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[Amory]

I first played SA in high school when it released and always had fond memories of it being the ‘craziest’ GTA. Crazy story, crazy big map, jetpacks, girlfriends you could bang, jumping out of planes, etc.

But playing it again in 2022 as part of the definitive collection, man. It’s not a terrible game, but I think it’s easily the worst of the 3, VC, SA trilogy. Ultimately I think the game was too ambitious for its own good.

They just throw so much shit at the wall waiting for something new to stick, and nothing really does. Lots more indoor environments, but no point to them. Massive open world, but it’s mostly empty backwoods and other than Los Santos the cities are uninteresting. Tons of missions, but a lot of them are filler. Character customization and rpg elements, but you’re being reminded to stop and eat every 20 minutes. Many properties to purchase, but they only serve as save points. Various new side activities, but none that feel essential. Four different types of hidden package collectibles. 57 gang territories to take over. Car exports now require you to use a crane to carry each car onto a boat. Tedious tedious tedious.

Curious what other people think, especially if you played it again recently. I think if you stick to the main story and ignore the side content, there’s still some fun to be had. And CJ is a top tier main character. But it’s not what I remembered.

 

[Celcius]

I've still never played it to this day.
I've played GTA 3, VC, 4, and 5.

 

[R6Rider]

Nah.

SA is better than VC and 3.

 

[kiphalfton]

Started playing it on OG Xbox a couple years ago. Stopped after a couple missions. Game had bad pop-in and graphics aged super badly.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

I recently played through the DE collection, and my view has changed about all three games.

I used to think VC was great, but now it seems more like DLC than an actual stand-alone game because the map is so small and flat.

GTA 3 truly was a ground-breaking title and I appreciate it now more than I used to.

SA is still my favorite GTA title of all-time, but the voice acting and writing are some of the worst in all of video gaming.

 

[feynoob]

But playing it again in 2022 as part of the definitive collection,

This is the problem. End the thread.
You shouldnt have played that, and say the game is trash.

The old game is great, and was fun, compared to the trash that is the definitive edition.

 

[Laptop1991]

I loved SA in 2005 when it came on PC, i spent god knows how many hours in that world, great game, it's a shame the def editions don't do the original justice.

 

[kikii]

is Definitive edition fixed yet ? i saw it on ps plus extra (best gaming deal ever) j/k

 

[nkarafo]

I fully agree with OP.

I never really liked as much as Vice City. Especially all these character traits that you change depending on how you play. I had to hit the gym every few minutes just so my character doesn't look like a skinny methhead.

 

[Amory]

This is the problem. End the thread.
You shouldnt have played that, and say the game is trash.

The old game is great, and was fun, compared to the trash that is the definitive edition.

I know the DE was fucked when it launched but I haven’t really come across any significant bugs playing now, post patches. It runs fine and frankly it looks pretty good

 

[64bitmodels]

holy fuck finally someone said it

worst out of the 3
great for the first few hours, but drops off not too long after. 4 and VC are far more worth your time (idk about 3 though)

 

[Kenneth Haight]

All 3 of the games have aged poorly but I was so excited when this launched. THIS advert on TV, the music! I was so hyped. I remember going to the midnight launch at my local store and it was like a party atmosphere. Good times.

 

[64bitmodels]

The old game is great, and was fun, compared to the trash that is the definitive edition.

SA has objective design issues that are present in whichever version of the game you play, it's inherently flawed. 3 and VC have less issues.

 

[Woggleman]

It is to this day the best open world ever made.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Its the best in the series. Wish it got a standalone remake but theyd probably cut too much.

 

[HYDE]

All GTA games suck imo…

 

[AlteredForms]

But playing it again in 2022 as part of the definitive collection,

EDIT: Whoever bumped this thread is giving me free reaction points. I've had 3 in the last 10 minutes.

 

[poodaddy]

VC kicks the shit out of SA. Always has. SA has always been garbage.

To be fair, 3, VC, and SA are all shit games by modern standards, but VC was always the least shit of the three.

 

[64bitmodels]

to be fair, 3, VC, and SA are all shit games by modern standards,

Can anyone explain to me how these games have aged? they hold up well and play great these days.

 

[Sub_Level]

Played SA for the first time in 2019 and had a blast. Street knowledge is the most powerful knowledge OP if you don't establish your territory someone finna roll up and blast yo ass.

Can anyone explain to me how these games have aged? they hold up well and play great these days.

Bro we just had a Resident Evil 4 is too outdated thread the other day. In a few years you can expect to see how people find Gears of War too archaic lol

 

[BlackCharlieBrown]

Made it to this mission and never touched it again.

 

[poodaddy]

Can anyone explain to me how these games have aged? they hold up well and play great these days.

It's just my opinion. I think the games have god awful combat and the driving just isn't fun to me. Loved them as a young man, just don't really like em now. I will admit they had great soundtracks and stellar voice over, but they're just not fun to play.

 

[Amory]

VC kicks the shit out of SA. Always has. SA has always been garbage.

To be fair, 3, VC, and SA are all shit games by modern standards, but VC was always the least shit of the three.

VC is my favorite, but 3 is a close second. There’s something about GTA3. Special game. Probably a lot of it is nostalgia though I guess.

I think SA holds up the worst by modern standards because of how much stuff they threw in that felt novel at the time, but was objectively half baked

 

[Hawking Radiation]

Vice City shits on SA from a dizzying height. What an experience and the one GTA game I'd be there day 1 for if it was remade in UE5 or something.

 

[Guilty_AI]

A lot of the attention and popularity it got at the time was due to novelty. Stuff like "we can walk around three cities with rural areas in between!" or "theres tons of stuff to do!" etc. i'd say as a game it really didn't age well, unlike its predecessors which had a more focused vision.

 

[Bluecondor]

This is one of those games that you have to look at in context, as seeing/playing the game today simply does not compare to the experience we had playing it back when it was originally released.

When it was released, this was the open world crime "simulator" at its peak. You had three different cities to unlock and explore, along with a bunch of fun and interesting missions. The soundtrack and atmosphere of the game was just amazing to experience back then. I was already completely immersed in playing as CJ in Grove Street and battling to take over gang territories; but then when the "Hot Coffee" mod was revealed, it added a whole new "I can't believe they did this in a mainstream video game" dimension to the game.

If Rockstar ever does a proper remaster of the game, with updated visuals on each of the three cities and even GTV level gameplay updates, I think people could really appreciate the game again. It was just awesome to play back then.

 

[Hawking Radiation]

A lot of the attention and popularity it got at the time was due to novelty. Stuff like "we can walk around three cities with rural areas in between!" or "theres tons of stuff to do!" etc. i'd say as a game it really didn't age well, unlike its predecessors which had a more focused vision.

 

[Amory]

Made it to this mission and never touched it again.

They thankfully updated this mission in the definitive edition so it’s not nearly as difficult anymore. I remember it on PS2 and it nearly made me quit

 

[ComputerBlue]

I still think it’s pretty fun, and amazing radio stations too. Vice City is better, so is GTA4, but it’s the third best in the series imo.

 

[kiphalfton]

Made it to this mission and never touched it again.

IIRC people day that wasn't a mandatory mission. BS I could have sworn it was, or I would have skipped that shit and beat the game. Stupidest fucking mission ever.

 

[intbal]

It's the best GTA.

 

[WoJ]

I'm not the biggest gta fan, but I've always thought San Andreas was just okay. As others have said it was like they just threw shit in the game for the sake of doing so. Vice City is easily the best GTA game.

 

[ReBurn]

Eating and exercising annoy me in the game. Same as in RDR2. It's still a good game.

 

[MarkMe2525]

All 3 of the games have aged poorly but I was so excited when this launched. THIS advert on TV, the music! I was so hyped. I remember going to the midnight launch at my local store and it was like a party atmosphere. Good times.

I honestly just got hyped up watching this.

 

[TransTrender]

Shit was ass

 

[Hip Hop]

I had a blast with it again when I bought it on mobile not too long ago and beat the whole game with no cheat codes and touch screen only lmao

it was fun

 

[eastcoastkody]

how wrong could one person be. First off don't play the remaster. that was ur first mistake

yeah its full of lots of things to do, and lots of systems and features. Because its not a modern game where they give u less and less every year.

It was the last good GTA. and the best GTA

 

[Naked Lunch]

Everything ever on this planet will eventually get shit on by someone - some time.
Its inevitable.

Just the other day dudes were dunkin on RE4. Shits crazy yo.

 

[Syphon Filter]

SA is great, way better than gta 5.

 

[EverythingsOverrated]

SA was pretty damn impressive for it's time, for sure.

But if I go back to play one of the PS2 GTA games it's going to be Vice City, every time.

 

[March Climber]

I didn't think SA was a bad game, but over time I realized that I personally preferred GTA 3's game length and map size. Everything after had playlengths that felt too long and maps that felt too big. GTA 3 gave me the most fun in a dense city within a reasonable amount of time and didn't overstay it's welcome. Because of that I've had much fonder memories and more memorable experiences with it than the others. I can name way more specific moments of 3 than I ever could of VC and SA, and VC was a pretty incredible game.

What I've always wanted was a GTA 3 remake with the graphics and controls of GTA 5, but it seems so far away now with that definitive edition.

 

[sinnergy]

Not for the time.

 

[Filben]

It’s not a terrible game

"kinda trash"

Anyways, I liked that you could finally swim and even dive. Car control was pretty cool and that there's not only city landscapes.

Apart from that I always found the gameplay of 3 and VC much more focused. Also weapon sounds are shit and I remember even back then looking for mods to improve the sounds. Guns didn't sound realistic in 3 and VC but at least you heard a punch. In San Andreas it sounds like you're shooting with plastic balls or peas. Unacceptable.

 

[Raonak]

Nah. It is still the best GTA.

 

[PeteBull]

https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas nuff said, it was fire back then in ps2 times, kids nowadays who play poor mobile port(aka definitive edition) will never get the feeling/armosphere from back then, graphics looked good(not top of the top but pr0 enough), gameplay and story was innovative and very fun(bearing this toy airplaine missions), when u bought/played game u had a feeling u are part of something big, probably like kids now feel playing fortnite(only a guess, never played any battleroyale/moba/minecraft, not my genres, altho i watched solid few hours of streams just to know whats up with battle royale genre).

Read reviews and u will see how ppl felt about it(and yeh its not perfect but achieve today what it achieved back in 2004- fricken 18years ago, hell even recent amazing GoW Ragnarok has 1lower review score and 9,1 vs 8,4 user score, and if u are sane person even if u dont like game/genre u cant say GoW:R is bad or avg game https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-5/god-of-war-ragnarok ).

 

[rofif]

It is very much so but the strangest thing it’s that it was awesome at launch. But it aged so much quickly. I can hardly remember how it was awesome

 

[fuck_diggity_cunt_ingdon]

At the time, it was amazing. Not sure how well it’s held up over time, I imagine not very well.

I still have fond memories of picking it up the same day as my PS2 slim - they must have come out around the same time?

 

[NinjaBoiX]

I recently played through the DE collection, and my view has changed about all three games.

I used to think VC was great, but now it seems more like DLC than an actual stand-alone game because the map is so small and flat.

GTA 3 truly was a ground-breaking title and I appreciate it now more than I used to.

SA is still my favorite GTA title of all-time, but the voice acting and writing are some of the worst in all of video gaming.

So true about Vice City, I never understood the appeal and always much preferred the original. VC felt rushed and unsubstantial, like an add on to GTA3.

 

[GymWolf]

Probably my last favourite gta game.

 

[gaming_again]

Lmao just lol laughing. Out. LOUD at anybody thinking GTAV is better. I don’t like IV as much but I get people preferring it because it’s almost an entirely different game.

SA has the best map out of all of them, the best missions and the best vehicles. It’s big, rude and offensive and FUN. I weep for what Rockstar used to be and where Western gaming is headed now.