Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas adds a whole new component to the series with … food. Food? Yes, food. We all gotta eat and now so does CJ, the main character in San Andreas. The game will let you know when you start to get hungry and when it does you’ve got to go and find something to eat. If you don’t, then your energy level will start to decrease. Keep up your fast and CJ will start to lose weight, appearing more and more skinny and emaciated. Eventually even his clothes will begin to hang loosely from his body.

Losing weight won’t just affect CJ’s looks – his health will suffer as well. CJ will grow weaker, unable to muster the strength to lift boxes. CJ’s speed and stamina will suffer whenever he tries to exert himself through swimming, cycling, or running. Even worse, the lack of strength will make it harder for him to defend himself in fights as CJ’s punch grows weaker and weaker.

Time to cut down on the pizza.

Stamina can be replenished easily enough by eating, but just as in the real world you’ll have to make smart choices about what you eat. There are many different types of food available in the game and each has its own nutritional value that determines how much it will add to your energy and how much will go to fat.

There will be a variety of restaurants in the game, each with its own unique menu and nutritional content, décor, and clientele. Leslie Benzies of Rockstar had this to say about the restaurants: “One of the things that stood out to us when researching Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was the enormous impact food and restaurants had and still has on Los Angeles. Just the variety of restaurants and how they’ve come to embody the lore of LA, from the Brown Derby to In-and-Out Burger, is truly astounding and bizarre all at once. We kept encountering stories of people that went in for a burger and came out wanted for double homicide!”

Rockstar has released details on three of the restaurants that will appear in the game:

Cluckin’ Bell
This chicken shack features all things chicken—chicken burritos, fried chicken, wings—all served by guys in chicken suits. Menu choices include the Cluckin’ Big Filet Burger and Cluckin’ Huge Double Filet; the wings pieces bucket and fowl wrap burrito.

Well Stacked Pizza
Pizzas and more. The Buster, The D-Luxe, and The Double D-luxe are enough to tide even the hungriest of players over, but be careful about how much you gorge—the staff here is a bit aggressive and won’t take lightly to you vomiting all over the counter.

Burger Shot
If you like ground beef, this is your spot. Lots and lots of beef. The Double Barreled Burger is always a favorite.

Grabbing a little chicken after a fight is a good idea, wolfing down a couple of pizzas is not. As a matter of fact, if you eat too much food in a sitting you’ll even throw up! This is not a good thing as your stamina will suffer and you’ll be too ill to eat for a while.

In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, being fat is even worse than being too thin. You’ll begin to bulge out of your clothes, waddle while you walk, and you’ll be constantly out of breath – even while standing still! All physical activities will become difficult and some will even be downright impossible. You’re reaction time will be slow so in fights you’ll not only be a large target, but a slow-moving one as well. If this wasn’t insult enough, you’ll begin to notice that people have a negative reaction to you as you walk down the street. And good luck getting a woman to even give you the time of day!

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