GTA Gets
Bigger
It is not often that a game's success is guaranteed but when Rockstar
North are about to deliver a GTA title, we all know who's going to top the holiday sales
charts. Following usual Rockstar policy, the developers have been releasing a steady,
carefully-controlled stream of GTA:SA details but never enough to satisfy the numerous fans
of the franchise.
According to Rockstar this time round the GTA series is getting a
full make-over, the biggest one since the title moved from 2D-to full 3D.
The biggest
change is, of course, scale. GTA has moved from the tiny and rather flat Liberty City to the
well-rounded but limited Vice City to an entire state, San Andreas. A state named after a
fault may not sound like the best idea but it's the first in a long line of clues reminding
us that San Andreas is based on a real state. If that doesn't ring any bells how about
cities with names such as Los Santos and San Fierro?
This time round the series stays
true to its roots by tackling the controversial theme of gangs and urban violence, in its
usual very tactful and subtle way. If you thought the mob that run Vice City was ruthless
you will be shocked by the hailstorm of carjackings, drive-by's, hold-up's and general
acts of random violence that GTA:SA will throw your way.
Unfortunately for most fans,
developers have gone on record confirming that GTA:SA will not feature multiplayer, sad news
for fans of MultiTheftAuto (MTA) a modification for GTA:VC which gave PC users hours of
online mayhem. Another GTA fact which makes some gamers uncomfortable is that GTA:SA, being
a PS2 first title, may not fully exploit the technical capabilities of the PC and may just
end up a simple PS2 to PC port. Is Rockstar planning to change the game for the PC? How
exactly can GTA:SA improve technologically on GTA:VC if the hardware remains identical? All
reasonable questions which will be addressed by this preview.
GTA:SA is expected
October 26 2004 for the PS2 and sometime in the New Year for the PC with an XBox version
also suspected.
Story
Carl Johnson, CJ, the game's main
character, has been living in Liberty City for the past five years or so, supposedly trying
to escape Los Santos where he grew up. The real reason however, is to avoid dealing with the
death of his ten year old brother Brian, and he's managing to get by until yesterday when
his older brother calls him up to tell him that his mother has been killed. He immediately
hops back on a plane to go home to Los Santos to be with his family. As soon as CJ gets to
Los Santos he is picked-up by a couple of crooked cops who dump him in a rival gang's
territory. Exactly at that point in time, the gamer, you, comes in.
Los Santos, San
Andreas is a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption. It is a city
where filmstars and millionaires do their best to avoid the dealers and
gangbangers.
The timeline of the game is the early 90s and CJ will be forced on a
journey that will take him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to
take control of the streets.
Gameplay
The main strength of the
GTA series has been its excellent and very innovative gameplay. San Andreas plans to use the
trademark gameplay features that have made the series such a success and enhance them by
utilising new technologies and gamer input.
Weapons
The gunplay
mechanic has been completely reworked in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. True to the series'
heritage, R1 will remain the button that engages the targeting system and you can still fire
your weapon randomly by pressing Circle at any point, however a brand new targeting control
scheme has been implemented.
Once you've held down R1, a number of options open up
for targeting enemies. CJ will first attempt to target the closest hostile enemy,
circumventing any non-hostiles. Failing that, he'll target the closest target in front of
him within a range just over 90 degrees. If there isn't a target within this field, he'll
go into free aim mode with the weapon. The camera settles down behind him and a reticle
appears in the center of the screen. The analog sticks now behave very differently than in
normal on-foot action. The left analog moves CJ forward and backward, and strafes him left
and right. The right analog moves the camera angle up, down, left and right.
The
effect is that the game feels more like a classic third person shooter and, using both
sticks, the player can quickly get a bead on any target they like without using the
auto-lock targeting system. A perceptive reader by now may have noticed a problem. If
you're using the right analog to target enemies, how are you going to shoot using Circle?
L1 is now your trigger button, but only in target mode!
It's still possible, and in
some cases preferable, to use R2 and L2 to rapidly cycle through locked-on targets, and if
you're in free target mode and want to snap to a target, just tap R2 or L2 (whichever is in
the direction of the target) and CJ will lock right on. The system has been designed to give
players the option to target however they like.
Like many other aspects of the game,
weapons will have a skill level associated with them, and CJ's proficiency with a
particular gun can be developed over time. As you use a weapon more and more frequently,
you'll upgrade:
Reload Time - A huge factor, as CJ gets better with a weapon he will
need to spend fewer critical seconds reloading.
Fire Rate - The firing rate of guns
in San Andreas is affected by CJ's skill with it. More bullets in less time means your
targets go down more quickly!
Accuracy - As CJ gets better with a weapon, his
accuracy with it will improve. You'll notice as you're firing weapons that the circle
outside the reticle will now expand and contract to visualize your current accuracy. As in
previous Grand Theft Autos, crouching will bump up your accuracy too!
Weapon Stance &
Movement - Weapons have different associated abilities that they unlock. For example with
certain weapons you unlock the ability to move while firing, others you get an improved
weapon stance as CJ learns how to handle the gun, or faster strafe speed, even the ability
to move backwards while firing!
Dual Weapons - The ultimate of upgrades. As CJ gets
better with weapons, some allow him to hold two weapons at a time, doubling his firing rate
and length of time that he can go without a reload.
Countryside Firearm - The Desert
Eagle
Affectionately known as the DEAGLE the world over, this massive handgun packs more
stopping power per round than any weapon except for the sniper rifles. When CJ first starts
using it, he can barely hold onto it when squeezing the trigger. As he gets more used to the
weapon, he'll become more and more proficient with it. Without a doubt, one of the most
lethal new guns in CJ's arsenal.
Alternative Weapons
Hand held weapons
have always been a firm fan favorite in the Grand Theft Auto games. Vice City took this side
of combat to a whole new level with the introduction of the traditional Katana, classic
tools like the Chainsaw and the infamous Golf Club, each with their own wielding
animation.
A new range of destructive implements are at CJs disposal. Some classics
will make an appearance as well as some fresh new additions to hand-to-hand
arsenal.
It is now possible for CJ to lock on to opponent while wielding a weapon.
This enables the player to circle their enemy, choosing the right time to make their attack.
Pressing square will also make CJ block. This blocking move will vary dependant on the
weapon currently held.
Each of the weapons features a number of different attacks
that are available to CJ and a massive amount of effort has gone into making sure every
strike with every weapon has its own set of animations complete with some greatly satisfying
finishing moves! This makes each tool feel and play very differently.
Countryside
Weapon The Shovel
One of the many new weapons featured in San Andreas is one
that no aspiring mobster travels without - the classic garden shovel. This universally
utilized tool, often found in people's back yards, is famous for providing the ability to
perform important soil related tasks such as digging shallow graves, threatening people in a
farmer like fashion and making a very satisfying 'klunk' when the head of the spade meets
someone's head.
Traveling
The Crop Duster
Since San
Andreas is so large, planes play a much larger role in the game. Once you've started
spending time out in the countryside and traveling between cities, using a plane to get
around starts to make a lot of sense! Because of this, Rockstar North have designed a whole
range of new airborne vehicles for CJ to fly. The new dodo has full wings now and so it
obviously handles much better. It's not meant to be fast, but is solid and has responsive
handling. There's actually an altimeter in the bottom left hand corner that appears when
you're in aircraft to show you how high you are off the ground.
Plane physics have
been reworked to allow for faster and more maneuverable planes like the Crop Duster which is
a biplane with two wing surfaces to carve through the air, giving it much better handling.
Since you'll be doing things like barrel rolls, hammerheads and loops often, Rockstar North
have added an attitude meter that appears over the in-game map in the lower-left hand
corner. It shows your plane's relation to the horizon so you have a sense of where the
ground is after your third barrel roll!
Mountain Biking Downhill
If you
manage to hike all the way up to the top of Mount Chiliad (of if you were smart, and have
enough biking skill, ride up on a bike) then you'll find a race starting at the top for you
to participate in. Hopefully you will have honed CJ's cycling skill by the time you attempt
this race, because you'll need every bit of skill you can muster. Covering a torturous,
winding track down the side of Mount Chiliad at extremely high speeds, this downhill race is
the ultimate in cycling tests.
Since the mountain bike has a number of gears (chosen
automatically), it has a much higher top speed than the BMX CJ grew up riding in East Los
Santos. Bunnyhopping is still possible on the mountain bike, but you'd be much better off
just riding around obstacles, as going airborne at this altitude can be suicide! Just a word
of warning: the other racers in this championship aren't very courteous, sportsman-like
opponents and they will take full advantage of any errors you make, having no qualms about
barreling into you or knocking you off the side of the mountain. But, finish first at the
bottom and you'll be on your way to the mountain biking championship. You aren't king of
the mountain til you've conquered these races!
Working Bull Dozer
A
vehicle designed to literally plow right though anything, the Dozer has massive amounts of
torque to drive it forward. The plow works just like you'd expect it to in real life; it
can be raised up and down (with the right analog) to flip cars, terrorize sidewalks, and
cause general chaos and destruction.
There are all sorts of objects in San Andreas
that you can now destroy; discarded milk crates, white picket fences, small to medium sized
plants, outdoor furniture, anything that looks like you should be able to run it down with a
big vehicle can probably be smashed. This is very gratifying and adds a new layer of
interactivity to the Grand Theft Auto world. Keep in mind that you're not the only one who
can and will be smashing up the map as you drive around. Anyone else foolish enough to run
into things at high speeds will be wreaking havoc as well. Watch out, because San Andreas is
an unpredictable place!
The Dozer also features new steering physics - rear-wheel
steering. The bulldozer has all of it's steering in the back and the front wheels are
locked in place, just like the real machine. It's a bit unusual at first to those who
aren't use to driving a Bulldozer!
Riding Lawnmower
Keep an eye out
for this last ditch ride! If there isn't anything else around and CJ is scrambling through
backyards and fences to get away from some heat, this may just provide the escape you're
looking for. While not as fast as a proper car, it's better than hoofing
it!
Haulin' Gas
RU Haul is a friendly little shipping company in the
rolling hills west of Los Santos. The owner there is always happy to get an extra driver ...
and pay them cash for towing some cargo. Any time CJ wants to swing by, there will be work
for him here.
To pull the goods, CJ will be driving a classic 18-wheeler. The largest
road vehicle in the game, the semi features full articulated physics. This means that the
trailer behaves and acts like a trailer actually should; it'll whip around a corner and
lose grip if you take a turn too fast, jackknifing just like you'd expect from a real-world
18-wheeler. Like all the vehicles in Grand Theft Auto, the semi-truck feels exactly like it
should. If the trailer does disconnect, you have the option to connect to it again, getting
back on the road and underway to your destination.
Deliveries pay cash, but you have
to be on time or watch your fee get cut in half. There's serious money to be made hauling
goods too, thousands for lower-level projects and up into the tens of thousands for "hot"
goods that the police might be interested in. If you're short, try a little work for RU
Haul!
Also, keep in mind that gas-filled tankers make stellar rolling bombs. Any time
you want to take out a group of guys in an area, speed the tanker towards the group, and
dive out of the cab. Pop up with a rocket launcher and light it up!
Countryside
Races
There a number of races that take place out in the country. Whether its
rock climbing in 4x4 or big air motorcross races on the Sanchez, there's plenty to satisfy
your off-road cravings.
Other gameplay elements:
Fires in San
Andreas
Fires are a serious and perennial problem in the real California. In San
Andreas also, since the state can be so dry, fires can quickly spread out of control. Any
bit of flame can easily flare up and cover a large area in almost no time. CJ can, and will,
intentionally or incidentally, start fires from time to time, throwing Molotov cocktails or
detonating a car. As your damaged car explodes, the fire can quickly spread to other nearby
cars and objects. Buildings can go up just as rapidly as dry kindling out in the forests.
When the fire is raging right in your line of escape you'll be thankful that the San
Andreas Fire Department are usually on the scene pretty quickly, but there are times when
they fail to show up. Luckily CJ himself can now use fire extinguishers to fight fires, and
clear his path, or maybe he just wants to save that innocent old woman trapped on her porch
by a wall of flame? When disaster strikes, CJ can be ready with a fire
extinguisher.
He can pick these up fire extinguishers all over the place, but a great
place to find one is any Burger Shot or Cluckin Bell restaurant, where grease fires are an
almost daily hazard. Pick one up, aim for the bottom of the flame (just like real life) and
pull the trigger to smother the flames. It never hurts to be prepared, if you know things
are going to get hot, it's a good idea to have one just in case.
New Foliage with
Different Kinds of Plants
The countryside in San Andreas is a huge place,
connecting the three cities with an incredibly varied landscape. Rockstar North have
developed a sophisticated technology that draws in foliage around you, a technique known as
procedural rendering. The level designers tag areas as different kinds of terrain. These
terrain types then have designated kinds of plants etc attached to them - for example
different kinds of underbrush and grass and even rocks and fallen logs -and the game
automatically draws them in. This technique allows for a vast, fleshed out world full of
unique areas to explore.
There are dozens of different kinds of plants in San
Andreas.
Moon Phases
The moon now goes through phases in San Andreas.
The game keeps track of the days you've spent in the world, it even knows what day of the
week it is! As time goes by, the moon will slowly cycle through a 30 day change. For those
of you who don't venture out of the city into the countryside much, take a look up as night
falls in the San Andreas countryside, the sky is clearer out there and the moon is brighter.
Gangs
Gang warfare has been the driving force behind the GTA
series and it plays a very important role in San Andreas too. Rockstar, in previous GTA
titles, has handled gang dynamics with brutal honesty and has ended up facing a variety of
accusations and threats of banning its games. Vice City for example was criticized
extensively for its depiction of the Haitians, especially in Miami, the real world
equivalent of VC.
In San Andreas, also known as, the Gang State, turf wars,
drive-by-shootings and gang related violence are everyday occurrences. Los Santos, CJs home
town is divided into territories by the four main gangs, the Ballas, the Orange Grove
Families, the Vagos, and the Varrios Los Aztecas. In usual Rockstar fashion, the research
into the game has been extensive while the detail is stunning. Gangs of the nineties used
clothing and tattoos to identify themselves and they do so in San Andreas too.
Since
turf is the most important asset of any gang, you have to always be aware on who's part of
the city you are, intruders from rival gangs are definitely not welcome, while your own
(Orange Grove members or allies from the Temple Drive Families) can assist if you run into
trouble with the law.
Radio
As in Vice City, music will play an
important part in setting the tone for the game, especially in getting you into the 90's
mood. Rockstar has released a little flash application which offers a brief preview of the
Radio stations involved. You can get to the preview by following the download tab
above.
Master Sounds
DJ: Johnny The Love Giant Parkinson
The
world's smallest giant, Johnny Parkinson, takes you on a musical, spiritual and sexual
journey with a sound track of nonstop classics. The giants of soul, rare groove and just a
little classic funk, hosted by the giant himself. Remember, height is not a
number.
Playback
DJ: Forth Right MC
The mouthiest man in hip-hop,
Forth Right MC, brings real
hip-hop to the left coast. East Coast sensibilities and Forth
Right's unique brand of conspiracy theory lead you in a history lesson.
Bounce
FM
DJ: The Funktipus
The indescribable Funktipus plays the indefinable funk.
The sound that has had Los Santos partying for twenty years is now on 'The Party', on
Bounce FM. The Funktipus will open your eyes to what is really happening out
there.
K-DST
DJ: Tommy The Nightmare Smith
Tommy Smith, formerly
with 1970s progressive rock act, Crystal Ship, has now taken up residence on the home of
driving rock radio. K-DST 'The Dust' plays non-stop classic rock and roll.
K-Jah
West
DJ: Marshall Peters & Johnny Lawton
From JA to SA. The legendary Marshall
Law sound system has moved from Kingston to San Andreas, bringing with them the best in
dancehall, raga, reggae and dub. Its one love as Peters and Lawton argue about
everything.
CSR
DJ: Philip PM Michaels
Chart topping and club
friendly hits, brought to you by Philip PM Michaels, entertainer. New Jack Swing and modern
soul from todays hottest acts. Where soul meets preppy. Philip is also available for
weddings, funerals and Bar Mitzvahs.
Radio X - The Alternative
DJ:
Sage
Finally, there IS an alternative. The home of Modern Rock. This is a revolution.
Guitars, nihilistic hedonism, and telling the elder generation to go screw themselves.
Nobody has done this before. We are original thinkers. We are free. Sage leads the navel
gazing; she is a remarkable talent.
K-Rose
DJ: Mary-Beth Maybell
A
broken heart never sounded so good. Country and western music broadcast from Bone County
across the whole state of San Andreas. All of the biggest artists, all of the best music.
With the Widow Queen of the Prairie, Mary-Beth Maybell.
Radio Los
Santos
DJ: Julio G
Julio G breaks the sound of the streets. This is the West
Coast taking over.
SF-UR
DJ: Hans Oberlander
Quality house music,
from deep in the underground, brought to you by an excitable German. This is music for
people in the know.
Final Thought
When Rockstar makes a game,
gaming hearts all over the world skip a beat, when the title is a GTA game those hearts
sprint to our mouths. San Andreas is no exception. Rockstar has proved, as each sequel in
the GTA series was released, that it is taking GTA to the next level and has not treated the
series as a cash-cow.
As GTA made the transition to 3D, gamers were treated to an
exquisite visual and gameplay display with Vice City offering an unparalleled open ended
experience. The amount of research and detail that has, so far, gone into the games is
extensive and many gamers will remember the Miami Vice feel of VC and the way it captured
the 802 in its scenery, colours and soundtrack. The innovative use of music was not a lucky
move but proof that hard work and imagination by a game developer can break the current
creative deadlock which is plaguing the industry. Although technically a sequel, Vice City
broke the mould and offered a highly original experience which shocked the big publishers by
demonstrating that good work is rewarded.
The success of San Andreas is not in doubt,
Rockstar promises a huge, polished and well crafted game with more detail than our little
gray boxes can handle and more freedom than ever before. Rockstar also claims that we will
be given a full U.S. state to roam around in; and the good thing about Rockstar is that it
always delivers on its promises.
As gamers we can only hope that the game quickly
reaches the PC and XBox formats so that as many gamers as possible get to play it. We also
have some hope that bright programmers such as the people behind MultiTheftAuto, get to work
on SA in order to produce some form of online
experience.
