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What an amazing game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 16
Date: January 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is probably the best game to ever hit the PS2. Yes, this game is very sick and twisted, even without that bloated Hot Coffee mod. Yes, this may be the game that might have your PS2 controller smashed in frustration (*cough* Zero Missions *cough*). But the sheer size of this game, coupled with the amount of diversity and possibilities, makes this a true gaming milestone.

Put simply, this game is huge: 5 to 6 times the size of Vice City. It took me over half an hour to drive from one city to another. The amount of things that you can do in this game is stunning: Eat, swim, climb mountains, fly jetplanes, change clothes, work out, build stats, go on dates: all here.

And of course using a variety of weapons and jacking cars is still an essential part of the GTA experience: The weapon targeting in this game was a huge step up from the ridiculous auto-aiming engine from Vice City, and the driving controls were sharp as always.

I thought that the graphics, while still showing a litttle bit of pop-up here and there, were still pretty stunning for the dated RenderWare engine, especially in the lush countryside. The story and voice acting were good, but Young Maylay (CJ), Sam Jackson (Officer Tenpenny) and James Woods (Mike Toreno) were particularly impressive here. OG Loc was pretty annoying though.

The music was the only thing here that I thought was pretty mixed: I'm not a huge fan of rap, but even I could tell you that the gangsta rap station was the best one on here. Both Radio X and the classic rock station disappointed me compared to V-Rock from Vice City, and who the hell thought it was a good idea to put a country station on here? All the other stations were pretty forgettable. I usually put on my own music while playing most games anyway, so I won't take points off here.

Other than the halfway-decent soundtrack, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a riveting success of a game and every mature gamer should buy it immediately.

Oh, and this special edition is basically the original game minus the Hot Coffee mod, and there are also sections of the game that are easier than the original. It also includes a bonus DVD that has the 20-min Introduction and Sunday Driver on it. Hope this helps.

Pure Innovation

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 20
Date: May 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I really, really wanted to hate this game. It goes against everything I stand for as a gamer and I felt it was giving a bad name to the video game industry in general. And then I played it. And I'm still playing it. Chances are, I'll be playing it forever on end.

This is one great game, and if not for a rather forceful brother and a cheap $20 price tag, I may have never discovered this. No game has ever been as in-depth as this one has. You can do absolutely anything under the sun, whether it's exercise, eat and drink, play video games (within a video game), steal cars, shoot people, install hydraulics into low-riders, shoot more people, buy gang-colors, ride BMXs... you get the point. All that can be done as an aside to the actual story of the game, which I have to say is pretty damn good. Without spoiling much, I'll say that the main character, Carl, has come back to his old neighborhood after the death of his mother, and finds himself the avenger of his mother's death. Along the way, he meets quite a few characters, and gets himself involved with most of the major gangs as well as some government agencies. Some of these meetings are beneficial to Carl, while others are purely life-threatening. What's great about the story is just how he ends up getting involved with these characters. At first, it seems strange that a gang-banger would affiliate himself with the CIA, but Carl does just that, eventually. Basically, you'll just have to play the game to believe some of this stuff.

The game-play is damn fun too. Every separate element, whether it be cars or weapons, or the intangibles like respect and sex appeal, has a level that must be built in order for Carl to be able to do certain things. Obviously, driving skills as well as gun skills are important in a game such as this, but getting the respect from your fellow gang-bangers is important too. And then there is the idea of muscle building and atrophy. You have to keep Carl healthy, and that means constant exercise and eating right. And we can't forgot all the side missions, like tags and clams and jumps. Simply finding these are tasks, but getting every separate tag or jump or whatever actually feels good, and the benefits make it worth spending the time to do these things.

In the end, after putting a fare amount of time into this game, I realized one thing: I'm losing sleep. That's not bad, though, because I'm having fun, and no game since Final Fantasy VII has ever done this to me. Though I still think some of what happens or can happen in this game is pointless and unneeded, those are my own personal beliefs and ones I won't use anymore as a reason for hating this game. Therefore, I highly recommend this game to any mature, sane minded adult. It's a gaming experience that is almost pure innovation from start to beginning. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some tags to spray.

Awesome game, but parents beware...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 21 / 27
Date: January 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is by far the most amazing videogame I have ever seen or played. It raises the bar of excellence, size, scope, fun and involving game play so incredibly high that I doubt any other game will come close to it for a very long time.

But parents beware! Even with the infamous "Hot Coffee" mod removed, this game is rated Mature for good reason. It is extremely adult oriented with excessive language and violence that make even GTA III and Vice City seem tame in comparison. The F-bomb is dropped every few moments, and African Americans are frequently called the N-word. Profanities of all kinds are prevalent and constant throughout the game. All of the violent and sexual adult content of the previous games is back, but ramped up to new levels of intensity. The prostitues are back, but this time the main character not only employs their services, but also acts as pimp, delivering the hookers to others. The improved graphics and motion-capture add a great sense of realism to the violence. Make no mistake: THIS IS AN ADULT GAME AND SHOULD NOT BE PURCHASED FOR CHILDREN!

Having said that, let me say again what a great, fun game GTA: San Andreas is. It is a marvelous advance in the world of videogames, and as an adult, I find it to be a very deep, involving form of escapist entertainment. No doubt, we'll all be hearing from the politicians and others who want to censor forms of entertainment they find offensive. And this new game, like the previous entries in the series, will likely become a center of controversy. We'll hear the same old arguments about how this and other violent videogames are the source of all evil in the world. I'm sorry, but that is just so simplistic and untrue. Videogames are entertainment, plain and simple, just like movies, books, music and television. And certain videogames, just like certain movies, books or TV programs, are not intended for children. Responsible parents should not allow their children to play GTA: San Andreas, any more than they would allow them to watch Pulp Fiction or The Sopranos. But just like other forms of mature entertainment, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has every right to exist for an audience mature enough to understand and enjoy it.

Enough of my soapbox editorializing. If you are an older teen or an adult, get this game, play it and enjoy it. It really is an amazing achievement. If you are a parent whose younger teen or child wants this game, find another more appropriate title. There are a lot of good ones available.

Awesome Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 19
Date: November 20, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This SPecial Edition is the same as was the original BUT has some extra behind the scenes stuff AND has the HOT COFFEE mode edited out of the game. Don't knwo what HOT COFFEE mode is? Google it and find out.
Either version of the game will satisfy you and is the same thing. As for the codffee mode, it was only available in the xbox version. This mode was never finished on playstation 2. And in bothe versions it could ONLY be accessed by doing a long list of tasks precisely and in a timely manner. The other wqay to possibly access it would be with a gameshark/action replay. 99% of san andreas players out there qwould have never known/never been able to access this mode anyway but thanks to the media, the public cried out for it to be editrd out. Thats the ONLY thing that has been changed. this game rocks and is the same as always. =)

Great game, but....

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 17
Date: November 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is a great game. The graphics are awesome, the story is great, and there are endless possibilities. I would recommend buying a different game instead though. Instead of buying this game, just buy the older and cheaper original release. It is the same game, this is just a ploy to make more money by Rockstar. Just because it says Special Edition on the cover doesn't mean it is a better game. The game is great already, but I wouldn't shell out the extra money so I can have the title colored gold instead of white.

One of the greatest video games ever made

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: June 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Rockstar defined a genre that spawned a host of immitators with GTA 3, the game that helped sell millions of PS2's. They followed that up with GTA: Vice City, taking the setting back to the 80's while improving on all the mechanics of the previous game. Now, enter GTA: San Andreas, and this time around, it's the early 90's. You play as CJ, a reformed gangsta who comes back to his hometown of San Andreas when he gets news of his mother's death. Before he knows it, he's framed for murder by a group of crooked cops, finds his homies in dissaray, and in the cross hairs of rival gangs. For veterans of the GTA series, the gameplay will feel familiar at times, but Rockstar has added some more enhancements to the gameplay to set it apart from the previous games. As you navigate the LA-like San Andreas, you have to eat, go to the gym to stay in shape, and earn respect points. That's just a small sampling of the RPG-like elements inserted into the game, plus a bevy of other events and side missions you can partake in, including running marathons and the usual vigilante, firetruck, taxi, and ambulance missions. And, finally, if you go into the water, you don't die automatically! You can finally swim and build up your stats as well. This is a more than welcome addition to the series that has been a long time coming. Also, the storyline of the game is the best story ever in a GTA game, and one of the best in video game history. Rockstar has once again assembled a fine cast of voice actors for GTA: San Andreas, including Samuel L. Jackson, the late Chris Penn, Ice-T, Peter Fonda, James Woods, Charlie Murphy, David Cross, Frank Vincent, and William Fichtner; all of whom do great work. Rockstar has also assembled another amazing soundtrack for the game as well, including various and diverse radio stations featuring cuts from Dr. Dre, NWA, Public Enemy, Danzig, Kiss, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Helmet, Soundgarden, and more. Graphically, the game isn't the best looking, but it's serviceable enough as the gameplay is rock solid. The city itself is huge and there's so much to explore and do that the replayability is incredibly high, all of which helping make San Andreas one of the greatest video games ever made, and it also sets the bar incredibly high for GTA 4. Be warned though, this is the world of GTA after all, and there is plenty of graphic language, situations, and acts of violence; which is to be expected, so keep in mind that this game isn't for kids. All in all, GTA: San Andreas takes the Grand Theft Auto series to new heights, and it is an absolute essential title for all PS2 owners.

Awesome!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: March 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is the best game ever made in the hisory of all video games. THere is soooooo much to do in this game, it was very hard and enjoyable attaining 100% completion. The best part about this game is that you don't have to do anything if you don't want to; you can just kill people, drive accross the very large map, try to shake the cops, steal a tank, helicopter, whatever. The Sanandreas area is all yours.

Greatest Game Ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Just buy this game, it's the same do anything formula, with an amazing storyline, addictive gameplay, and so many more features. Some idiot keeps mentioning it's like the sims. I never eat and I work our once per 20 hours (20 real life hours) and never lose anything. Better than vice city, 3x more radio and commercials (They're funny :P) 1.5x as many weapons and 4.5x vechicles (Like 10 ships, and 8 planes and 180 cars, 7 motorcycles, and stuff like 4x4, monstor truck, jak 3 type vehicles)

Mistake from gamestop?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: April 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I believe there must be some mistake from gamestop. I am pretty sure that the GTA that gamestop is selling for 14.99 is the greatest hits version, not the special edition version. In any case, this is a great game and 14.99 is an absolute steal!!! so don't be discouraged if it is not the special edition. Order it and enjoy one of the best ps2 game ever made!!

Two words: complicated & overrated

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 9 / 30
Date: July 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If you're reading this, you probably love the game and hate my review already simply based on my title. That's fine. I know I'm the small minority that pretty much hate this game. This game is a love it or hate it type of game.

This is why I hate the game (and why you probably love it):

1. It's too much like "The Sims." That's right, the Sims. Along with the standard health, armor, and wanted levels, you have "stamina," "fat," "sex appeal," and many more I forgot. These meters effect your game and you have to keep them in check. It becomes tedious and boring having to worry about eating or working out or having the right type of clothes.

2. It's too complicated. As mentioned with the comparison to The Sims, it's becomes more complicated with the driving maps. The one thing I liked so much about Vice City was the simple layout it had; GTAIII was a bit too complex for me, especially with timed missions. Well, San Andreas makes GTAIII look like Vice City. It's just way too complicated to get where you have to go with bridges and overpasses and junk like that.

3. It's just not fun. Drive-by's and just getting shot at on the streets is the norm. There are no fun, fast cars in the beginning. You have to constantly worry about your "homies" on a mission because if they die, you fail the mission. Yes, it makes the game more realistic, but it makes it less fun. In video games, fun takes a back seat to realism.

4. Too much story. There are parts where you have to watch the in-between stories. This is annoying to people like me who don't care about the story and just want to play the game.

5. Too much talking. A lot of the missions are teamed missions (and hey, you get to drive the car while your homies gets to shoot the guns. Fun? Not really) and all your friends talk during the mission. What they say is not funny or entertaining; it's annoying. It distracts from the radio, which is sometimes funny (but not nearly as funny as Chatterbox or KCHAT).

With that being said, it's still a GTA game and every 5th mission is somewhat fun, which is why I'm giving 2 stars.

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