Where did Rockstar go so wrong?
When GTA hit the shops, and I played a demo waaayyy back in '97 I loved the game there and then. It was hilarious, fun missions, and catchy tunes, what was there not to like? I immediately bought the expansion pack London, and thought that was great too. But then GTA2 appeared, and that was bad, very bad. It had all changed. What had made GTA a classic, was thrown out the window. Bad music, boring missions the list goes on. So when GTA3 arrived I was a tad unsure, until I played it. The game was back at it's best, and better in fact! Vice City arrived and I absolutely loved it. It is my fav one of the series and I could play it over and over. So of course when San Andreas was announced I had high hopes, but they went right down the toilet when I got it and started to play it...
It certainly looks and seems just as great as GTA3 and VC, but what it lacks is the fun. They have made so much more for you to do. You have far bigger islands, the ability to swim, go in shops and change your outfits to whatever you like and get your haircut, you even work out at the gym to keep fit. And these are all very cool, but where is the fun in the missions? I feel that most of them are kind of repetitive and not in a fun way. Most of them are really boring, and so so stressful. In the other 2 games I did every mission possible to get the most out of the game, but in this one, it is the first GTA which I have given up on optional missions because I just couldn't take it anymore. I am referring especially to the terrible, boring, extremely difficult missions for that very annoying character Zero. I managed to the do the first 2 missions after 100,000,000 tries and ripping my hair out to the point where I would need to purchase a wig, but the final straw came when I tried the 3rd mission. To avoid being forced to wear a syrup for the rest of my life I gave up. I can think of one mission which I think is good ol' GTA style, and that had to do with scaring a guy by driving crazy with him on your bonnet. The others were just plain boring. I (and I am sure many others would agree) also found the airplane training missions one of the big low points to the game. Everyone I have spoke to found them a nightmare and hated them, and this really spoiled the game. I also don't like the look of the game. I know that it is meant to look all run-down and that, as that is where the game is set, but a big aspect for me is the scenery. I loved the way GTA:VC looked, it was so colourful, but this is just so so dull. I am kind of peeved that NOW they had decided to make the game so much bigger. They couldn't have done it for GTA3 or GTA:VC could they! They make the one with the ugliest scenery the biggest. I quite like the look of the casino area, but everywhere else is so dull. Driving for ages through desert after desert makes you resent it even more.
And what has happend to the radio stations? The varied selections? A bit of everything for everyone? I end up turning it off, more than I listen to it, as there is jutst hardly anything I like. We have a boring country music station, great for the americans but that style music doesn't fair so well for other countries, especially the UK (where I live), The boring early '90's soul music, and rap. Dull rock tunes, or OTT one's. The list goes on. I was spoilt for choice as to what station to listen to in the other games!
Another thing I am shocked to say is that the characters in the game, are all so so irritating! There was noone I didn't really like in the other games, but in this one, off the top of my head I can think of just 3 whom I like. The main character (of course) CJ, Cesar and Woozie. Everyone else I want to kill off! My sister is always whingeing, one of my girlfriends who is a nutter is just too OTT, Zero is a pain in the ****, That agent guy that is round the airplane missions gets on my nerves, the list goes on. I don't want to resent everyone I come across! I should only resent my enemies. It was cool to see a return of Kent Paul, and his northern buddy was hilarious. He certainly brought some entertainment to the game, if only for a brief while. When it all boils down to it, more effort has been put into the way the game runs, instead of gameplay, music and scenery. When you get a new GTA you want the new characters to be cool, a big selection of good music, nice scenery and most importantly fun missions. That is the most important thing for each game, top missions. Making the game bigger, with more things to see and do, can't be more interesting than the missions themselves.
This is the first game in the series (not including GTA2) that I kept putting off playing because I dislike it so much. I had just started it again as I want to finish off games I had started playing and stopped, and the last time I played it was october '05 (it is nearly june now). I couldn't put the others down, but with this one, I kept going on to better things when I started to get fed up again. I wanted to complete it so I could say I have done it. I will of course be trading it in a game shop for something else. It kills me to say that as I would so love for it to be in my game collection, but I can't see myself playing it again. If in the unlikely situation I start pining for it I can borrow it off my sis who owns it, and who also thinks I am barmy for not liking it. But she hates final fantasy and that is a big hyped game, so just because something is scored highly we can't all like it. Everyone likes different things. So all in all, if the game had less annoying characters, slightly better music and really fun enjoyable missions, I would have seen past the other flaws. But with the one thing that makes the game, being a downer, you can't help but nitpick, and what should be a classic game is just a tedious game. I hope that for the next GTA they bring it back to it's best, coz I don't want San Andreas to be the game in the series that stopped me being a fan.