Checks
Playing San Andreas in 2019 exposes some outdated design choices in the way it controls. Square jumping is jarring, and locked aiming is useful at best, frustrating at worst.
Vehicles are also everywhere. Cars, boats and planes are a little too slippery for my taste, but they can be mastered with a little patience. Motorcycles, on the other hand, are like trying to ride an ostrich through the Amazon. Any mission based on a bicycle has had me pull my hair out and conduct a Google search for training wheels.
Of course, in Grand Theft Auto, cheats play a big part in the experience. Being able to summon a tank in the first five minutes of the game filled me with an indescribable feeling of power. But, for most of my playing time, I tried to follow the path of fairness.
Presentation
I still found a lot of beauty in the San Andreas pictures 15 years later. The lighting is fantastic, with celestial sunsets and moody rain that do wonders for the immersion feeling. The texture pop-ins and dated character models are signs of the game’s age. But I still kept getting lost in the game world, because the cities, the roads, the towns and the wilderness all fit together so thoughtfully.
The licensed soundtrack also adds a lot to the experience. There is a clear effort in how each radio station has been structured and the track selection remains impressive in quantity and quality. I would often sit in the car waiting for a song to finish before committing to a mission simply because it was so catchy.
Final verdict
There’s a reason Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has sold tens of millions of copies over its lifetime. It is such a varied game that it is based on all ideas of him, from a memorable story to an organic and rich world.
Fifteen years have exposed some cracks in the game’s controls and graphics. But when so much has aged so well, it’s hard not to join the millions who are already singing its praises.
Category: Reviews
Tag: Action
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