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105-534: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games . It is the fifth main game in the Grand Theft Auto series , following 2002's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City , and the seventh entry overall. Set within the fictional U.S. state of San Andreas, the game follows Carl "CJ" Johnson , who returns home after his mother's murder and finds his old street gang has lost much of their territory. Over

210-551: A Guinness World Record for the largest video game voice cast with 861 credited actors. Each non-player character had around an hour of dialogue, in contrast to Vice City ' s ten minutes. Sam Houser sought an unknown actor for CJ, as he found Ray Liotta 's performance as Tommy Vercetti in Vice City "conflicting" due to his familiarity with Liotta's previous work. He opted to cast celebrities in secondary roles, such as Jackson as Tenpenny, and he felt Young Maylay's obscurity in

315-507: A casino in Las Venturas, where they clash against a rival, Mafia -run casino. After his release, Sweet and CJ revive the GSF, drive off the rival gangs from their territory, and rebuild throughout Los Santos. Tenpenny is arrested and tried for several felonies, but the charges are dropped due to the lack of witnesses, prompting a city-wide riot. CJ soon discovers Smoke's hideout. The two engage in

420-704: A cover story in Game Informer , followed by the cover art in July. Rockstar launched the official website and first trailer in August, followed by the second trailer in September. In September, Take-Two announced the game's delay to 26 and 29   October in North America and Europe, respectively, and revealed it would be released for Windows in early 2005. Rockstar commissioned hand-painted advertisements for San Andreas around

525-619: A fantasy " setting. Tutankham , debuted by Konami in January 1982, was an action-adventure released for arcades . It combined maze, shoot 'em up, puzzle-solving and adventure elements, with a 1983 review by Computer and Video Games magazine calling it "the first game that effectively combined the elements of an adventure game with frenetic shoot 'em up gameplay." It inspired the similar Time Bandit (1983). Action Quest , released in May 1982, blended puzzle elements of adventure games into

630-446: A joystick -controlled, arcade-style action game, which surprised reviewers at the time. While noting some similarities to Adventure , IGN argues that The Legend of Zelda (1986) by Nintendo "helped to establish a new subgenre of action-adventure", becoming a success due to how it combined elements from different genres to create a compelling hybrid, including exploration, adventure-style inventory puzzles , an action component,

735-449: A lowrider car club in Compton. It also included The Introduction , an in-engine video previously provided on a DVD with the game's soundtrack. The 21-minute video chronicles the events leading up to San Andreas , featuring CJ, Sweet, Big Smoke, Ryder, and Tenpenny. GameSpot recommended the film for fans of the series; IGN ' s Chris Carle enjoyed the voice acting but found

840-566: A monetary system , and simplified RPG-style level building without the experience points . The Legend of Zelda series was the most prolific action-adventure game franchise through to the 2000s. Roe R. Adams also cited the arcade-style side-scrolling fantasy games Castlevania (1986), Trojan (1986) and Wizards & Warriors (1987) as early examples of action-adventure games. Games like Brain Breaker (1985), Xanadu (1985), Metroid (1986) and Vampire Killer (1986) combined

945-702: A subgenre of open world action-adventure video games in the third-person perspective . They are characterized by their likeness to the Grand Theft Auto series in either gameplay or overall design. In these types of open world games, players may find and use a variety of vehicles and weapons while roaming freely in an open world setting. Metroidvania is a portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania ; such games are sometimes referred to as "search action", and are generally based on two-dimensional platformers. They emphasize both exploration and puzzle-solving with traditional platform gameplay. Survival horror games emphasize "inventory management" and making sure

1050-560: A virtual reality (VR) version of the game was in development for Quest 2 by Video Games Deluxe. Following the release of the Meta Quest 3 in October 2023, players questioned the status of the VR version and some suspected it may have been quietly cancelled. Meta said the port was "on hold indefinitely" in August 2024.       Action-adventure game An action-adventure game

1155-681: A Human Male for Jackson as Tenpenny. It received four nominations at the British Academy Games Awards and five at the Game Developers Choice Awards ; according to The Guardian , the developers walked out during the latter after winning nothing. It won five awards at the Golden Joystick Awards , including Ultimate Game of the Year and Hero and Villain for CJ and Tenpenny, respectively, and received six nominations at

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1260-511: A chance to view it from a different perspective. Garbut established climate zones for each city represented by their sky colour: Los Santos's red-orange, San Fierro's blue, and Las Venturas's red. San Andreas was built using the game engine RenderWare . Its render pipeline was rewritten for increased graphical detail and scope, allowing 35–50% more polygons on screen, real-time reflections and volumetric lighting , and unique models and lighting sets for day and night. According to Garbut,

1365-545: A choice of what to say. The NPC gives a scripted response to the player, and the game offers the player several new ways to respond. Due to the action-adventure subgenre's broad and inclusive nature, it causes some players to have difficulty finishing a particular game. Companies have devised ways to give the player help, such as offering clues or allowing the player to skip puzzles to compensate for this lack of ability. Brett Weiss cites Atari 's Superman (1979) as an action-adventure game, with Retro Gamer crediting it as

1470-594: A compilation titled Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy , released in North America for the Xbox on 8   October 2005, PlayStation 2 on 4   December 2006, and Mac OS X on 12   November 2010. A remastered version of The Trilogy subtitled The Definitive Edition was released for the Nintendo Switch , PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 , Windows, Xbox One , and Xbox Series X/S on 11   November 2021, and for Android and iOS on 14 December 2023. Existing versions of

1575-408: A complaint echoed by others. Some reviewers criticised the combat targeting (though acknowledged the usefulness of auto-aim) and the flight, racing, RC car , and minigame controls. The addition of role-playing elements was praised for its simplicity, subtlety, and effectiveness, though 1Up.com ' s Parish denounced some missions' statistical prerequisites. Several critics considered the narrative

1680-448: A complex text parser and no free-moving character. While they share general gameplay dynamics, action-adventures vary widely in the design of their viewpoints, including bird's eye , side-scrolling, first-person, third-person , over-the-shoulder, or even a 3/4 isometric view . Many action-adventure games simulate a conversation through a conversation tree . When the player encounters a non-player character , they are allowed to select

1785-631: A custom, user-imported soundtrack. In October 2003, Rockstar's parent company Take-Two Interactive announced the next Grand Theft Auto game would be released in 2004's third quarter, and it prompted speculation after registering GTA: San Andreas with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in December 2003. Rockstar announced the game in March 2004, along with a scheduled release date of 19 and 22 October in North America and Europe, respectively. The first details and screenshots were released at E3 in May alongside

1890-637: A drive-by shooting. CJ had fled Los Santos years earlier, seeking to escape the pain and turmoil of his younger brother Brian's tragic death, for which he was partly blamed by his family. Upon his return, he is intercepted by corrupt C.R.A.S.H. officers led by Frank Tenpenny ( Samuel L. Jackson ), who threaten to implicate CJ in the killing of a fellow police officer unless he co-operates with them. CJ returns to Grove Street and reunites with his brother Sean "Sweet" Johnson ( Faizon Love ), sister Kendl Johnson ( Yolanda Whittaker ), and members of his old gang, Big Smoke ( Clifton Powell ) and Ryder ( MC Eiht ). Discovering

1995-485: A framework to discuss institutional racism". Rachael Hutchinson considered San Andreas "a critical reflection on racial conflict in America" and found several criticisms were based on limited viewings instead of the whole story. Kotaku opined some in-game interactions could be portrayed as a lack of racism, such as characters conversing without moderating vocabularies or commenting on others'. 1Up.com ' s Parish lauded

2100-462: A game", praising the complexities of the freeway system and social dynamics. GameSpy ' s Lopez lauded its accurate imitation of the American West Coast . Critics considered the graphics an improvement over Vice City , particularly regarding the animations, foliage, lighting, and weather effects; PALGN ' s Chris Sell called it "one of the most visually absorbing games ever". Criticism

2205-450: A gun in each hand, and found that, compared to the two-handed single-gun stance as a benchmark, only the one-handed shoulder-level stance with a single gun was comparable in terms of accuracy and speed. The ability to look down the sights of the gun was given as the main reason for this. In an episode the following year, they compared holding two guns and firing simultaneously—rather than alternating left and right shots—with holding one gun in

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2310-455: A gunfight; CJ wins, and before dying, Smoke confesses that he got caught up with the power and money. Tenpenny arrives, holds CJ at gunpoint while he steals Smoke's drug money, and causes an explosion in the building to escape. He drives off in a fire truck, followed by CJ and Sweet, but eventually loses control of the vehicle and crashes over the side of a bridge overlooking Grove Street. CJ and his friends watch as Tenpenny dies of his injuries. In

2415-465: A problem that may have been circumvented through a branching narrative. Some critics and scholars criticised the game for perpetuating racial stereotypes . Seeing Black ' s Esther Iverem condemned the series for "validating ... an accepted caricature" rather than teaching respect and tolerance. Dean Chan felt the series' protagonist shift from Tommy (an Italian American ) to CJ (an African American) without subverting archetypes made it "complicit in

2520-495: A randomised song order, accurate weather predictions, and story-relevant news announcements. Michael Hunter wrote the game's main theme , partly inspired by his childhood experiences with hip hop through Yo! MTV Raps (1988–1995). Interscope published two albums for the game: a two-disc album in November 2004, and an eight-disc box set in December. Post-PlayStation 2 versions of the game added an additional radio station supporting

2625-610: A set-up, CJ rushes to Sweet's aid in a showdown against the Ballas. Sweet gets wounded in the ambush and imprisoned, while Tenpenny exiles CJ to the countryside, where he forces him to eliminate witnesses to C.R.A.S.H.'s corruption. CJ befriends a hippie named "the Truth" ( Peter Fonda ) and Triad leader Wu Zi Mu ( James Yaegashi ). He participates in a street race and wins a garage in San Fierro, which he sets up to earn money, and crosses paths with

2730-705: A side-scrolling platformer format with adventure exploration, creating the Metroidvania platform-adventure subgenre. Similarly, games like 005 (1981), Castle Wolfenstein and Metal Gear (1987) combined action-adventure exploration with stealth mechanics, laying the foundations for the stealth game subgenre, which would later be popularized in 1998 with the releases of Metal Gear Solid , Tenchu: Stealth Assassins , and Thief: The Dark Project . The cinematic platformer Prince of Persia (1989) featured action-adventure elements, inspiring games such as Another World (1991) and Flashback (1992). Alone in

2835-400: A single avatar as the protagonist . This type of game is often quite similar to role-playing video games . They are distinct from graphic adventures , which sometimes have free-moving central characters, but also a wider variety of commands and fewer or no action game elements and are distinct too from text adventures , characterized by many different commands introduced by the user via

2940-493: A style conceived by Miyamoto Musashi involving the katana and wakizashi , two-sword kenjutsu techniques he called Niten Ichi-ryū . Eskrima , the traditional martial arts of the Philippines teaches Doble Baston techniques involving the basic use of a pair of rattan sticks and also Espada y daga or Sword/Stick and Dagger. Okinawan martial arts have a method that uses a pair of sai . Chinese martial arts involve

3045-474: A sword and a serpent spear in each hand, supposedly measuring at 7 chi and 1 zhang 8 chi respectively. During Ran Wei–Later Zhao war , Ran Min , emperor of the short-lived Ran Wei empire of China, wielded two weapons, one in each hand, and fought fiercely, inflicting many casualties on the Xianbei soldiers while mounted on the famous horse Zhu Long ("Red Dragon"). Gatka , a weapon-based martial art from

3150-447: Is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, classical adventure games have situational problems for the player to explore and solve to complete a storyline, involving little to no action . If there is action, it is generally confined to isolated instances. Classical action games, on the other hand, have gameplay based on real-time interactions that challenges

3255-557: Is a game that has enough action in it not to be called an adventure game, but not enough action to be called an action game." In some cases an action game with puzzles will be classified as an action-adventure game, but if these puzzles are quite simple they might be classified as an action game. Others see action games as a pure genre, while an action-adventure is an action game that includes situational problem-solving. Adventure gamers may also be purists, rejecting any game that makes use of physical challenges or time pressure. Regardless,

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Misplaced Pages Continue

3360-416: Is approximately as large as Vice City. Garbut found it more difficult to memorise San Andreas ' s larger map than its predecessors'. The team wanted all elements—including packaging and marketing—to maintain a consistent theme to ensure players felt they were connected. Benzies felt Rockstar North's relationship with Los Angeles natives Estevan Oriol , Mister Cartoon , and DJ Pooh helped them imitate

3465-424: Is heavily reliant upon the player character's movement, which triggers story events and thus affects the flow of the game. Popular examples of action-adventure games include The Legend of Zelda , God of War , and Tomb Raider series. There is a good deal of controversy over what actually constitutes an action-adventure game. One definition of the term "action-adventure" may be '"An action/adventure game

3570-820: The Uncharted franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Ark: Survival Evolved . Dual wield In terms of firearms , especially handguns , dual wielding is generally denounced by firearm enthusiasts due to its impracticality. Though using two handguns at the same time confers an advantage by allowing more ready ammunition, it is rarely done due to other aspects of weapons handling. Dual wielding, both with melee and ranged weapons, has been popularized by fictional works ( film , television , and video games ). Dual wielding has not been used or mentioned much in military history, though it appears in weapon-based martial arts and fencing practices. The dimachaerus

3675-485: The 1992 Los Angeles riots , and the rivalry between the Bloods and Crips street gangs. Sam Houser recounted being fascinated by the appearances of street gangs and terrified by their behaviour; the writers sought to accurately portray gang violence without glorifying it, and wanted each gang to act differently, signified by unique walking styles. DJ Pooh was hired to co-write the game from an American perspective. The narrative

3780-502: The Byzantine , Medieval , and Renaissance era . The use of a parrying dagger such as a main gauche along with a rapier is common in historical European martial arts. North American Indian tribes of the Atlantic northeast used a form involving a tomahawk in the primary hand and a knife in the secondary. It is practiced today as part of the modern Cree martial art Okichitaw . All

3885-595: The East Coast in GTA3 , and then '80s Miami with Vice City , so going to L.A. in the early '90s just seemed like an obvious place for us to go. San Andreas ' s world was originally envisioned as three separate maps connected by public transport; it later became three cities in one map, with countryside and desert in between. Its cities are inspired by real locations: Los Santos by Los Angeles , San Fierro by San Francisco , and Las Venturas by Las Vegas . Early in development,

3990-803: The Interactive Achievement Awards , of which it won Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack and Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year. San Andreas was named 2004's best game by GamesMaster and runner-up by PSM . It won PlayStation 2 Game of the Year and Best Game Within a Game (for pool ) from Electronic Gaming Monthly , Best PlayStation 2 Game, Best Action Adventure Game, Best Voice Acting, and Funniest Game from GameSpot , Best Action Game and Best Story for PlayStation 2 from IGN , and Best Replay Value and Best Voice Acting from PSM . Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas sold 4.5 million copies in its first week, outselling Vice City by 45%. In

4095-527: The Punjab region , is known to use two sticks at a time. The Thailand weapon-based martial art Krabi Krabong involves the use of a separate Krabi in each hand. Kalaripayattu teaches advanced students to use either two sticks (of various sizes) or two daggers or two swords, simultaneously. The use of a gun in each hand is often associated with the American Old West , mainly due to media portrayals. It

4200-523: The best-selling PlayStation 2 game with 17.33 million units sold by 2009. Worldwide sales reached 12 million units by March 2005, 21.5 million by April 2008, and 27.5 million by 2011. It is among the best-selling games of all time . The development team curtailed planned nudity and sexual content to meet the requirements for a "Mature" rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB); rather than removing

4305-813: The "first to utilize multiple screens as playing area". Mark J.P. Wolf credits Adventure (1980) for the Atari VCS as the earliest-known action-adventure game. The game involves exploring a 2D environment, finding and using items which each have prescribed abilities, and fighting dragons in real-time like in an action game . Muse Software 's Castle Wolfenstein (1981) was another early action-adventure game, merging exploration, combat, stealth, and maze game elements, drawing inspiration from arcade shoot 'em ups and maze games (such as maze-shooter Berzerk ) and war films (such as The Guns of Navarone ). According to Wizardry developer Roe R. Adams, early action-adventure games "were basically arcade games done in

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Misplaced Pages Continue

4410-531: The "physicality" of Manhunt ' s targeting and gun gameplay was adapted to the open world formula. Computer scripting advancements enabled the developers to create gameplay features not possible in their previous games, such as the casino minigames. Several historical events influenced the narrative, including the Rampart scandal of the Los Angeles Police Department , the 1990s crack epidemic ,

4515-452: The 2010s, and a remastered version in 2021. San Andreas is the best-selling PlayStation 2 game with over 17.3 million copies sold, and one of the best-selling games of all time with 27.5 million copies sold overall. Its successor, Grand Theft Auto IV , was released in April 2008. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is an action-adventure game played from a third-person view . In

4620-486: The Dark (1992) used 3D graphics , which would later be popularized by Resident Evil (1996) and Tomb Raider (1996). Resident Evil in particular created the survival horror subgenre, inspiring titles such as Silent Hill (1999) and Fatal Frame (2001). Action-adventure games have gone on to become more popular than the pure adventure games and pure platform games that inspired them. Recent examples include

4725-586: The Grove Street Families (GSF) have lost much of their territory, CJ restores the gang to power by helping reunite the various GSF sets who had splintered and allying himself with Cesar Vialpando ( Clifton Collins Jr. )—Kendl's boyfriend and leader of the Varrios Los Aztecas gang. CJ and Cesar witness Smoke and Ryder meeting with Tenpenny and the rival Ballas gang, and discover they betrayed the GSF and were responsible for killing CJ's mother. Suspecting

4830-590: The Loco Syndicate, Smoke and Ryder's drug connection. Infiltrating the organisation, he identifies its leader: the mysterious Mike Toreno ( James Woods ). Alongside Cesar and the Triad, CJ destroys the Loco Syndicate's drug factory and kills their leaders and Ryder. Toreno, who survived his attack, reveals himself to be an undercover government agent and enlists CJ's help in several shady operations in exchange for Sweet's release from prison. Meanwhile, CJ and Wu Zi Mu establish

4935-549: The Tracks", became notable for its difficulty; Big Smoke's dialogue upon failing the mission—"All we had to do, was follow the damn train, CJ!"—was considered an iconic catchphrase and later referenced in Grand Theft Auto V . Modders have been known to frequently insert CJ into other games, such as Dark Souls (2011), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), and Street Fighter 6 (2023). Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

5040-570: The United States, it sold 2.06 million units within six days of release and generated US$ 235 million in revenue in its first week; it sold 1.5 million units in November, totalling 3.6 million sales overall. Analysts noted the game, alongside Halo 2 , led the industry to an 11% annual increase instead of a 21% decrease. In the United Kingdom, it sold an estimated 677,000 copies and grossed about £24 million within two days, setting

5145-704: The ability to adjust CJ's weight helped players feel their actions could have consequences. Dan Houser felt CJ's customisability allowed players to better connect with the characters. DJ Pooh engaged several other actors to work on the game, such as Faizon Love, MC Eiht, and Shawn Fonteno . Rockstar partnered with Interscope Records to create the soundtrack. The in-game radio features eleven radio stations with twenty DJs —including Axl Rose , Chuck D , and George Clinton —and more than three times as many licensed songs and original in-universe advertisements as Grand Theft Auto III . The radio features were overhauled; instead of looping sounds, each station became dynamic, allowing

5250-534: The above-mentioned examples, involve either one long and one short weapon, or two short weapons. An example of a dual wield of two sabres is the Ukrainian cossack dance hopak . During the campaign Muslim conquest in 6th to 7th century AD, a Rashidun caliphate general named Khalid ibn Walid was reported to favor wielding two broad swords, with one in each hand, during combat. Traditional schools of Japanese martial arts include dual wield techniques, particularly

5355-540: The action-adventure label is prominent in articles over the internet and media. The term "action-adventure" is usually substituted for a particular subgenre due to its wide scope. Although action-adventure games are diverse and difficult to classify, there are some distinct subgenres. Many games with gameplay similar to those in The Legend of Zelda series are called Zelda clones or Zelda -like games. Popular subgenres include: A Grand Theft Auto clone belongs to

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5460-489: The aftermath, CJ's family and friends celebrate their success at the Johnson house. In the midst of the celebrations, CJ leaves to check on the neighbourhood. The 50-person team at Rockstar North began development of San Andreas following the release of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in October 2002. Having two years of development, as opposed to Vice City ' s one, gave them more opportunities to experiment and reevaluate

5565-431: The cast's performances, particularly that of Young Maylay, Samuel L. Jackson, James Woods, and David Cross . Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine ' s John Davison considered CJ "possibly one of the most well-developed and believable videogame characters ever made" due to his layered personality and realistic behaviour; 1Up.com ' s Parish concurred but felt CJ's kind nature made his in-game actions less believable,

5670-557: The city's 1990s street culture. The team wanted to ensure the world looked neither too "toy-towny" nor too precise, as they sought "depth" over quantitative size; Garbut wanted players to "feel like [they] can stop at any point and discover new things". Real-world areas were the inspiration for many in-game locations: Compton for Los Santos's urban areas, and the Golden Gate Bridge for the Gant Bridge. The team were enthusiastic about

5775-703: The city's culture. The narrative is based on multiple real-life events in Los Angeles, including the Bloods and Crips street gang rivalry, the 1990s crack epidemic , the 1992 Los Angeles riots , and the Rampart scandal . The 50-person development team spent nearly two years creating the game. San Andreas was released in October 2004 for the PlayStation 2 . The game received critical acclaim for its characters, narrative, open world design, and visual fidelity, but mixed responses towards its mission design, technical issues, and portrayal of race. It generated controversy when

5880-433: The constraints of reality, and explore living, breathing worlds". Several reviewers considered San Andreas ' s world an improvement over its predecessors', praising the attention to detail in its areas and characters; IGN ' s Jeremy Dunham cited the differences in each city's weather as a highlight. 1Up.com ' s Jeremy Parish considered it "the most complete, complex and detailed environment ever crafted for

5985-584: The content, they made it inaccessible to players. Modders discovered the code on the PlayStation 2 release, and modder Patrick Wildenborg found how to enable the code after the Windows release. He released this modified code online under the name "Hot Coffee" after the euphemism used in the game, and it was downloaded over one million times within four weeks. The discovery of "Hot Coffee" resulted in legal backlash for Rockstar and Take-Two; both remained mostly silent on

6090-656: The course of the game, he attempts to rebuild the gang, clashes with corrupt authorities and powerful criminals, and gradually unravels the truth behind his mother's murder. The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. The open world design lets the player freely roam San Andreas, consisting of three major metropolitan cities: Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas, based on Los Angeles , San Francisco , and Las Vegas , respectively. Rockstar conducted on-site research in each city and consulted Los Angeles natives DJ Pooh , Estevan Oriol , and Mister Cartoon for help imitating

6195-405: The custom radio and physical packaging and manual. Some critics bemoaned the lack of changes to the mission structure, and some encountered technical difficulties like sudden and major lagging spikes. GameZone ' s Eduardo Zacarias called the Xbox release the "definitive version of the game", and GameSpy ' s Will Tuttle considered it better than the original. Several reviewers praised

6300-583: The development of the series's first game, Grand Theft Auto (1997), allowed the team to leverage their experience with the series. Some developers were concerned about working conditions at Rockstar during San Andreas ' s development, as they were unable to take an adequate break after Vice City . Programmer Gary Foreman feared the company had entered a "constant crunch ", as some developers worked for 17 hours per day. Some stepped away after disagreements with Rockstar president Sam Houser about working conditions, and one veteran employee quit in objection to

6405-588: The development team was limited in how effectively they could emulate Los Angeles. Garbut felt technical limitations prevented San Andreas from properly capturing Los Angeles, making it feel like a "backdrop or a game level with pedestrians randomly milling about" and effectively deeming it as a jumping-off point for the development of Grand Theft Auto V . Several moments from the game became common internet memes , such as Big Smoke's extensive fast food order in 2016 and one of CJ's first lines—"Ah shit, here we go again"—in April 2019. An early mission, "Wrong Side of

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6510-419: The freedom provided to players, while 1Up.com ' s Parish felt the previous games' improvisation had been removed and Electronic Gaming Monthly ' s Dan Hsu thought it could have benefited from branching paths. The New York Times ' s Charles Herold found the game's structure diminished enjoyment of its missions, forcing players to drive long distances and replay extensive sequences upon failing,

6615-560: The game were removed from digital retailers in preparation for The Definitive Edition , but later restored as a bundle on the Rockstar Store. A mobile port of San Andreas , developed by War Drum Studios, was released for iOS devices on 12   December 2013, Android on 19   December, Windows Phone on 27   January 2014, and Fire OS on 15   May 2014. The port featured updated graphics, shadows, and character and vehicle models. In October 2021, Meta Platforms announced

6720-484: The game, players control criminal Carl "CJ" Johnson and complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story. Outside of missions, players can freely roam the game's open world and complete optional side missions. A multiplayer mode allows two players to roam the world. The fictional state of San Andreas, which makes up the open world, comprises three metropolitan cities: Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas. The cities are unlocked as

6825-410: The game. Dan Houser said the game's satire was aimed towards the "broader weirdness" of American consumerism and action movies . He noted the writers attempted to outdo each other's humour. The team wanted to give players the freedom to make choices while maintaining interest in the story. The game features over 400 speaking actors and over 60,000 lines of dialogue, including over 7,700 for CJ; it broke

6930-406: The gameplay still follows a number of adventure game genre tropes (gathering items , exploration of and interaction with one's environment, often including an overworld connecting areas of importance, and puzzle-solving). While the controls are arcade-style (character movement, few action commands) there is an ultimate goal beyond a high score. In most action-adventure games, the player controls

7035-413: The graphics outdated for the platform. PALGN ' s Keller found the increased population density improved the world's overall atmosphere. The mouse and keyboard controls were generally praised as an improvement over the console versions and the series' previous Windows ports, especially during combat gameplay, though responses to driving controls and keyboard mapping were mixed. Praise was directed at

7140-478: The hidden " Hot Coffee " sex minigame was discovered, briefly requiring the game to be re-rated Adults Only . San Andreas received year-end accolades from several gaming publications , and it is considered one of the sixth generation of console gaming 's most significant titles and among the best video games ever made . It was released for Windows and the Xbox in 2005, followed by enhanced versions and mobile ports in

7245-597: The improved assets, reflections, shadows, and load times, as well as the addition of a custom radio station and video replay mode, though GameSpy ' s Tuttle felt the latter was pointless without the ability to save videos. Some critics thought the controls had not been improved since the original, and others considered it a downgrade, though GameSpot ' s Jeff Gerstmann appreciated the Xbox controller 's analogue triggers when driving. Some technical problems occasionally persisted, including pop-up, inconsistent frame rates, and poor aliasing , and some reviewers bemoaned

7350-473: The inclusion of mountains, forests, and a desert—firsts for the series. San Fierro's hills, based on those in San Francisco , were intended to draw the player's focus towards vehicle gameplay, and the open countryside driving was inspired from a technical perspective by Rockstar's Smuggler's Run (2002). Producer and co-writer Dan Houser felt the game's return to Los Santos in the final act afforded players

7455-569: The industry made CJ feel "very, very human". Rockstar asked Young Maylay to audition after overhearing him speak with DJ Pooh; he was cast in the role—his first acting performance—a few weeks after auditioning. He felt the developers gave him the freedom to imbue CJ with his own personality. They aimed for CJ to be their "most human" character, ensuring he had "the most intense story around him" to allow players to identify. DJ Pooh compared CJ to Tupac Shakur in his fierce dedication to family but ability to become "cold-blooded" when necessary. The team felt

7560-442: The lack of significant graphical improvements. San Andreas ' s mobile version received "generally favorable" reviews according to Metacritic. TouchArcade ' s Eli Hodapp considered it "the best the game has ever been", while Digital Spy ' s Scott Nichols said it was "easily the worst way to experience" the game, only recommending that players with newer mobile hardware consider purchasing. Its US$ 6.99 price point

7665-446: The lines of a "Mature" rating. As a result of "Hot Coffee", the ESRB announced fines of up to US$ 1 million for game developers who failed to disclose the extent of their graphic content. Critics agreed San Andreas was among the most significant titles in the sixth generation of console gaming and among the best games ever made . Rockstar established a new narrative continuity for

7770-533: The matter. The ESRB re-rated the game "Adults Only" after an investigation, while the game was banned in Australia until the explicit content was removed. Rockstar and Take-Two received a warning from the Federal Trade Commission for failing to disclose the extent of graphic content present, while a class action lawsuit alleged that the company had misled customers who believed the game's content fell along

7875-548: The meter indicate the current wanted level; at the maximum six-star level, police helicopters and military are sent after players. Officers will search for players who leave the wanted vicinity. The meter enters a cool-down mode and eventually recedes when players are hidden from the officers' line of sight. The game features more than 180 vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, aircraft, boats, and remote-control vehicles , and most can be accessorised with modifications like hydraulics , nitrous oxide engines , and stereo systems . In

7980-781: The narrative uncompelling and felt the film alone was not worth purchasing the special edition. Capcom published the game in Japan on 25   January 2007. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic . It is the site's fifth-highest-rated PlayStation 2 game. PSM2 ' s Daniel Dawkins declared it "the single most complete, unique, universe in console history" after The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) and "the best entertainment console gaming can offer". Game Informer ' s Andrew Reiner called it "entertainment at its best" and GameSpy ' s Miguel Lopez wrote it reminded him why he plays games: "to be liberated from

8085-532: The pathologization and fetishization of race". Paul Barrett found its disregard and decontextualisation of institutional racism 's structures suggest "that the problems that African Americans experience is due to individual failure", reinforced by the concept that white players can simply experience "black identity". A Games and Culture study found youth groups "do not passively receive the games' images and content": white players expressed concern about its racial stereotypes, while African American players used it "as

8190-489: The player has enough ammunition and recovery items to " survive " the horror setting. This is a thematic genre with diverse gameplay, so not all survival horror games share all the features. The Resident Evil franchise popularized this subgenre. Action-adventure games are faster-paced than pure adventure games, and include physical as well as conceptual challenges where the story is enacted rather than narrated. While motion-based, often reflexive, actions are required,

8295-400: The player's reflexes and eye-hand coordination . Action-adventure games combine these genres by engaging both eye-hand coordination and problem-solving skills. An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from an action game and an adventure game , especially crucial elements like puzzles inspired by older adventure games. Action-adventures require many of

8400-484: The port's best feature. Responses to the controls were generally positive, considered an improvement over the series' previous mobile ports, though critics concurred that playing with a controller improved the experience and better imitated the original versions. San Andreas won four of its five nominations at the Spike Video Game Awards , including Game of the Year, Best Action Game, and Best Performance by

8505-458: The portrayal of African Americans and what he perceived to be a gloomier and more exploitative tone in Rockstar's output, particularly San Andreas and Rockstar North's previous game, Manhunt (2003). We love L.A., and the whole gangbanging vibe, and the street culture. That time [early '90s] in L.A. is so important and we knew a long time ago that the franchise needed to end up there. We'd done

8610-435: The previous Grand Theft Auto games. Producer Leslie Benzies hoped San Andreas would redefine the series and "revolutionize open-ended gameplay and video game production values". Rockstar Games 's The Warriors , originally scheduled to be released in 2004, was delayed to 2005 to provide additional resources to San Andreas . San Andreas had a budget of under US$ 10 million . Rockstar North's minimal turnover since

8715-465: The record for the most copies sold during a weekend, and over 1 million copies and £35 million in nine days, becoming the country's fast-selling game. In Australia, it sold over 58,000 copies in its opening weekend, becoming the country's eleventh-best-selling game. Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan estimated the game had earned a gross profit of around US$ 285 million within three months, and would generate US$ 400 million in worldwide sales by

8820-532: The references to Rodney King 's assault and the sophisticated writing addressing race in South Central Los Angeles . David J. Leonard felt politicians and legislators were more concerned about the game's violent and sexual content than its racial stereotypes. San Andreas ' s June 2005 release for Windows and Xbox received "universal acclaim" according to Metacritic. It was the second-highest-rated Windows game of 2005, behind Civilization IV , and

8925-439: The same physical skills as action games, but may also offer a storyline, numerous characters, an inventory system, dialogue, and other features of adventure games. They are typically faster-paced than pure adventure games, because they include both physical and conceptual challenges. Action-adventure games normally include a combination of complex story elements, which are often displayed for players using audio and video. The story

9030-525: The series with seventh-generation consoles , focusing more on realism and details. With Grand Theft Auto IV (2008), the team focused on increasing the amount and detail of buildings, removing dead spots and irrelevant spaces to allow "a more focused experience" than San Andreas . The focus on realism and depth was continued with Grand Theft Auto V , with the development team re-designing Los Santos and excluding San Fierro and Las Venturas; Dan Houser felt that by incorporating three cities into San Andreas ,

9135-462: The series' best to date, which Eurogamer ' s Kristan Reed attributed to its focus on dialogue and scene-setting, both in and out of cutscenes. Game Informer ' s Matt Miller enjoyed the narrative's ridicule of modern culture. Some reviewers compared the story to Hollywood films and similar popular culture ; PSM2 ' s Dawkins felt the finale "outstrips the collected work" of filmmakers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson . Critics praised

9240-833: The series. Balancing food and physical activity impacts CJ's appearance and physical attributes; eating and exercising maintains health, while losing muscle lessens combat effectiveness. Three styles of hand-to-hand combat — boxing , kickboxing , and mixed martial arts —are taught at gyms in each city. The game tracks respect among CJ's friends, which varies according to his actions and appearance. Acquired skills are also tracked, such as driving, firearms handling, lung capacity, muscles, and stamina, which unlock additional game mechanics. Players can date six different girls and take them to dinner, drinks, or dancing. In 1992, after five years in Liberty City , gangster Carl "CJ" Johnson ( Young Maylay ) returns to Los Santos following his mother's death in

9345-508: The story progresses; airports allow teleportation between each city using fast travel . Scattered throughout the map, safehouses can be purchased to save the game and store vehicles. Players may run, swim, and use vehicles to navigate the world, and use melee attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies, including the ability to dual wield firearms and commit drive-by shootings . Weapons are purchased from local firearms dealers , retrieved from dead enemies, and found scattered through

9450-570: The team travelled to each city for research and photography; art director Aaron Garbut felt Los Angeles's gang territory in particular was difficult to capture without first-hand experience. Rockstar's New York-based research team took thousands of photographs and video, some of which were used as textures in the game. San Andreas ' s world is 36 square kilometres (14 sq mi), about four to six times larger than Grand Theft Auto III ' s and Vice City ' s; each city in San Andreas

9555-400: The third-highest-rated Xbox game, behind Ninja Gaiden Black and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory . PALGN ' s Matt Keller considered the Windows release the best version of the game. Reviewers lauded the improved graphics, particularly the detailed textures and models, higher draw distance , and improved frame rate, loading times, and anti-aliasing , though some considered

9660-465: The use of a pair of butterfly swords and hook swords . Famed for his enormous strength, Dian Wei , a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China, excelled at wielding a pair of ji (a halberd -like weapon), each of which was said to weigh 40 jin . Chen An , a warlord who lived during the Jin dynasty (266–420) and Sixteen Kingdoms period, wielded

9765-506: The world in late 2004; one in Melbourne remained partially visible in 2020. In October 2004, an early version of the game was leaked by hackers; Rockstar asserted it would "aggressively pursue this matter" and asked for information. The game was released for the PlayStation 2 in October 2004. A special edition version was published for the PlayStation 2 on 8   October 2005, featuring Rockstar's debut documentary film Sunday Driver , about

9870-510: The world is built with around 16,000 unique objects and buildings. Several buildings share a single low-detail model, allowing them to be loaded as players traverse the map without the interruption of loading screens like in Vice City . Textures were created at a high resolution and scaled down for platforms unable to handle them. The driving physics were reworked from previous games in consideration of San Andreas ' s more open areas. Manhunt inspired San Andreas ' s stealth elements, and

9975-555: The world, players can fight for territory by attacking rival gang members; the territory is won when players survive three waves of responding enemy attacks. Won territories are subject to periodic enemy gang attacks—they must be successfully defended or else lost. While free roaming the world, players may engage in activities such as burglary , fire fighting , pimping , taxi , and vigilante missions; completion rewards players with cash, which can be spent on CJ's accessories, clothing, hairstyles, and tattoos—new role-playing elements for

10080-424: The world. In combat, auto-aim is used to lock on to targets. Should players take damage, their health meter can be fully regenerated through health pick-ups, and body armour can be used to absorb gunshots and explosive damage. Players respawn at hospitals when their health depletes. If players commit crimes, law enforcement may respond as indicated by a " wanted " meter in the head-up display . Stars displayed on

10185-433: The year's end. San Andreas was 2004's best-selling game, with 5.1 million copies sold in the United States and over 1.75 million in the United Kingdom. It was 2005's eighth-highest-grossing game in the United States. The game topped the charts upon release in Japan, selling over 227,000 units in its first week. It was the best-selling game in the United States by April 2008, with over 8.6 million units sold, and

10290-533: Was a type of Roman gladiator that fought with two swords . Thus, an inscription from Lyon, France, mentions such a type of gladiator, here spelled dymacherus . The dimachaeri were equipped for close-combat fighting. A dimachaerus used a pair of siccae (curved scimitar) or gladius and used a fighting style adapted to both attack and defend with his weapons rather than a shield, as he was not equipped with one. The use of weapon combinations in each hand has been mentioned for close combat in western Europe during

10395-547: Was common for people in the era to carry two guns, but not to use them at the same time, as shown in movies. The second gun served as a backup weapon, to be used only if the main one suffered a malfunction or was lost or emptied. However, there were several examples of gunmen in the West who actually used two pistols at the same time in their gunfights: Dual wielding two handguns has been popularized by film and television. MythBusters compared many firing stances, including having

10500-430: Was directed at the game's technical issues, with several reviewers encountering pop-up , and unstable frame rates ; some felt the game pushed the PlayStation 2 hardware to its limit. Game Informer ' s Reiner considered gameplay a dramatic improvement over previous entries. PSM2 ' s Dawkins found the missions were rarely repetitive and blended difficulty with comedy. GameRevolution ' s Joe Dodson lauded

10605-667: Was influenced by Hollywood films ; Dan Houser said the team watched "hundreds of movies to get the California vibe". The developers referenced Boyz n the Hood (1991), Colors (1988), and Menace II Society (1993) for narrative inspiration, and compared their in-game locations to those in different films: the countryside to Deliverance (1972), San Fierro to Bullitt (1968), and Las Venturas to Casino (1995). Journalists identified references to other films like Juice (1992) and New Jack City (1991). The focus on several communities

10710-455: Was praised. Reviewers praised the port's graphical enhancements, including increased draw distance, improved frame rates and load times, and enhanced models, reflections, shadows, and lighting, though IGN ' s Leif Johnson found the textures remained dated and some critics encountered technical issues like pop-up. Digital Spy ' s Nichols lauded the addition of mid-mission checkpoints , and TouchArcade ' s Hodapp found cloud saves

10815-488: Was prompted by the variety in West Coast culture in the 1990s. While the stories are largely unconnected, San Andreas concluded a trilogy that started with Grand Theft Auto III , allowing Rockstar to explore the 1980s ( Vice City ) , 1990s ( San Andreas ) , and early 2000s ( III ) . The team felt "the world's attention was on California" in the 1990s in regards to news and music, and that it translated well to

10920-424: Was released for Windows and the Xbox on 7 and 10   June 2005 in North America and Europe, respectively, supporting higher screen resolutions, draw distance, and more detailed textures. The Xbox version was released for the Xbox 360 on 20   October 2008 as part of Xbox Originals , and the PlayStation 2 version for the PlayStation 3 on 11 December 2012 as part of PS2 Classics . The Xbox Originals release

11025-523: Was replaced with an enhanced version as part of the game's tenth anniversary on 26   October 2014, featuring higher resolution, enhanced draw distance, a new menu interface, and achievements ; the PS2 Classics release was replaced with this enhanced version on 1   December 2015, and the PlayStation 2 version was released for the PlayStation 4 on 5   December. San Andreas was bundled with predecessors Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City in

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