San Andreas = Amazing

[bb_matt]

I just loaded up San Andreas - managed to get a copy through a buddy whose dad was on a bizz trip in the UK.

I've been playing for about 30 minutes and I'm gobsmacked at the size of this game - if you think Vice City was big, just the ONE city you start in is about 3 times as big and the detail is far higher.

I've never seen the game on PS2, but from what I've read, the PC version kicks it's ass six-ways sunday in terms of detail.

It's not jaw dropping visuals like Half-Life2 or Doom3 that grab you, because the engine doesn't work that way, it's the attention to detail which makes you wonder how the hell they did it.

If you've got a serious rig - AMD 64 + a 6800 or eqiv, you'll be way impressed.
I cranked up the anti-aliasing to 4xQ on my lowly 6200 (amd 2400+) and it looked absolutely stunning, but was too choppy to play nicely.

Dialogue is taking a bit of getting used to for an old fart like me - all the "down in the hood" stuff, but it's done so well it's like playing a movie + the cut scenes are way better in terms of animation and content quality - it really sets the mood. It's like a Spike Lee Joint

Vehicle physics is also more realistic - I was so used to driving around Vice City, it came as a shock that things aren't as easy in San Andreas.
The traffic, for instance, doesn't "obey itself" like in VC - it is far more realistic, so you have to keep your eye on the road at all times.

I was cruising on a highway and pranged into the back of someone and struth g0d, I caused an 8 car pile up ! - the physics was done perfectly.

The main characters animations are so much more realistic and smooth ...

Heck, this could just be the best video game yet made ... but then, as a self-confessed GTA Junkie, I'm biased

[rburley]

me jealous, when is it going to b available here?

[bb_matt]

Early July - I couldn't wait for Ster Kinekor to get their fingers out their assess, so took the opportunity while I could - got the DVD version.

To give you an idea of the scale :-



Look down the bottom right hand corner - I've highlighted a little bit in blue.
That's where you start. (to the left of that white circle)
That black blob is a cul-de-sack which is your immediate "hood" - in real world terms, the width of that circle is around 20 metres.

I have no idea how the hell I'm going to remember my way around this place - I know Vice City like the back of my hand, but that, as you can see, is minute in comparison.

[lilgindauk]

I got it about a week ago, its amazing with 8x anti-aliasing!
The graphics are amazing, the dvd itself is 4.5gb and the game is about 4.2gb!
3.8 gb minimal install!
I heard theres a patch for playing on the net.
I have to verify whether that rumour is true.
BB_matt, i've unlocked the first island, san vierro.
Its getting pretty hard!
tell me if you got any chaets plz

[bb_matt]

Only just started lilgindauk, spent the last 30 minutes just driving around !
Drove out into the countryside - yeeehaaaw.

Got totally lost

[lilgindauk]

i know mate, you can swim to the next island but the 4 stars come up and the feds come after you! nasty!

[lilgindauk]

Im gonna play, GTA:sa now. I love pimping up the cars with nitro
and steeling the bikes, like the sanchez and the Pcj-600. but i love the Cop-car. its nearly in-do-struct-able!

[Chris]

Why do you want cheats? It would totally ruin the experience. Can't wait to get it when it comes out though!

The sad thing though is that pirates have already got hold of it...I;ve seen my friends have it ...sad really. It's so tempting to get it but I have high moral values to stand up for.

[lilgindauk]

Mee-to , the only thing ive downloaded was music and 3 movies.
But cmon, everyone breaks the law at sometime, speeding, littering, swaering, rascism and graffiti.
and many and many and many more!

[slimothy]

yeah the game is amazing, personally i downloaded it 2 days after it came out (June 9th I think), I had it on ps2 for a while but the PC one is much sexier. I was jamming last night and a plane crashed in the road, all very random, also if you get the bmx to the top of buildings or high places you can bunny op off the edge and land on random people to kill em, if its really high you get a murder suicide thing going. I'm currently on the mission where you gotta chase those essays on the train while big smoke does the shooting, but mostly I've been messing arround

as for a net patch, no there is no patch, however rockstar are planning a game in 2007 thats basically GTA multiplayer where millions arround the world can be in different gangs or be cops/feds, its one of those mmorpg thingies.

I will actually buy the xbox version when I can though, because of co-op mode, it would have been sweet to have that on PC. oh yeah for people buying it in coming weeks, use a joypad, shooting with the mouse is too easy, BAM headshot, BAM headshot

[slimothy]

Why do you want cheats? It would totally ruin the experience. Can't wait to get it when it comes out though!

The sad thing though is that pirates have already got hold of it...I;ve seen my friends have it ...sad really. It's so tempting to get it but I have high moral values to stand up for.

cheats actuall add to this game because some of the stuff in cheats just arent in the actual game, well not that i've seen, liek the rocket pack, and that is fun

as for piracy, HOODLUM cracked it a cool 16 hours after the first store sold it, its almost useless using securum routines to protect games, they should use variations of SAFEDISC, apparantly in the right situation thats really hard to crack, splinter cell chaos theory has still not been cracked at all

[bb_matt]

Why do you want cheats? It would totally ruin the experience.

On Vice City, I completed the entire game and then tried the cheats.

I'll be doing the same with San Andreas.

I also only consult online guides when I absolutely have to - basically when I reach the point of hitting my head against the keyboard in frustration. With VC I only needed to consult guides twice - one was for the bank job, I forget what the other one was ?

The packaging of San Andreas is as slick as Vice City - if you got Vice City when it was first released, you'll know what I mean, although I think you can still get the packaging with the fold out inner section, poster and map.

Very sexy - looks good next to my GTA:VC packaging.

[lilgindauk]

Same here, except most games i complete, i do it properly, then it make the experience worthwhile. after i did that, i use trainers or cheats.
Who the hell invented them in the fisrt place!

[slimothy]

invented games? i belive it was the cavemen when ug kicked a rock to bleh

[lilgindauk]

No slim, trainers!
Quite a complex program for what its worth