Slashdot Mirror
GTA San Andreas Gets Release Date, Screenshots
An anonymous reader writes "Rockstar Games has been deliberately coy about Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - it 'was announced as a Playstation 2 exclusive title' in today's Sony press conference, but 'that was the extent to which the game was discussed.' However, Rockstar just put up an official GTA: San Andreas webpage, confirming a release date of October 2004, and featuring the first three screenshots of the game, leading GameSpot to conclude that the game 'will be set in modern times (not the 1970s-set game some had said) and will have a heavy West-Coast gangsta flava' - they also say the site's splash screen 'changes each time the site is loaded'."
I've got some issues with gta3/gta:vc. Here are a few features I hope they have implemented in gta:sa.
1. Better traffic generation algorithms. Sometimes when a car leaves your field of vision only for a few fractions of a second it disappears. This might have something to do with the limited amount of RAM the PS2 has, but it can still be quite annoying. The amount of vehicles on the streets seems to be quite constant. It would be cool if there were some really bad traffic jams from time to time.
2. Better weapon selection. It can be frustrating to scroll through ten weapons before you get the one you want, especially if you're in combat.
3. Multiplayer. I don't think they're going to implement it, but mta-vc on the PC can be very entertaining, even though it's buggy as hell and rather pointless.
Of course a game like this can never be "perfect", but it would be nice if some of these issues were fixed.
So the PC version will be released several months after the PS2 like GTA3 and GTA:VC, can anyone confirm this?
I really like the series, but I'm not going to buy a PS2 just to play the game.
The IT section color scheme sucks.
Hmm... I thought the PS2 exclusivity contract ran out after VC, and that's why Rockstar was able to release GTA3 and VC for Xbox. Did they sign a new contract with Sony, or are they leaving out the Xbox for other reasons this time?
My userid is prime!
I was hoping that they would do something simular to how they did the radio stations in Vice City. One of the best parts of GTA:VC is just grabbing a bike and cruise listening to the radio (and driving like a mad man!) I found the radio in GTA3 to be somewhat boring and not nearly as entertaining. From the sounds of it though, GTA:SA is going to probably have a sound track that sucks like in True Crime (I couldn't play that for more the 10 minutes before all the damn 'Gangsta Rap' got on my nerves!)
"Some things have to be believed to be seen." - Ralph Hodgson
Well, I defer to your bike knowledge. Either way, it's got to be promising, and I can't see Rockstar making the bikes all that fragile... I'm envisaging and uzi-enhanced game of Paperboy, stunt courses with great controls (the bike control in VC is wonderful) and insane back-yard / alley getaways, venturing where cars can't follow.
Plus the gentle art of bikejacking from 13-year-olds...
The setup for the game's been released as well: "Five years ago Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas...a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption. Where filmstars and millionaires do their best to avoid the dealers and gangbangers. Now, it's the early 90s. Carl's got to go home. His mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart and his childhood friends are all heading towards disaster. On his return to the neighborhood, a couple of corrupt cops frame him for homicide. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets." This is interesting in that A) You're not a criminal at the beginning of the game. This could mean you might be able to stay that way... or not. B) It mentions the STATE of San Andreas, not city. This means more than just what we can see in 3 screenies C) It's early 90's so it's not the current gansta rap scene. 1And there's lots of good 90's music. I was worried it would be like True Crime radio wise, but Rockstar knows what they're doing and I'm confident that they'll have good tracks.