Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

The Good
In one word, this game is: Freedom. Freedom to do anything you want. Be anything you want. Do-gooder. Fireman. MEDIC!!! Delivery man. Pimp. Arsonist. Scene kid. Some gay hobo who stands at a corner all day. And, best of all, criminal.

The gameplay is, in my opinion, the definition of a "sandbox style game". R* did not have to put all of the stuff they put in it. But they did anyway. That is what I wish all game producers would do: focus on the game, not the fancy-shmansy graphics.

Speaking of graphics, they're... wellllll... not horrible. But not great either. Granted, it is quite old. But they do quite suck badly. But they aren't bad.

The story is your typical "gang vs. law" story. Not too bad, but kind of generic to me. But story isn't too important. A good story is nice, but it's still gameplay that counts. The characters are funny and memorable, however (especially Caesar and Wu Zi Mu).

The music is a mixed bag for me. I hate rap, but even I heard a few decent ones here. I find country utterly repulsive and bad, even here. The funk station has catchy songs. The classic rock station is okay. The alt. rock is pretty good. Master Sounds is also very good. But WCTR, while it has no music, is all of the music I need.

However, the sound isn't too great. Most weapons sound nothing like their real versions. For instance, the rocket launchers in game are like "Fwoooooo... boom.", but real ones are more like "PWOOOoow.... BOOM!" (I think...lol).

One of the best parts of the game in the sound department is definitely the dialog. Lines such as "You're between me and the joohnn!!!!!!" and "I'm too high fo' dis shit- MOVE!" make this the only time traffic jams are good. Many others like "Do ya showa in doo-doo?" and "Don't matta 'cus I'm short, I hit hard!" make me laugh very hard.

The Bad
There was very little I had to complain with. The camera was not very good and there were the occasional frustrating deaths. Also, you clearly can't put mods here, so that REALLY sucks. That is why I'm getting the PC version soon.

The Bottom Line
Overall, this game is an absolute masterpiece of games this style. I recommend it to any one who like shooting, spying, laughing, and having fun.