Visit "the Row" in Stilwater, but don't yet sell off your interests in San Andreas.
There is no doubt that S.R. 'looks' better than any GTA game to date. A large area to explore, and a lot of different character models for the general public. BUT,... all this prettiness is just distracting enough to forget about the fact that you're just trying to finish the game to unlock achievements, and move on to the next one you've been looking forward to. Me, personally, I kinda got this game just because I've been jonesin' for a little GTA-style action. I must say, though, that this little morsel fell way short of satisfying my appetite. Now, let's look at the GTA menu...
Say what you will, but the GTA games had great characters, a variety of creative missions, excellent music, and a story that you would actualy care about. A large part of that connection is exposition. Knowing where the character is coming from let's you, the player, look through his eyes to get the story from that perspective. As 'neato' as all this next/current-gen char. customization is, it doesn't make up for the fact that the char. needs some kind of background. It's stupid just to make a char. that looks exactly like yourself, and just pretend that all of a sudden you, the player, are that caharacter. I hope that more of these new games will have some time spent on plot and character development. If videogames are to be seen as a true medium of narrative and "ART", then these points should be acknowledged.