Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas

[Penguin_Lad]

You can jack planes?

I thought it was limited to helicopters still (apart from the dodo)?

Well, surely that's got to be all bases covered then, vehicle-wise in the series now?

Out of curiosity, can you fly higher than you could in Vice City (as in more than five or six blocks high)? It was always one of my criticisms of that game, because I often wondered what it'd be like to fly up to the highest skyscraper.

Yeah there's a few planes actually. I've only seen the dodo, lear jet, and the crop duster type plane while on my adventure (I'm sure it wasn't a dodo).

I'm sure you can fly higher, but you cant get above the tallest building. Also the draw distance suffers a bit...but it's to be expected I guess.

I'm thinking I will definately pick this up on the Xbox

[Janski]

i've played it for 20 hours and am 17% through it, the story and mission structure are absolutely fantastic.

I managed to swim across to San Fierro having heard all these reports about a four star level; once I got there the police we right on me and i thought it was all over.

I then forund a monster truck

I was crushing over police ranchers bombing around the San Fierro countryside trying desperately to get to the city, the police kept on coming.

Ultimately I toppled it and was on foot running towards the city area, I dodged an FBI truck which went ful speed into a gas station which exploded, taking half my energy.

I could see a building in the distance that I could enter (the yellow icon was there) and I thought "maybe...... just maybe". I ran ran and ran with a four star level to the door only to be gunned down an inch from it.

I have now spent that last 2 hours trying to repeat it and get inside a biulding.

I ****ing love it!

[Penguin_Lad]

i've played it for 20 hours and am 17% through it, the story and mission structure are absolutely fantastic.

I managed to swim across to San Fierro having heard all these reports about a four star level; once I got there the police we right on me and i thought it was all over.

I then forund a monster truck

I was crushing over police ranchers bombing around the San Fierro countryside trying desperately to get to the city, the police kept on coming.

Ultimately I toppled it and was on foot running towards the city area, I dodged an FBI truck which went ful speed into a gas station which exploded, taking half my energy.

I could see a building in the distance that I could enter (the yellow icon was there) and I thought "maybe...... just maybe". I ran ran and ran with a four star level to the door only to be gunned down an inch from it.

I have now spent that last 2 hours trying to repeat it and get inside a biulding.

I ****ing love it!

Breaking the rules is so good

[MikeRox]

hmmm, GAME say trade any 4 games and get this for ?7.99, wonder if they'll take Alpine Racer 3, Bust a Block, Fantavision and Extreme G 3 for it as they only cost me about ?12

Reading them adventures has made me want the game (far more than the story it has ever could as tbh, I jus don't give a crap about that sorta thing on GTA and wish it'd go back to the open endedness of the original where it's all points based)

[Penguin_Lad]

hmmm, GAME say trade any 4 games and get this for ?7.99, wonder if they'll take Alpine Racer 3, Bust a Block, Fantavision and Extreme G 3 for it as they only cost me about ?12

Reading them adventures has made me want the game (far more than the story it has ever could as tbh, I jus don't give a crap about that sorta thing on GTA and wish it'd go back to the open endedness of the original where it's all points based)

Mate that's a great deal, go for it!

I have to admit I feel no real will to go and do the actual missions. But I know I have to, to unlock stuff. However I've had so much fun so far that I'm not too bothered about the next areas. Although I have to admit a couple of times I've looked longingly across the water (and zoomed in with my camera, how sad).

BTW has anyone else found a quad bike? My impression - too twitch to really use

[Bojangle]

I've just spent the last couple of hours just pissing around the city! Managed to get into one of the states I'm not meant to be in just yet, and made a bee line for the big mountain on my Crosser bike! Getting to the top was cracking fun, police driving head on at you, only to see them swerve off edge at the last minute! Then I finally reached the top (the mountain is huge!) and I see a Mountain Bike! Police had made it to the top now and had blocked the only way down, so I did what any wanted man would. Took the mountain bike, bunny hopped over the police car and off the side of the mountain! Needless to say, I got about half way down before being splattered across the mountainside.

Still, a great adventure! Still not found a plane

Loving this game so much, at this rate, I'll still be finding stuff way into next year!

[Durham Red]

I've got to disagree. The conceptual vision in San Andreas is amazing. They've thrown thousands of different things in there, and from a game design point of view, I don't see much more Rockstar North could have added with this current generation.

The sheer breadth and span, both in terms of depth, width, and minuteness, is breathtaking to be honest. It's a much more complete game than GTA III or Vice City with regards to what's available, and the way in which all the various strands fit cohesively together.

I'm still stuck on the first map, more than 20 hours in (15% complete). That hasn't stopped hundreds of different gameplay elements throwing themselves on top of each other as I expected to leave on to the next though.

I thought Sweet's mission of overtaking the Balla's turf would be the end of the initial area, but I was wrong. There's a whole bunch of terrirtories waiting for me to invade and rule, that I can now pay attention to after CJ's girlfriend more or less dumped him following the second date, when I took her to a restaurant she turned her nose up at.

Apart from that, today I've been partaking in burglaries at night, pimping in my pimp-mobile, playing pool and shooting hoops in a challenge. To name but a fraction of the things...

Content-wise, this level of detail (in terms of the choice the player has inside its framework), is gobsmacking.

For ****'s sake...I've been spending so much time doing the missions and advancing the story I've been missing out on loads! I just got lost in San Fierro and saw a building I could enter - went in and it was a bar...complete with a hustler to play pool against! I took him for $200 then went and played the arcade games in the corner of the room before leaving to cause more chaos...this time on a building site, where I stole a bulldozer and caused havoc before switching to a cement mixer, then a crane w/wrecking ball.

It's kind of what Shenmue promised us in a way, a city to explore, get lost in, eat, drink, play games in. I hear there are basketball courts and golf clubs around somewhere as well...

Incredible doesn't come close to describing the scale of it.

[Penguin_Lad]

...this time on a building site, where I stole a bulldozer and caused havoc before switching to a cement mixer, then a crane w/wrecking ball.

:O

[Concept]

It's kind of what Shenmue promised us in a way, a city to explore, get lost in, eat, drink, play games in. I hear there are basketball courts and golf clubs around somewhere as well...

Incredible doesn't come close to describing the scale of it.

Oh completely. The only comparison I can level the game is that it's similar as to how Shenmue II blew the scope in contrast to the first game. But this is probably doing San Andreas an injustice. It's much bigger.

This is the kind of game I was dreaming of playing five years ago, when all the talk of the next-generation was buzzing at how we'd be transported into fully fleshed worlds.

Hats off to Rockstar... This is one of the finest videogames I've played in a long, long time, and it's revitalised me again.

Also... penguin_lad... You can fly higher than the tallest building (at least in Las Santos you can)... I should know, I was exploring the countryside in the Badlands shortly after I asked if it was possible, and accidentally stumbled on a plane. So I flew around, going as high as I could go... And the height was utterly jaw-dropping (vertigo inspired). Using the cinematic angle I saw myself fly up thousands of feet in the air (far higher than Vice City) from a variety of angles which showed exactly how distant the ground below was.

It's quite a sight to see the places you were inhabiting for 20 or so hours suddenly become the size of ant farms while you soar above them.

So I decided to chance it and do a few loop-the-loops... After three of them, I didn't realise the sea was directly below, and in the space of a few seconds I crashed in the water and swam to shore. Clambering out, I've just rode my hog (courtesy thanks to a passing redneck on the freeway) over to Mt. Chiliad and climbed up (almost) to it's peak... The view is stunning.

A phenomenal game.

If you can see a place, then you can get to it.
If you think you can do something, then you probably can.

What helps everything in terms of immersion is the fact everything is streamed and seamless. It all just hangs beautifully together.

I'm running out of superlatives... But what a game. This is GTA fleshed out as imagined and hoped it eventually would be.

[Penguin_Lad]

Ok one question. Early on I can mod the lowrider cars. Can I mod anything else? I jacked a damn nice red sports car, which I've never seen again since, and stashed it in my garage. I'd love to mod it up.
I have the feeling this isn't going to be possible, but the game keeps breaking all my expectations, which were extreamly high to begin with.

[Concept]

Reading them adventures has made me want the game (far more than the story it has ever could as tbh, I jus don't give a crap about that sorta thing on GTA and wish it'd go back to the open endedness of the original where it's all points based)

That's exactly what has been expanded in this game. The choice and freedom.

Imagine Vice City and GTA III combined and on steroids. And a much more atmospherically richer world...

Then you have San Andreas.

It's about as open as a part-linear/narrative based game could ever possibly be at the moment.

[Concept]

Ok one question. Early on I can mod the lowrider cars. Can I mod anything else? I jacked a damn nice red sports car, which I've never seen again since, and stashed it in my garage. I'd love to mod it up.
I have the feeling this isn't going to be possible, but the game keeps breaking all my expectations, which were extreamly high to begin with.

Yup. I modded a sports car early on after I jacked it in downtown Las Santos and put new spoilers, wheels, fresh coat of paint and hydroholics in.

It isn't just lowriders. But I think it maybe depends which kind of mod garage you go to.

[HaHaUK]

wow it keeps getting better!

broke into the airport and got the plane, flew it onto the other island, with a 4 wanted level. and out of nowhere comes this fighter plane and blows the plane up! cant wait to jack that fighter!

also pool in the club is an nice minigame.

[Olympichero]

You can jack planes?

I thought it was limited to helicopters still (apart from the dodo)?

Well, surely that's got to be all bases covered then, vehicle-wise in the series now?

Out of curiosity, can you fly higher than you could in Vice City (as in more than five or six blocks high)? It was always one of my criticisms of that game, because I often wondered what it'd be like to fly up to the highest skyscraper.

Concept: Yep, you can fly higher than any building, way up above the clouds and stuff. Tis very cool.
And there are a whole variety of planes you can nick (4 or 5 different types I think).

Penguin Lad, I think (not 100% sure) that when you get in a plane you get a parachute so you shoulda jumped out of the plane and parachuted down to your location, that would have been cool.
Also, dont give up on the missions, there are some very cool bits and the next two states are add much more diversity to the game.

Durham Red - Theres a little basketball court in the house to the left of CJ's mums.

Im still playing the game, made $1.2million in the casino and then blew it all on $100,000 a piece hands at Blackjack. Got myself in a pretty bad debt so decided I would kill all the dealers in the casino my star rating went to 5* pretty sharpish after I kept killing all the guards who would come. Went outside, hopped on a bike and sped away being trailed by Swat Vans and Helicopters and managed to find a building which I went into (driving school) when I came out all my stars were gone. So I walk around to try and find a car I like and I get a phone call from the casino to tell me that I hope Im going to pay them back. Cruise around a little more and I get out on the strip and get another phone call from the casino saying that they hear Im in the area and are gonna get me sorted out. Me being the gangsta that I am drive to the casino and stand there waiting...only to be run over by the guards and then shot repeatedly with AKs .

[Penguin_Lad]

Yup. I modded a sports car early on after I jacked it in downtown Las Santos and put new spoilers, wheels, fresh coat of paint and hydroholics in.

It isn't just lowriders. But I think it maybe depends which kind of mod garage you go to.

GET IN!

I'm gonna keep the bad boy then and mod it once I find that other garage.

I bought my second property last night. It's the one near the airport - good for getaways.

After winning $3500 in the betting shop, and thousands after doing the pimping missions, I knew I had to get a new safe house.
In fact what I did was go around each property and check them out. Price was a factor, but mainly it was location. I was going to go for a different one, but as soon as I got out of the car I started to get blasted by another gang!

The beach front property was heavily considered - after all it's a great view and I can take my bike along the beach. But in the end the location just wasn't quite where I wanted it.

Two of the properties didn't even seem to have garages so I discounted them straight away.

The dream place is the one up in the hills though. $120,000, well out of my current budget. A handy place to retreat too, especially if I can get myself a helicopter.
Anyway one day it will be mine...

Is anyone else sad enough to go house hunting?