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| Popping a wheelie. |
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas takes place in the early 1990s in the
fictional state of San Andreas, whose largest city is the Los Angeles inspired
Los Santos. You play Carl Johnson, CJ, who has just returned from to Los Santos
after being away for five years. In the interim, his mother has been murdered,
his family broken, and his friends have all started down the road to ruin. Soon
after CJ has returned home he is framed for murder by a couple of corrupt cops
and will need to take to the streets of the cities of Los Santos, San Fierro,
and Las Venturas to clear his name and save his family. Three cities? Yes,
you’ll travel to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas like cities during
the game, and even get to see some of the San Andreas countryside in the
process.
Rockstar is putting a lot of work into capturing the character of each of its
three cities. Los Santos has smoggy skies which can lead to spectacular sunsets.
San Fierro’s weather will be changeable, going from crisp blue skies to fog and
rain and back again. Las Venturas is hot, hot, hot. Clear skies and a baking sun
make for so much heat you’ll be able to see it rising from the ground, and the
casinos will bathe the town in artificial neon lighting at night. Speaking of
night, the game will feature an entirely new set of models for every object
after the sun goes down. Shadows and textures will be unique to each item and to
the time of day. A car may appear to be an entirely different color when viewed
under a street light than it did at noon. Items will also cast shadows
appropriate to the time of day.
Vice City introduced motorcycles to the series and San Andreas will follow
suit by introducing BMX bikes. If you thought motorcycles were a great way to
get around Vice City, wait until you weave through a traffic jam or cut down a
narrow alleyway on a BMX bike. On the downside, BMX bikes are people-powered
which means that you’ll need to do the pedaling or your bike is useless. In San
Andreas you’ll need to tap the controller button at the pace of your pedaling.
This means that you’ll need to start off slow and then accelerate your pacing to
get the bike up to full speed. Aside from being able to lose pursuers in traffic
or tight spaces, BMX bikes have the advantage of being very controllable – so
much so that you can use them to do tricks and stunts. In San Andreas you’ll be
able to do bunnyhops, wheelies, and endos, and work your way up to combos that
let you pull off stunts like 360s. The more you ride the better you get, which
in the game translates to greater stamina, better skills, more precise handling
and responsiveness, and, of course, you won’t fall over as much.
Keep it clean »
