20 years of GTA: San Andreas. Remembering one of the best games in the Grand Theft Auto series

On October 26, 2004, GTA: San Andreas was released on PlayStation 2. But even today, 20 years after its release, the game remains popular. It is played on streams, improved with mods, and dozens of hours are spent in the unofficial multiplayer mode known as SAMP. In this article, we will tell you why San Andreas has become a real phenomenon in the gaming industry.

The very first Grand Theft Auto was released in 1997. It is a simple car arcade with a top-down view. The player is offered to steal cars, run over passers-by and carry out tasks for local bosses. By the standards of the late 90s, the project looked ordinary. Two years later, GTA 2 appeared on store shelves. It developed the concept of the original game — it offered a non-linear campaign and greater freedom of action. But by 1999, its mechanics already looked outdated. In addition, 4 months before the second Grand Theft Auto, Driver was released, which offered chases and other tasks using cars in a fully three-dimensional city.

In the 90s and early 2000s, many series with 2D graphics began to be converted to full-fledged 3D. But not all of them managed to achieve success in the new format. Mortal Kombat after a series of experiments with Deception and Armageddon returned to the original mechanics, Worms 3D was received worse than the first parts, and the platformer Earthworm Jim 3D was a complete failure. But the transition of GTA to three-dimensionality made a real revolution in the gaming industry.

Grand Theft Auto 3 caused a wow effect due to its incredible realism. There was a feeling that we were really moving around a modern metropolis. Back in 2001, the ability to steal any car, sail boats and shoot at enemies with guns in one game seemed unbelievable. Many people left the plot for later and simply enjoyed the permissiveness and impunity within the big city, which resembled modern New York.

GTA 3 quickly became a success, and Rockstar began developing a sequel. Initially, Vice City was supposed to be an addition to the third part, but the developers got carried away and released so much content that the project was released as a separate game. Rainy and gloomy Liberty City was replaced by sunny Vice City, which resembled Miami. The action took place in the mid-80s, and the plot referred to the 1983 film Scarface and the TV series Miami Vice. Motorcycles and helicopters appeared among the vehicles, the arsenal was expanded several times, and the missions became more diverse. Vice City surpassed the third part in sales, which motivated Rockstar to release another game on the same engine.

The game's scenario revolves around CJ, a guy from an African-American gang, who returns to his native Los Santos after several years of absence. He immediately falls for the bait of corrupt police officers, and later gets involved in a war between groups. And the story is not limited to this confrontation — we encounter the crazy criminal Catalina, organize a casino robbery, deal with the Italian mafia and do much more.

The plot of San Andreas is good in itself, and it perfectly complements the events of GTA 3 and Vice City. We meet familiar characters, from Ken Rosenberg to Claude, and learn more about their fate. After some time, spin-offs Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories will be released, which will add even more interesting details.

GTA 3, Vice City and San Andreas turned out to be temporary exclusives for PlayStation 2. Therefore, the games were tailored to the capabilities of this console. The developers, no matter how hard they tried, could not make a qualitative step forward in graphics or game mechanics. This will happen only in the fourth Grand Theft Auto, which will be released on PS3 and Xbox 360.

And while working on San Andreas, the Rockstar team focused on scale. Instead of one city, we were offered three — Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas. They easily recognized the real megalopolises of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas.

For a quick overcomingdistances between them, you can use not only cars, but also jet planes. In addition, it became possible to jump from any height and open a parachute to safely descend or continue the flight using a jetpack. Moreover, falling into the water no longer guarantees death for the main character, because he learned to swim. The car park has expanded with new cars that can be repainted, put spoilers and nitrous oxide on them. I would also like to note the RPG elements in the spirit of driving and shooting skills, which improve over time and open up new possibilities.

All the innovations are targeted, and none of them are revolutionary. But together they greatly refreshed the original concept, familiar from GTA 3. Judging by the reviews, this is exactly what was required from the developers. In addition, San Andreas turned out to be the best-selling game of 2004 and the most successful project for PlayStation 2. If you take into account all platforms, Rockstar managed to sell 27.5 million copies.

San Andreas' story mode is almost twice as long as the stories of Vice City and GTA 3. Moreover, many missions have special conditions that make them unique. You are offered to fly at low altitudes to avoid getting into the air defense zone, hijack planes right in the air, eliminate enemies silently with a knife, chase high-speed trains and much more. The ongoing madness is skillfully complemented by beautiful staging and funny jokes.

As before, in addition to the main assignments, there are hundreds of optional tasks with their own mini-games. We especially remember the hardcore piloting school, which is a real test to pass. I would also like to note the dates with girls. Beauties can be taken to cafes and bowling, driven around in a car and kissed before saying goodbye. But initially, Rockstar wanted to go further. Their desire to develop the love theme led to a serious scandal.

The developers planned to add a separate mini-game to San Andreas that is related to sex. It is also in the final version of the project. On PC, you can open access to it using a mod called Hot Coffee. When this became known, a scandal began with demands to increase the age rating or even ban it completely. This is exactly what happened in some countries, for example, in Australia. The game had to be withdrawn from sale. Later, a new version of San Andreas was released with the Hot Coffee mechanics cut out.

However, it is worth noting that the scandalous mini-game was discovered only in July 2005, when the project was released on PC. Before that, the PS2 version of San Andreas was sold for seven months. It provided the publisher with the main profit. Therefore, the reprint did not cause significant financial damage to Rockstar. But the case became indicative. There was nothing like this in the fourth and fifth parts of GTA. Everything was limited to light striptease and moans from the apartment.

Only a few games remain relevant after years. As a rule, we are talking about projects that are supported by user modifications. But in the case of San Andreas, enthusiasts did not just improve the graphics or add new content. They added a full-fledged multiplayer to the game. Rockstar itself planned to add it in GTA 3, but even in San Andreas everything was limited to a simple co-op. True, it is only available on the PS2 and Xbox versions.

A homemade multiplayer mode, known as SAMP, is still popular today. It offers a variety of entertainment, from simple races and shootouts to full-fledged RP servers, where players play the roles of police officers, firefighters, workers and bandits. It is these life simulator-style modes that attract thousands of players around the world.

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What do you remember about GTA: San Andreas? Share your opinions in the comments!