Don't Believe the Hype: One man's view of GTA

Grand Theft Auto. Arguably, one of the most well-known and hyped game series of the past few years. San Andreas, the third title in the GTA series, puts you in the shoes of Carl Johnson, a former die-hard street hood looking for a new life away from his old neighborhood in Los Santos. When his mother is killed and C.J. returns for the funeral, he is drawn back into the life he once left behind. But will it be for revenge, or redemption?

*Disclaimer: I feel it only fair to point out that I wasn't very enthusiastic about playing/reviewing this title. Frankly, most MA/AO rated titles seem to be based on the same principle of straight-to-video soft core porn flicks: No substance, and all about the "titillation factor", using cheesy gimmicks like language, violence, or nudity to appeal to the teenage male demographic. So please bear with me, as this was the expectation I had going in to this review.

The first thing that caught my eye with GTA: San Andreas was that it feels like a direct port from a console gaming system. Controls, video, and the like all seem to be not much better than your average gaming console, which is quite obviously the case. However, where many "ported" PC titles seem to tweak the graphics or other items to better utilize the power/flexibility of a PC, GTA: San Andreas seems to be an almost direct port from the gaming systems, with little to no additional "eye candy" or upgrades. This means that console gamers will get the controls set up quickly and to their liking, while many of us old dinosaurs/PC gamers will need to do some tweaking in order to play the game effectively..

However, bad graphics I can forgive if a game has other worthwhile aspects. GTA: San Andreas has this in spades in some departments. The audio is top notch, with excellent voice acting, simply fantastic music, and well-used sound effects. The stereo effects in vehicles makes me feel like I'm back in a big city again, complete with the fast-talking DJs and gritty, urban tracks.

GTA: San Andreas also boasts a HUGE playfield area, where, in addition to playing through the storyline, you'll be able to experience the many sights, sounds and activities that the several cities in the state of San Andreas has to offer. Check out how the other half lives in the swanky parts of town, or slide into the gutters where the dregs of humanity lives, it's all represented here in GTA, and in great detail.

Still, with the amount of hype this game's getting, it seems people are afraid to mention the many flaws that GTA: San Andreas has. And there are many. First off, the physics of the game are so bad it's almost unplayable at times, especially early on. For example, your character seems to do a lot more damage with his fists than with the 9mm Beretta he steals from an unconscious cop; I beat down an enemy with a few well placed punches and kicks, but when I tried to put the hurt down on one of his buddies with my pistol, I emptied a clip right in to him and did fairly little damage. That's some screwed up physics there. Also, if you're riding a bike through town to escape the police, chances are if they bump you with their cars in the real world, you'll get yourself a nice case of road rash. Not so in GTA: San Andreas: I bet I was nudged by the cops a good 15 times before I lost control of the bike. And damage was minimal.

With the advances gaming systems are making in graphics and animation, you'd think that the cut scenes in GTA: San Andreas would be top notch, right? Well, it's a mixed bag. In some cases, cut scenes and animation in game look to be quite polished and well designed, but in others there's very little detail or complexity to character's movements and actions. In fact, there were some parts in this title that were done at a level lower than Half-Life, which came out several years ago. And the fact that there's no multiplayer support (as if there could be multiplay) really kills the replay value.

To be honest, the real complaint I have for this title is the spotty game play: The game is sometimes not very fun. Sure, there's a lot of side action going on and there's quite a bit that keeps the storyline going, but to be frank, the title's just rehashing material that even Hollywood is tired of using.

In conclusion, and to be honest, I'm really wondering what the hype was all about. GTA: San Andreas for the PC just seems to be a poorly designed port of a rather good console game. I'd say that's my main complaint, after all the hype and build up: GTA: San Andreas is merely a good game, and not a great one. The simple fact is, there are games out there that do it much better, including previous GTA titles.