Game Debate #154: Grand Theft Auto San Andreas

[Reed Rothchild | 9,544]

[cj_robot | 542]

I played soooooo much Vice City that I was pretty burnt out with GTA by the time this came out and skipped it.

Ended up moving on to Saints Row instead.

[doner24 | 1,196]

9/10 was great 

[JamesRobot | 5,804]

I gotta go with a 10 but it's too much game for me these days.  Same goes for Vice City.

GTA Vice City is to Scarface/Miami Vice as GTA San Andreas is to Boyz N the Hood/Menace II Society

[JamesRobot | 5,804]

2 hours ago, cj_robot said:

I played soooooo much Vice City that I was pretty burnt out with GTA by the time this came out and skipped it.

Ended up moving on to Saints Row instead.

I was really worried about that when it came out.  But I spent at least as much time with San Andreas as I did Vice City.  I was def burnt out after that tho.  Plus my free time has been perpetually fleeting since 2010.  I have both IV and V, and probably haven't put put in more than a handful of hours combined. 

[Tanooki | 4,934]

Ah the game that made me largely not like GTA anymore.  A mix of it being ghetto as all get out was one factor, I preferred the classic thug/italian crime boss angle, and also the other petty strange things they did too.  GTA mixed with a piss poor idea of a diet system they didn't come back to.  Getting fat stomach ruins the ability to get dates, get missions, unable to escape cops or whoever on foot, etc.  Not sure what idea that was virtue signaling good eating habits in a sandbox murder simulator but whatever.  It felt like they took every bit of joy I had with GTA3 and Vice City and turned it into some crap modern era ghetto nightmare tv movie with fat shaming and calorie counting.

It didn't finish my cares off entirely but it really broke my ability to be amazed with it, GTA4's over aggressive pedestrians, cops, the endless bitching on the mobile phone, and other downgrades of pettiness was the kiss of death but GTA SA was largely to blame.

Far as I'm concerned I'd never recommend it and will always point people to GTA3 and Vice City, even the older first two too, and the excellent GBA oddity that's like GTA3 overhead view as it's great.

[Link | 2,714]

9 minutes ago, Tanooki said:

virtue signaling

10 minutes ago, Tanooki said:

A mix of it being ghetto as all get out was one factor, I preferred the classic thug/italian crime boss angle

 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,544]

Virtue signaling in a GTA game is a new one for me 

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

8 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Virtue signaling in a GTA game is a new one for me 

How else can you become the victim? Lol

[OptOut | 8,889]

When it first came out it was my favourite game of all time, it was just unbelievable how much they crammed into this game. It's basically as far as they could possibly have pushed the GTA formula on that original recipe game engine, and it is an amazing game and a true accomplishment of game design to this day.

However, today, I prefer to play Vice City, I think San Andreas is bloated and just TOO much to do now on my present game-time budget. Vice City is the perfect size for me to feel happy and satisfied to explore the city and complete everything without feeling overwhelmed with the scope, whereas San Andreas is just too big.

It's still great though, I'll give it 9/10 and Vice City the full 10/10.

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

Just now, OptOut said:

When it first came out it was my favourite game of all time, it was just unbelievable how much they crammed into this game. It's basically as far as they could possibly have pushed the GTA formula on that original recipe game engine, and it is an amazing game and a true accomplishment of game design to this day.

However, today, I prefer to play Vice City, I think San Andreas is bloated and just TOO much to do now on my present game-time budget. Vice City is the perfect size for me to feel happy and satisfied to explore the city and complete everything without feeling overwhelmed with the scope, whereas San Andreas is just too big.

It's still great though, I'll give it 9/10 and Vice City the full 10/10.

The (more?) manageable size is what makes me prefer vice city more as well.
 

For me, it goes 4,5, VC, san andreas. SA is Still a killer title though!

[Brickman | 3,989]

9/10 really loved this game when it was released. Don't really have the time to play through GTA games these days but this one was a lot of fun. They really went all out in this game and the quality showed. 

I visited LA for a few days last year and it's crazy how they accurately nailed the LA ghetto vibe in San Andreas 

[captmorgandrinker | 1,649]

Gave it an 8.  

FINALLY YOU CAN SWIM!

[TDIRunner | 2,742]

I played a ton of GTA3 and Vice City, but I never actually played this one (even though I know I should have).  Definitely need to give it a try sometime, even if it just to drive around and have fun while skipping missions.  

[OptOut | 8,889]

1 hour ago, TDIRunner said:

I played a ton of GTA3 and Vice City, but I never actually played this one (even though I know I should have).  Definitely need to give it a try sometime, even if it just to drive around and have fun while skipping missions.  

This is very advisable if you enjoyed the previous two! And, believe it or not, it probably has some of the best story missions in the whole franchise, with a lot more variety in missions than the previous two games. The story is also possibly the best of the franchise too, with great writing and really well developed relationships with the characters you interact with throughout.

Alternatively, if you really DON'T want to do the missions, San Andreas also has BY FAR the most side missions, mini-games, secrets to find and the largest map of the whole franchise to explore as well, with the most vehicles of various types and weapons to play with...

My PERSONAL favourite loadout is the jetpack/flamethrower/purple double-ended dildo combination, but your millage may vary...

[DarkTone | 985]

9. But I'm biased. 

[Estil | 1,265]

9 hours ago, MrWunderful said:

How else can you become the victim? Lol

How about someone in the game getting knifed or shot or robbed?  Victim enough for ya?

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

Never played it. I rented Vice City and spent more time running around causing trouble than actually attempting the missions, so I never really got into the series.

[Kguillemette | 1,544]

Oddly enough I never played any mission beyond the first in this game. I found them to be kinda boring. The sandbox of running around stealing cars, getting that crime level up, and just messing around in general was incredibly fun and I put a fair amount of time into. 7/10

Edited May 18, 2023 by Kguillemette

[Gloves | 11,787]

It's literally impossible for me to finish a GTA game, but San Andreas is the game I got the farthest on, and I did enjoy my time with it. 

[TDIRunner | 2,742]

1 hour ago, Gloves said:

It's literally impossible for me to finish a GTA game, 

Same.

While I have not played San Andreas itself, I have a lot of hours into many of the other GTA games.  It's crazy how many hours I have into this series and I've never beaten a single one of the games.  

[captmorgandrinker | 1,649]

6 minutes ago, TDIRunner said:

Same.

While I have not played San Andreas itself, I have a lot of hours into many of the other GTA games.  It's crazy how many hours I have into this series and I've never beaten a single one of the games.  

You owe it to yourself to beat IV and V.   It's like a Choose Your Own Adventure book but in video game form!

[TDIRunner | 2,742]

23 minutes ago, captmorgandrinker said:

You owe it to yourself to beat IV and V.   It's like a Choose Your Own Adventure book but in video game form!

I've probably completed III and IV to around 80%, but I can never get into any of the games enough to complete them.  I also have a lot of hours into the original on PS1 and Vice City, but with those games, I was mostly joy riding around the cities.  I probably only completed about 25% of those missions.  

[captmorgandrinker | 1,649]

3 minutes ago, TDIRunner said:

I've probably completed III and IV to around 80%, but I can never get into any of the games enough to complete them.  I also have a lot of hours into the original on PS1 and Vice City, but with those games, I was mostly joy riding around the cities.  I probably only completed about 25% of those missions.  

I didn't finish III, Vice City, or San Andreas either.   The nice thing with IV and V is it'll restart at checkpoints on the bigger missions. 

[OptOut | 8,889]

1 hour ago, captmorgandrinker said:

I didn't finish III, Vice City, or San Andreas either.   The nice thing with IV and V is it'll restart at checkpoints on the bigger missions. 

I would have LIKED to have beaten GTA V, but it always seems to crash to a black screen on one mission or another, and I can never get past to finish the game.