GTA San Andreas is the best videogame in the last two years and the best GTA yet.
User Rating: 9.6 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas PS2
Wow. I expected this iteration of Rockstar's crime saga series to be great, but I didn't prepare for how much they've raised the bar with GTA San Andreas. There are so many additions to the game that make it so much more cohesive and fun that one has to wonder what they will do next. Kudos to Rockstar, they are quickly becoming one of my favorite developers outside of Bungie and Ubisoft. Gameplay: Nothing has changed a whole lot gameplay wise. Aiming has changed and is much easier and a lot more fun, as has the vehicles handling which is much better as well. The major addition to the gameplay is the scope at which Rockstar has expanded your freedom. You can now get tattoo's (which is a blast), get your hair cut, buy tons of clothes from differient stores, work out at the gym, and eat at a variety of fast food joints. The best part of all of this is that everything you do affects your stats. Wether it be using a pistol a lot, and subsequently improving your pistol aiming, or benching 200lbs 10 times and improving your muscle tone, and subseqently helping you hit harder. Rockstar has added so much more depth this time around that it's simply staggering. Graphics: Considering everything that's on screen they are top notch. The PS2 is no longer a spring chicken and therefore is starting to fall behind in the graphics department, but the graphics are top-notch for a PS2 game. Everything from the major cities of Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas to the small towns such as Blueberry are full of life and include many things to do. The countryside is as cool as it gets and is really well done graphically. Overall, Rockstar has done very well with the graphics. Sound: I absolutely love this soundtrack. All the early 90's music brings back memories from when I was listening to this stuff in middle school. My favorite stations are Radio X and Radio Los Santos, the alternative/rock station and hardcore gangster rap stations respectively. However, I still enjoy Vice City's soundtrack more than San Andreas. All the sound effects are well done as well. Value: It's going to take those of you who blow through games without truly enjoying them about 25 hours to beat San Andreas. It took me about 60 and I'm still messing around in the world. Therefore, there's no better way you could spend $50 currently. You're going to be getting your money's worth. Bottom Line: A instant classic. GTA San Andreas is to PS2 what Halo is to Xbox. 
