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30th May 2005:
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
We take a look at Rockstars eagerly-awaited Xbox version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Posted by John Grothier - Xbox,PC,PlayStation 2 - UK and Europe

After the successful port last year of the GTA Double Pack, which contained GTA III and Vice City, we can look forward - in just over a week's time, to playing a fantastic port of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the Xbox. Although Rockstar have not included any new content, the game will have a few noticeable improvements over the PlayStation 2 version, which is already an absolute classic.

The game's story is set in early-nineties America and focuses on the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas, albeit with some small name changes. Players will step into the shoes of Carl Johnson, (CJ), who escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas...a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption. In San Andreas film stars and millionaires do their best to avoid the dealers and gangbangers.

The game takes place in the early 90s, and the story follows Carl when he returns home to find his mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart and his childhood friends are all heading towards disaster. Worse still, a couple of corrupt cops frame him for homicide. So Carl is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets.

In this GTA title players must complete missions, while taking over various territories and to create a nice steady cash flow that can be spent on buying food, clothes, getting you hair cut, tattoos, purchasing 'mods' for your chosen vehicle and even take your girlfriends out. The missions in San Andreas range from hits, to fetching and carrying, to all-out gun battles, all with much variation - and most with many ways to compete them successfully.

San Andreas features three huge cities for Carl to explore. This is his playground of destruction. The game includes many different types of vehicles for CJ to use, including many types of cars, bikes, trucks, boats, aircraft and a few surprise vehicles as you progress through the game. When you start flying, the world of GTA: San Andreas opens up to the players in a way that has to be seen to be believed.

The main differences between the two systems will be the Xbox version will look cleaner and crisper, thanks to draw distance improvements and higher textures. The Xbox version will also feature 480p and a 16:9 widescreen support. Rockstar have also announced that Xbox owners will be able to use there custom soundtracks, and we have our fingers crossed that you'll be able to create your own radio station, complete with DJ's announcements and adverts, but this time with your own music.

Probably the most exciting new feature in the Xbox version is the inclusion of the 30 second replay. This means that if you have pulled off a mean stunt and want to show it to your mates - you can watch the last thirty seconds of stunning San Andreas action with full camera control. Rockstar have not yet announced if you will be able to save the replays to the hard drive, we'll have to wait and see on that one.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is scheduled for release for the Xbox on 10th June in Europe and on 7th June in the US.

John Grothier

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