Support NeoGAF

[MBS]

Oct. 26 marks the release of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, eleven years ago in 2004.

Welcome to the jungle. Literally. Is there anything more to say about GTA San Andreas? SA was the game that catapulted the entire franchise into stratospheric levels of faith (and notoriety).

GTA SA's story takes place in Los Santos, a city within the state of San Andreas which includes a couple of other major cities, San Fierro and Las Venturas. The timeline is set in early '90s, when gangs were at their peak criminal activity and cops were running amok in the streets. The story revolves around Carl Johnson, a young hustler from Grove St. who moved to Liberty City in order to pursuit a better life. But he has to return home.. and face his own haunted past.

A huge journey is unfolded across the state, including over 100 main missions and literally hundreds of other side-missions, activities, vehicles, and some pretty good character customisation (eating, going to gym, learning martial arts etc). This is surely the most diverse GTA game ever and the first GTA to introduce some basic RPG elements (along with the above attributes manipulation).

You first start grinding and try to reclaim your gang's lost territories, when a handful of missions after you find yourself robbing entire casinos, steal military jets.. and literally taking down everyone and everything standing in your own way. The structure of the game is enormous and i could be talking hours about it, but almost everyone has played SA up to this point, so I'd like to keep it as short as possible.

Another notable mention is the amazing soundtrack of the game. Vice City was the game with the obligatory '80s synthpop/rock tunes that blew everyone away, but SA did it even better imho. Focused on early '90s hip-hop-r&b/alternative metal tracks, it featured an even more diverse selection of music, with House, Country and Classic Rock stations. The quality and quantity of the soundtrack is simply epic and will not replicated anytime soon on another game.

Since then, GTA SA went to become a cultural phenomenon, received universal acclaim, became PS2's best selling game and was ported to almost any platform available, including mobile.

Happy Birthday GTA SA!

 

[Jachaos]

Best GTA out there.

Fight me.

 

[bigboss370]

And its still the best Grand Theft Auto game to date imo

 

[Hip Hop]

The best GTA pre-HD.

Happy Birthday!

 

[Skelter]

How many x game is x years old thread are there going to be this week?

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

I had so much fun with it.

 

[SMOK3Y]

Happy birthday but nothing beats VC soundtrack 😉

 

[Bam Bam Baklava]

Vice City was better.

 

[Machina]

I didn't like San Andreas as much as most. That obnoxious mission that involved the really expensive air field was like a brick wall, but I don't deny at all that otherwise it was a great game

 

[Einchy]

Around this time ten years ago I was watching G4TV showing gameplay of San Andreas while I was about to die from the hype. It might not be the best GTA in terms of gameplay but it will be my favorite just becomes of all the nostalgia I have for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5zOBty9JKM

How many x game is x years old thread are there going to be this week?

I hope you're ready.

 

[CreepingFear]

Fuck that train chasing scene via motorcycle mission. "Shit Cj, shit" Fuck off!

 

[Soltype]

Still play it once a year, truly a masterpiece.I'm still waiting for rockstar to top this GTA.

 

[NotDreamcast]

I still have the Hydra cheat code memorized.

 

[GravityInsanity]

 

[caleb1915]

I'll have a number nine, a number nine large, a number six with extra sauce, a number seven, two number forty-fives, one wit' cheese, and a large soda .

 

[lem0n]

Favorite game of all time. In fact, I just shut it off because I started a new game tonight and accidentally saved over my nearly 100% complete file. I am at a loss for words. Just finished the car import boards the other day.

I've done it about 15 times, what's once more.

 

[CreepingFear]

RIP Hot Coffee Mod.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Still my favorite of the series. I played the shit out of every inch of that damn game.

 

[Wolfe]

Let's head to the forest and search for Bigfoot.

 

[GravityInsanity]

Let's head to the forest and search for Bigfoot.

I still never found him

 

[SolarMystic]

Best of the series imo. V comes close though.

Though none of them can touch the greatness of RDR.

 

[doofy102]

Let's head to the forest and search for Bigfoot.

My friends (we were 11-12) would come over and we'd stay up late, searching for Bigfoot. It was scarier than watching a horror movie.

 

[Einchy]

I still have the Hydra cheat code memorized.

The cheat codes were sooo fucking fun in SA. Low gravity with that cheat code that made the bike jump really high were always really fun.

It's a bummer that cheat codes died with the PS3/360 gen.

Let's head to the forest and search for Bigfoot.

My cousin swore up and down that he saw a UFO one time.

 

[Wolfe]

Though none of them can touch the greatness of RDR.

Hard to beat Grand Theft Auto: Wild Wild West

Spoiler

wikky wikky!

 

[SallyIsNow]

Can we make a rule where you can only make threads for 1,5,10,15,20,25,etc anniversaries?

 

[Bitanator]

Damn, I remember getting it day one, ripping it open and playing till morning. Have so much love for this game, the first time I accidentally fell into the water, and realizing I could swim now, man I was amazed. The country station had such a great list of songs, perfect for cruising.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

The most fun I've had with GTA, and still the peak of the series so far. The way they paced the campaign and made the map and story unfurl into what felt like a gigantic game has yet to be surpassed in the genre. Neither GTAIV or GTAV have had the impact on me San Andreas did at the time despite their leaps in world detail. Something's been missing from the formula since San Andreas. I haven't touched the game since 2005, and won't ever because I just know it wouldn't hold up for me anymore, but I remember damn near every moment of playing it like it was yesterday.

 

[Persona7]

San Andreas is still the GOAT gta.

 

[Brinbe]

Still the best.

 

[Bubba_Sparks]

Fantastic OP! Really covers whats memorable about this game.

I honestly feel GTA V surpasses San Andreas in almost every way. As you pointed out the soundtrack to San Andreas is a masterpiece, and is one area where I feel GTA V came up short. Outside of that, GTA V is a superior game in every other regard.

The most fun I've had with GTA, and still the peak of the series so far. The way they paced the campaign and made the map and story unfurl into what felt like a gigantic game has yet to be surpassed in the genre. Neither GTAIV or GTAV have had the impact on me San Andreas did at the time despite their leaps in world detail. Something's been missing from the formula since San Andreas. I haven't touched the game since 2005, and won't ever because I just know it wouldn't hold up for me anymore, but I remember damn near every moment of playing it like it was yesterday.

In all honesty this sounds like nostalgia. The missions in GTA V are way better designed than the missions in San Andreas. I don't remember coming across nearly as many terribly designed missions in GTA V as I did in San Andreas. The chasing the train on the motorcycle one still sticks out in my head as a terrible mission. The core gameplay is VASTLY SUPERIOR in GTA V. Everything from movement to weapon handling is just on a completley different level than San Andreas. The terrible aiming mechanic almost makes San Andreas unplayable in comparison to GTA V.

I really like San Andreas, and even thought it did things better than GTA IV, but at this point I think it's time to realize that it has been comprehensively surpassed.

 

[Langdon Alger]

San Adreas and Vice City were great in their day, but GTA 4 and 5 feel stuck in the past. They're just out of date mechanically at this point. The character movement and combat feel slow and clumsy and awkward. Recent GTA clones have better mechanics by far.

 

[Yaphett Kotto]

All you had to do was follow the train, CJ.

 

[Whom_Gods_Annoy]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PUBnqS1qcvk

 

[Matrix XII]

How many x game is x years old thread are there going to be this week?

That thought crossed my mind as well.

Can't say I ever played San Andreas which is pretty much blasphemy in GTA circles.

Always loved GTA III and Vice City though.

 

[Skelter]

That thought crossed my mind as well.

Can't say I ever played San Andreas which is pretty much blasphemy in GTA circles.

Always loved GTA III and Vice City though.

I'm still Vice City > San Andras > V > III > IV. Vice City just captured the feel of the 80's so well.

 

[kng3025]

My favorite GTA game, and one of my favorite games of all time.

Spoiler

Too bad there's no Vita port. My life would be complete

 

[Quick]

Steal car > bring to TransFender > custom the fuck out of the car + get 10x Nitro > FUCKING DRIVE AND EVENTUALLY WRECK YOUR CAR BECAUSE OF USING NITROUS A LOT

It sucks that GTAV doesn't have Nitrous.

I had so much fun with GTA:SA. Seriously one of the best games I've played.

Gonna press X to pay respects on this game.

 

[jackrubyn]

The greatest video game ever made. I was sure that GTA V would finally dethrone it, but for some reason the magic just wasn't fully there. Don't get me wrong, it's absolutely fantastic, but I'm just doubting if the atmosphere of SA can ever be replicated.

 

[18-Volt]

To honor this occasion, Rockstar should make an HD version for PS4 and Vita. Especially Vita.

 

[snickothemule]

There's always a copy of this at EB Games.


Always.

 

[funkystudent]

First game I literally counting the days until it was out.


Before that I use to fund out what games where recently out by checking magazines in the shop and the video games sales charts on Teletext to find out what was just released the following week.

SA was amazing game in its day but my heart belongs to Vice City.

 

[Bare Grills]

Still my favorite gta

 

[jbeavis100]

Still my favorite after all this time. Oh god. I'm going to reinstall it again.. aren't I?

 

[Data West]

Story completely falls off after Los Santos. Still the second best GTA of all time.

Also probably my favorite game to follow the development of ever. I remember going on like gtagaming.com and losing my shit whenever they'd post new screenshots and you'd see something new in the background every time. Like bicycles, CJ crouching, tattoos, etc. It was just an endless fuel of speculation.

And then the game came out and there was EVEN MORE SHIT than what they told people about. Rockstar is one of the few devs that still keeps gameplay features tucked away until release. Blew my mind when I got to car customization in San Andreas. I had no idea it was in there and that you could do it with nearly every car. I spent hours on that.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

In all honesty this sounds like nostalgia. The missions in GTA V are way better designed than the missions in San Andreas. I don't remember coming across nearly as many terribly designed missions in GTA V as I did in San Andreas. The chasing the train on the motorcycle one still sticks out in my head as a terrible mission. The core gameplay is VASTLY SUPERIOR in GTA V. Everything from movement to weapon handling is just on a completley different level than San Andreas. The terrible aiming mechanic almost makes San Andreas unplayable in comparison to GTA V.

I really like San Andreas, and even thought it did things better than GTA IV, but at this point I think it's time to realize that it has been comprehensively surpassed.

And that's cool that you feel that way, but you have to understand that both GTAIV and especially GTAV were pretty big disappointments IMO. So the way I see it, GTASA in 2004 had a much, much bigger impact on me than GTAIV in 2008 or GTAV in 2013. Yes Rockstar improved core functionality since then (still nowhere near what they should be, which is part of why I've soured on the series quite a bit), but IV and V as experiences overall left me flat (and often annoyed/frustrated) in a way SA didn't. You wanna call that nostalgia, so be it. All I know is I'm still waiting for Rockstar to grab me with GTA again like they did with SA, and it hasn't happened yet.

 

[ClaptoVaughn]

I liked how you could change your character's appearance and stats depending on how much you ate or exercised. I would avoid using cars for a while just so I could run or ride a bicycle to make CJ as fit as possible.

 

[dc89]

11 years ago I went to my first midnight release.

 

[Data West]

A reminder to celebrate fat CJ

 

[Ryng_tolu]

What a epic game.

 

[-tetsuo-]

Only GTA that I have started and not finished. Got about 8 or so hours in and realized I was tired of GTA. Already, that generations GTA. I beat 4 and 5.