]

First, GTA3 was unarguably seminal in video gaming. No doubt about that. It framed not only how games are played, but how they're perceived, how they're designed - through and through GTA3 changed everything about video games.

Enter GTA:VC. It did what - great music? This new GTA is as groundbreaking how? They have mountains? Eating? Minigames? Ragdoll physics?

Rockstar has produced one groundbreaking game. One. And, they've been living off it ever since. Even Midnight Club II, which was racing bliss at its most pure, was developed by a company they bought that had designed the original Midtown Madness series for Microsoft on the PC. Maybe they're waiting for the next gen systems to really do something new, but as far as I'm concerned Rockstar is an overrated one-hit wonder that, apparentely quite accidently, hit an oil well in their background and are sucking it dry. Most of their other work has been luck (Midnight Club II) or medicore to above average at best (State of Emergency, Revolver, Manhunt, etc). What remains to be seen is how long the public will endure variations of the same thing, made more difficult by Rockstar in that other companies are trying to draw [activision.com] from the same well.

Re:Rockstar in a Rut

[Babbster]

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but what you're describing is the case for MOST game developers. Id: FPS (beyond graphics, did Quake really revolutionize anything?). Maxis: SimXXXX (I guess they've had TWO revolutions in SimCity and The Sims). BioWare: Baldur's Gate (their RPGs are great, but they're variations on a theme). Westwood: Dune/C&C (RTS). Et cetera.

Twenty years ago, a single company could be cranking out 10 different games a year because, well, it would take a total of 10 programmers (each game requiring support personnel, but just one true "creator") to accomplish it. Added into this was that customers would only really expect one gameplay style (one "thing to do") per game. Right now, it's extremely rare and difficult to get a good team together that can excel in multiple genres. If you've got a group of people who can do an awesome RPG, there's a better-than-even chance that the same team isn't going to be able to develop an awesome FPS. Add in the high monetary risk factor and it could kill a company to even try.

Ascetic Variations

[superultra]

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but what you're describing is the case for MOST game developers.

I thought of this as I was writing. Perhaps what I should have emphasized more is that with the exception of GTA3, anything good that Rockstar has done is based extremely closely to GTA3 (I don't think MC2 counts). SimAnts - while still a Sim game - is fairly different in principle than SimCity. Sure, it's overheard, and it's management. But there's more to SimEarth and SimAnt than SimCity + M

Re:Ascetic Variations

[Babbster]

My only thought would be this: If a company is in a good rut, then I say stick with it. If the new GTA sucks, then by all means I would be calling for them to try something else. But the truth is that Vice City was a better game than GTA3, so I'm happy to give them the benefit of the doubt and grab San Andreas.

In addition, I would mention that there's no shortage of games available and on the way in a multitude of styles and genres. If you're tired of GTA, then buy something from some other company. It's certainly not necessary that one buys games from Rockstar alone.

Short version: While I can hardly disagree with your facts, I think it's complaining for the sake of complaining instead of complaining about a real "problem."

Re:Rockstar in a Rut

[tprime]

I know that this sounds argumentative, but is this idea working for them? From a truely business standpoint, is this model working? People are signing up for waitlists for this game EVERYWHERE. Not that I disagree that they have kept the game the same from the time that GTA3 was released, but the bottom line is that it is working for them and working for Sony's exclusivity agreement with them.

Also, this method for them shouldn't surprise you. Weren't GTA (European Expansion) and GTA2 just extensions

Re:Rockstar in a Rut

[damiam]

Who says you have to be groudbreaking every time? Vice City wasn't revolutionary, but it was a great game. As long as Rockstar keeps making great games, I'm not going to complain.

Re:Rockstar in a Rut

[AbRASiON]

"Even Midnight Club II, which was racing bliss at its most pure"

I really _REALLY_ have to question your taste in racing games.

HOW the HELL did Rockstar get the GTA3 engine (which had bloody good driving physics for a game which isn't all about driving at all)
and make Midnight Club 2 - which had the most arcadey "silly" piss poor driving physic's I've seen since Rallysport Challenge.

Midnight Club II is a pure abomination in my book.

None the less the rest of your post is correct about Rockstar riding on

Re:Rockstar in a Rut

[NEOtaku17]

One hit wonder?! Apparently you've never heard of Max Payne or its sequel?

Re:Rockstar in a Rut

[nicky_d]

This new GTA is as groundbreaking how? They have mountains? Eating? Minigames? Ragdoll physics?

Actually, features like ragdoll physics would enhance the GTA experience, because they would add new features to the giant sandbox that is the GTA world. The genius of GTA isn't in the game missions, which are often frustrating or dull. It's in what happens between the missions, or en route to the missions; about what each player decides to do with their time, once they've tired of the set path. If you enhanc

I'm worried

[tprime]

I am seriously worried that a large amount of this game will never be seen by gamers. Why?? I am sure that everyone here remembers all of the whining and crying that was done by the Haitian community over the "Kill all the Haitians" phrase in VC. What did Rockstar do? They caved and blurred out that phrase in future versions. Go ahead and flame me about being a killjoy on what looks like an incredible game, but does anyone else here think that the NAACP won't scream wildly and make a public scene about what they think is racial stereotyping in LA? You are a black man, in a gang, committing murders and robbing houses with your homies. This non-racial issue will be turned into a racial scene by the likes of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

God, do I hope I am wrong and we all see this game how it was intended, but I will not be surprised if it is changed just prior to release.

Re:I'm worried

[tprime]

Yes it is deja vu. I posted the same thing on there.

Lost Wages

[bobbozzo]

They should have called Las Vegas "Lost Wages" (like in Leisure Suit Larry (Yes, I'm that old)).

Re:Lost Wages

[weeboo0104]

Be sure to wear your "lubber" before picking up that prostitute!

Product Placement

[Lord_Dweomer]

"through dozens of accurately modelled restaurants and other eateries"

I couldn't help but read this and cringe. I know the GTA franchise has done a great job of satirizing cars and such, but that was because they had to legally.

I am terrified that there will be a real McDonalds in this game. In a game that's been about a quasi-real world, a real restaraunt would take away from the feel of the game I feel. Some games like Gran Turismo NEED real company logos/cars etc. to make it feel right. GTA needs fake things to make it feel right.

Re:Product Placement

[AllUsernamesAreGone]

Meh, you can't be one of those people who, when the PC version comes out, grabs or builds models of real cars to use instead of the ones Rockstar provided (my favourite is Max Pain's Modded Vice City - some of the detail in the cars in that is incredible.)

As far as I'm concerned, more real world stuff would be great (especially if they got streetplans correct.) Unfortunately there's no way in hell Rockstar could get away with it - the outcry over the Haitians line would pale into insignificance compared to

Re:Product Placement

[Lord_Dweomer]

I actually haven't played the PC version. And its not that I have anything against realism. I would LOVE to have a GTA where everything was real. However, I feel it would detract from the game if most of it was fake (for the legal reasons) and then because McDonalds parntered with them there was an ingame McDonalds. It just makes it stand out and look garish. I am saying they should either go one way or another, and nothing inbetween.

Re:Product Placement

[LaundroMat]

I would LOVE to have a GTA where everything was real. Have a look at "The Getaway" then.

Las Venturra

[ug_rulz_all]

Las Venturra: Slot Machine Detective.