Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 02:56:11 PM

Login with username, password and session length

Search:     Advanced search
we're back, baby
*
Home Help Search Login Register
f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  The Gaming Graveyard  |  Archived: We distort. We decide.  |  Topic: Review: GTA San Andreas (PC) 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Pages: [1] Go Down Print
Author Topic: Review: GTA San Andreas (PC)  (Read 10320 times)
Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19212

sentient yeast infection


WWW
on: July 30, 2005, 01:08:25 AM


"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
schild
Administrator
Posts: 60345


WWW
Reply #1 on: July 30, 2005, 01:12:02 AM

Quote from: From the Article
CJ and Denise having coffee

That's actually Wesley Snipes from Demolition Man. But not other movies. Just that one.
Morfiend
Terracotta Army
Posts: 6009

wants a greif tittle


Reply #2 on: July 31, 2005, 01:12:26 PM

My biggest issue with the game, was the CJ character himself. This guy drove me nuts. Unlike the reviewer, I hated CJ, I hated his family, and most of all, I HATED hearing him say "fo soo baby" all the fucking time.

I would actually do stuff like fly a plain up as high as I could go, and jump out the let CJ hit the ground, just for the satisfaction of seeing him hit the ground. Also, I hated looking at his face. So I always tried to cover it up with a bandana or some thing.
Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19212

sentient yeast infection


WWW
Reply #3 on: July 31, 2005, 02:20:31 PM

I have heard a number of people saying they liked the other GTA protagonists more than CJ, but I just don't get it.  I'm guessing it's the "hood" "vernacular" that grates on some more than others; I myself grew up pretty close to "the hood", so I don't notice it so much.   tongue

"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
Big Gulp
Terracotta Army
Posts: 3275


Reply #4 on: August 01, 2005, 06:29:41 AM

Also, I hated looking at his face. So I always tried to cover it up with a bandana or some thing.

Same here.  Then I went with the afro/beard combination and actually thought he looked decent.
Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117

I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.


Reply #5 on: August 01, 2005, 12:29:42 PM

I thought the 'hood crap would drive me nuts. Especially as I lived in Los Angeles for a couple years in the early nineties (I also lived in Frisco for a couple years directly after LA), and was immersed in thug culture. But it really didn't bother me, and I actually liked the way CJ was acted, there were plenty of little double takes and head shakes that lent a degree of subtlety that could have easily been steamrolled by the vulgar vernacular. My CJ is bald with mustache, black tank, black high tops, woodland camo pants and dog tags...As I did with Vice City/BF1942, I sometimes blur the lines of the two games in my mind...sometimes in BF2, I'm CJ (playing the US assault grunt, who is black, helps a lilbit) and in SA I'm CJ fresh from Iraq. And there's always the pimp suit.

I love the scale of the new game, it's immense and well-done. The new vehicles are great, and the game is constantly changing things up. Right now I'm working through San Fierro, collecting cars for the "exporter" after opening the front for my chop shop.

I do agree that some of the minigames are onerous, like working up your muscles. It's nice to have the variation in appearance (and bonus to melee), but it's literally a treadmill. Actually, I don't even use the treadmill because you can fall off...and it is nice that once you've worked up your fitness, it's locked at max (unlike muscle). Fast run = teh gud. But I did all the gym stuff while working in the kitchen. Yay wireless controllers and single-handed gameplay?

I like the bonuses for relationships, because I suck at getting bonuses for the old minigames (fire/police/ambulance/taxi), though I enjoy working through them. I've only finished Denise (zztop car/ pimp suit), but when she wanted to be driven around town, I just found an area she liked (easy, she likes her area, heh) and went top speed and did a lot of 180's.

The gang wars I liked. They were easy and a great way to get tons of AK47/SMG ammo and most importantly max out just about any weapon you wanted. Lately I've been on a Desert Eagle kick. As Sam mentions, the recruited friendlies are addle-brained, but cool to use as meatshields. The first time I did the gang wars (my hard drive died just as I was working the first few San Fierro missions....yay forced restart!), I conquered all the territories, made a huge bundle of cash, and maxed a lot of my weapons. The second time I just did a few areas to work my skills up and moved forward, knowing I'll lose them all soon anyway. That was a bummer.

Graphics - well, it's a PS2 game, no doubt. It's a shock going from BF2 to GTASA (how lucky am I that my girlfriend doesn't mind watching me play either? Woot! ("In moderation" - girlfriend)). But once you get past that, I agree with Sam: there are definite "hey, that's nice" scenes where I whip out the camera and take a few screenshots. The draw distance really helps, I have it maxed on my pc and the speed of the engine plus draw distance and sheer amount of crap going on is very satisfying, and as always the color palate rocks. But cut scenes, while pretty well-animated and very well-acted, can get painful with the low res textures. One particularly cringe-worthy set of textures would be Cesar's tattoos. Ecch. C'mon, Rockstar, make us a nice pc version some day. And people wonder why there's a console bias...

Sound - great. I'm loving it, even if the country station is a bit prejudiced with the DJ chatter. It still has some great songs, as all the stations do. I was amazed that SF-UR is somehow my most played station (I generally just leave on whatever was on when I jacked the car). The positional audio on my DD5.1 system is pretty accurate, just a great job on audio, as is par for the GTA course.

I haven't had the technical problems you've had, luckily. The only 'technical' issue I have is during sequences when you need precision aiming - I'm using a wireless gamepad (the excellent logitech cordless gamepad 2) and I switch momentarily to the mouse. Figured that easy workaround after pulling half my hair out on Zero's first mission with the incoming Barons and CJ mans the minigun on the roof. I can't see how people play first person shooters with a gamepad, I really can't. I must've tried that mission a dozen times before using the mouse...and then I was able to complete it perfectly, not a single bomb landed when I used the mouse...

I've been playing this game pretty much since it came out...and I've got a long way to go, still. Hell, played almost all day yesterday in a rare all-day gaming session. Great game.
Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19212

sentient yeast infection


WWW
Reply #6 on: August 01, 2005, 12:35:32 PM

I was amazed that SF-UR is somehow my most played station (I generally just leave on whatever was on when I jacked the car).

It seems like most of the cars in San Fierro come tuned to SF-UR when you jack them (much like the cars in the country are tuned to KROSE).

Also, Hans for the win.  "I need some roach, schnell!  I am a lonely DJ!"

"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
Bunk
Contributor
Posts: 5828

Operating Thetan One


Reply #7 on: August 02, 2005, 03:04:54 PM

I'm still working my way through it six months later on the PS2. At this point CJ pretty much looks like Dennis Rodman in a suit.

Completed the vigilante mission for the first time recently. Its an awful lot easier using a tank.

One gripe - trying to get Helena as a girlfriend. You show up for a date and she wants to go eat. Only she lives in the middle of butt fuck nowhere and its a ten minute drive to the nearest diner. You finally make it there before she gets impatient - and it turns out she doesn't like diners...

Personal favorite - my maxed out bike skill. Bunnyhopping over 8 foot fences at full speed = kewl.

Another favorite - I completed the pimping missions. Now they pay me.

"Welcome to the internet, pussy." - VDL
"I have retard strength." - Schild
Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19212

sentient yeast infection


WWW
Reply #8 on: August 02, 2005, 03:11:55 PM

One gripe - trying to get Helena as a girlfriend. You show up for a date and she wants to go eat. Only she lives in the middle of butt fuck nowhere and its a ten minute drive to the nearest diner. You finally make it there before she gets impatient - and it turns out she doesn't like diners...

Try World of Coq in Rodeo.  It's a bit more sophisticated.

Also, I highly recommend using a motorcycle on dates.  Chicks dig em, and they're great for weaving through traffic when you need to get where you're going in a hurry.   I'm pretty sure I can get from Helena's to World of Coq in about a minute on a PCJ-600 - just drive in a straight line from her farm to the bridge.  Roads are for wusses.   wink


You don't know "pain in the ass date" till you've tried to get Barbara to a club from El Quebrados.   wink
« Last Edit: August 02, 2005, 03:15:21 PM by Samwise »

"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117

I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.


Reply #9 on: August 04, 2005, 06:38:51 AM

Bah, the PCJ is for girls. The NRG is the only street bike worth riding imo, I keep a bunch around for zippy travel (they also rock for doing jumps).

I'm probably close to 'done', as far as the central plot goes, I guess I rushed through because I'm around 37% done, hehe. But I figured it'd be more fun to do free-roaming stuff with better stats and access to more vehicles and areas.

Spent a few hours last night hunting down export cars, gotta find a damned patriot now (without getting my head blown off...) With access to a chopper it shouldn't be too tough...unless the chopper gets shot down (I keep forgetting there is a no-fly zone, heh...but I dodged the SAM once with the leer jet!)

Now that I have access to Victim, CJ is in full-on Black Panther mode, with a nod toward his homie roots in the form of green-tinted shades.

This game is incredible, it's such a blast to play and has a high GAR (girlfriend approval rating), she loves to watch me play. I even got to give her a console bias when she asked why it looked so bad compared to BF2 ;) It's too bad panties are bunched up over such a great game, totally missing that fact because of some lame minigame.
Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19212

sentient yeast infection


WWW
Reply #10 on: August 04, 2005, 08:54:18 AM

Bah, the PCJ is for girls. The NRG is the only street bike worth riding imo, I keep a bunch around for zippy travel (they also rock for doing jumps).

Did you do the NRG challenge in San Fierro, right by the import/export dock?  That was the toughest mission in the game, IMO - took me at least twenty tries.  Incredibly satisfying when I finally pulled it off, though.

"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
Yegolev
Moderator
Posts: 24440

2/10 WOULD NOT INGEST


WWW
Reply #11 on: August 04, 2005, 09:04:31 AM

Did you do the NRG challenge in San Fierro, right by the import/export dock?  That was the toughest mission in the game, IMO - took me at least twenty tries.  Incredibly satisfying when I finally pulled it off, though.

HARD!  I gave up.  I'll do that after the ambulance, fire and vigilante missions.  Get anything for it?

Why am I homeless?  Why do all you motherfuckers need homes is the real question.
They called it The Prayer, its answer was law
Mommy come back 'cause the water's all gone
Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19212

sentient yeast infection


WWW
Reply #12 on: August 04, 2005, 09:22:25 AM

Mostly just the sense of satisfaction and some money.  It also counts toward 100% completion if that's your sort of thing.  (It ordinarily isn't mine, but for GTA games I make an exception.)

"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117

I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.


Reply #13 on: August 04, 2005, 01:42:44 PM

Nope, I'm with Yeg on that one. I gave it a couple whirls, and my moto skill is almost maxed, but I just got tired of trying. It's pretty fun for the most part, though, so I'll get it one of these days.

I usually just grab the bike and go. Need to find the NRG in Venturas so I have one in each city (without using garage space, that's where they are in LV now). In Los Santos I use the one from the parking garage near the arena. I've got a couple sports cars (bullet, super gt, one other I forget), but I mostly use the NRG.
Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19212

sentient yeast infection


WWW
Reply #14 on: August 04, 2005, 05:16:48 PM

I myself am working on building a fleet of customized sports cars.  There's nothing quite like a Cheetah with hydraulics and 10x nitro.   :-D

"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117

I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.


Reply #15 on: August 05, 2005, 06:25:43 AM

Yeah, all mine are pimped out, but I never put hydraulics in, excepting my one lowrider to do lowrider missions with. I hate that it takes away my rotating camera, I go to look around a corner and start bouncing....

I just wish I could put flames on the Bullet. It's in Shelby white/blue right now.
Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19212

sentient yeast infection


WWW
Reply #16 on: August 05, 2005, 08:39:46 AM

The PC version lets you control the camera with the mouse by default, which doesn't conflict with the hydraulic controls.  It took me some getting used to at first, but I really like it now, especially since it lets you aim turrets (e.g. the fire hose and the tank gun) by mouse instead of by keyboard.

"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117

I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.


Reply #17 on: August 05, 2005, 09:04:43 AM

I use a wireless gamepad (pc version). I only use mouse aiming during FPS segments, like on the back of Smoke's bike or Zero's tower defense.

I hate the tank. Took me a while to get it to even fire remotely where I wanted it to...My mission last night was to finish off the first export list. I had three left and tackled the easy one first: the Patriot. Paradropped into the military base and just drove it over to my airstrip to save and shake off the 4/5 star wanted level...took me 4 tries before I pulled up close enough to find out I had a garage there!  embarassed I'm slow, sometimes, heh.

Can't find one car, I forget what the name was, the Feltzer, maybe? And all the Campers seem to have vanished, never one around when I want one. Ditto for Sentinels.
Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19212

sentient yeast infection


WWW
Reply #18 on: August 05, 2005, 10:22:23 AM

It took me forever to find a Feltzer when I wanted one, but now I see them everywhere.  Try the Strip, I'm constantly finding Feltzers there when I'm looking for a ride.

Sentinels are fairly rare - try the Vinewood area.

Campers are all over the countryside.  There's always one parked on the top of Mt. Chiliad.

"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117

I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.


Reply #19 on: August 05, 2005, 11:49:36 AM

Danke! The thing with the camper that was getting me at first is that it's the VW minivan, not the actual campers you see. That's kinda odd imo.

++ for The Truth making CJ drive the Mothership(camper):

CJ: "Man, you was doin' fine, why don't you drive?"
TT: "I can't, man. I've got the Fear."
Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19212

sentient yeast infection


WWW
Reply #20 on: August 05, 2005, 11:53:21 AM

Danke! The thing with the camper that was getting me at first is that it's the VW minivan, not the actual campers you see. That's kinda odd imo.

Oh, oops - camper.  I guess the one that's up on Chiliad is in fact a "Journey", not a "Camper.   embarassed

The VW buses are all over San Fierro, IIRC.  I've seen a few in Los Santos too.


And The Truth rocks, as do pretty much all of his missions, especially those involving harvesters and flamethrowers.

"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117

I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.


Reply #21 on: August 05, 2005, 01:48:13 PM

Yeah...I drove all around San Fierro last night looking for one (vw bus/camper) before I decided to jack the chopper in the NW corner and go for a Patriot instead ;)
Samwise
Moderator
Posts: 19212

sentient yeast infection


WWW
Reply #22 on: August 05, 2005, 01:51:04 PM

Speaking of choppers, I managed to get my hands on a Hunter (the police chopper with machine guns and missiles) to do some vigilante missions.  FUN.  I made it to level 88 (raking in around $200,000 per threat elimination) and then accidentally pressed the "end mission" button because it was too close to the accelerator.  I nearly wept.   :-(  Once I get over that experience I'm going to rebind the key from 2 to something out of the way like Page Up and give it another shot.  As far as I can tell, the Hunter is indestructible...

(edit) The Rhino, incidentally, is not indestructible.  The cops finally managed to blow mine up after about 50 vigilante missions and at least half an hour of me running around with the National Guard after me.
« Last Edit: August 05, 2005, 02:16:33 PM by Samwise »

"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
Pages: [1] Go Up Print 
f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  The Gaming Graveyard  |  Archived: We distort. We decide.  |  Topic: Review: GTA San Andreas (PC)  
Jump to:  

Powered by SMF 1.1.10 | SMF © 2006-2009, Simple Machines LLC