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WORD ON THE STREETS: THE SAN ANDREAS VISITOR´S BROCHURE
Walking the streets of teeming capital Los Santos as Rockstar reveals new GTA: San Andreas details. Plus: new screens!
17:59 Being the first of Rockstar´s crime epics to house an entire state ( heavily inspired by America´s West Coast California, of course), the sense of freedom proffered by GTA: San Andreas is poised to smash all previous barriers.
Split primarily into the cities of Los Santos, Las Venturas, and San Fierro, each punk-infested locale is swarming with different buildings, different landmarks, different people, different gangs, different shops, different gyms... Hell, it´s just like being on holiday, all for the price of a PS2 disc, which is a bargain in anyone´s book.
For the full lowdown on the mean streets of San Andreas´ capital Los Santos, then, it´s time to read on, bee-yatch...
The Grove
This xenophobic cul-de-sac ( strangers ain´t welcome here) is where lead star CJ spent his days as a rattle-waving nipper and bares an uncanny resemblance to the LA ghettoes of John Singleton flick Boyz N the Hood. Running the Orange Grove Families gang from his old childhood home, it is up to CJ to unravel the mystery behind the suspicious deaths of his mother and little bro´.
The Beach
A veritable tourist attraction, the ´beautiful´ beaches of Los Santos are generally crawling with sunbathers during the day, while sporting exotic sunsets in the evening. Here, CJ is able to build his fitness by either swimming in the sea or jogging along the sandy seafront. It ain´t all work and no play though, with numerous amusement arcades, souvenir shops and the occasional beach party providing much-needed relief.
Vinewood
San Andreas´ answer to the celebrity-packed environs of Hollywood, Vinewood is a rock ´n´ roll paradise of glitz and glamour, crammed with millionaire mansions in the hills, outlandish buildings in the centre and rundown motels just about everywhere else. Understandably a popular tourist hang-out, here CJ will meet a number of eccentric characters as well as catch a glimpse of the ´famous´ Vinewood sign.
Rodeo
Virtually exclusive to the rich and beautiful, Rodeo is San Andreas´ glamour capital and home to the most expensive shopping district this side of London´s Knightsbridge. Basically, it´s a lot like Beverly Hills, but with a different name, and no Will Smith spin-off characters to annoy either.
Downtown Los Santos
This is where the city´s businesses ply their trade, with the many tall office blocks and its conference centre housing the legions of workers wiling away the daily hours. If you look closely too, you´ll spot the Doc G Records building, which is inspired by the legendary Capitol Records tower. An efficient rail network provides the necessary means of travel.
The Freeways
Described as the " ultimate driving state", San Andreas is positively teeming with inner-state freeways and multi-lane ´snakes´, which act as the go-between for Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas. Quite convenient too, considering that half the local neighbourhood roads in San Andreas are not exactly welcoming to passers-through...
And finally, the road signs
Being such a sprawling metropolis, it could be frustratingly easy to get lost amongst the streets of Los Santos. Fortunately, that needn´t be the case, with an abundance of street signs pointing you towards the likes of Ammu-Nation, Mulholland Intersection and Ocean Docks. A-Z road maps? Pah, who needs ´em...
So there you go, that´s Los Santos for you. Sound suspiciously like Los Angeles, does it? Hmmm... We think it does.
Anyway, our new San Andreas info doesn´t stop there - Rockstar has given us a few bonus details on the new swimming feature, which is handy considering the numerous times we drowned in previous instalments.
Different strokes
CJ can opt to tread water to simply stay afloat; he can perform breast stroke by using the left-analogue stick; and he can tap ´X´ to swim in a faster, more freestyle manner.
Underwater action
Pressing ´O´ will enable CJ to temporarily delve beneath the water´s surface, where he´ll discover entirely new and detailed underwater environments. Rockstar has promised us different lighting effects depending on how deep he ventures.
Sinking car?
Driving your vehicle into water won´t result in immediate death any more, with CJ now able to escape his sinking wreck. Be warned though - there will be a time limit before CJ´s lungs become uncomfortably filled with water and passing trout fish.
Boat jacking
If CJ begins to tire, he can avoid a swim back to shore by jacking a boat! The cheeky swine. With precise timing, simply grab onto a boat and intimidate its pilot, which will eventually result in the terrified fool jumping overboard.
Storm in a teacup
Finally, for added detail, Rockstar is promising us authentic weather and water effects for the sea environments, complete with fellow swimmers enjoying the salty ocean depths. Is there anything that its maker hasn´t left out?
Right, that really is all for now. Be prepared though - we shall be back later with first-hand impressions of the game in action. Are we excited? What do you think.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is due out on PS2 in late October this year.
Stephen Daultrey
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HIT THE ROAD, JACK! THE LATEST FROM THE WORLD OF GTA SAN ANDREAS
New screens and info deals with car-jacking, gym work-outs, bike tricks and them pesky boys in blue
17:00 Sweet be-Jaysus. No sooner have we finished scribbling out the latest dirge of San Andreas info and another batch of exciting crime-addled titbits lands spectacularly on our desk. Not that we´re complaining too much, mind - this game is sounding mightily better by the day. In fact, like you, we want to play it. Now.
Car Jack City
Car-jacking isn´t a particularly pleasant crime, but one that your character CJ is a indomitable master of. Swiping a passing business man of his cherished Beemer-a-like won´t win you many friends, but it will certainly get you round the city faster, and that is, after all, half of what San Andreas is all about.
Fortunately, while most residents will be used to dealing with unruly car thieves, CJ boasts a few new ways of dispossessing drivers of their vehicles. Whenever someone decides to put up a struggle, you can deter their attempts by either kicking, punching and pistol-whipping them, or far more cunningly, by bashing their heads repeatedly into the dashboard. Sweet.
Pumpin´ Iron
Yesterday we talked about tattoos, but there ain´t no point in administering a macho pic of a Uzi 9mm onto your bicep if it´s skinnier than a biro. So what you do is you go to the gym to pump yourself up.
As you should have already read, diet is incredibly important to CJ´s appearance and fitness, but it needs to be combined with regular work-outs. Each of the city gyms available offers differing quality and selections of equipment, with treadmills being used for stamina, and free weights ( barbell curls and bench presses) enhancing strength.
A well-toned, well-worked CJ will run, cycle and swim faster, while his recovery time will be fittingly shorter too. However, just because CJ is overweight, it won´t make him any weaker, with many, many fat/muscle ratios enabling you to tailor your fitness/strength and look exactly how you want.
You lookin´ at me, punk?
Each gym in San Andreas is decidedly different, not just in the facilities it provides, but through its appearance and the type of clientele it attracts too. Pop into the Las Santos establishment and you´ll discover a rundown, hell-hole of a place, infested by the local gangland filth.
Likewise, the Las Venturas joint is a sleazy boxing gym, with a blood-spattered ring situated in its centre - perfect for sparring off against local knuckleheads and learning the underhand art of street brawling.
Fortunately for the more discerning type, the serene San Fierro dojo will enable you to train in more ´high-brow´ fighting styles, which Rockstar has promised to release more details on later. You´ll have to wait until then, people, but we´re hoping for a few high-kicks that even the late and great Bruce Lee would have been proud of.
It´s the BMX bandits!
As one of the new vehicles implemented into the San Andreas mix is the classic BMX rider, it is inevitable that there would be a few smart tricks for you to master. First things up, let´s talk about the controls. Accelerating requires you to tap on a button rather than simply hold it down, thus giving you potentially more control over your speed.
The more CJ rides, the easier the bike´s handling becomes. It will also enhance your stamina too, and as CJ´s skills evolve, he will soon be able to wow onlookers with a series of tricks that includes bunnyhops, wheelies, endos, 180s and 360s.
However, while that may all look nice, the key advantage to busting a gut on the BMX is that it provides opportunities for weaving through heavily congested roads, while also enabling you escape the wrath of pursuing larger vehicles by nipping through restrictive backstreet alleys. Very nice and very Hoffman.
Who´s a clever cop then?
The police AI has been heavily tinkered with for San Andreas. Like previous instalments, the cops won´t simply approach you from behind during high-speed pursuits, but will attempt to ram you from all manner of angles. They will also open fire on you from car windows ( very Starsky and Hutch) and try to cut you off in order to bring your vehicle to a sudden standstill.
Another cunning strategy employed by the police is the use of helicopter spotlights - by shining a large beam of light in your face, not only will you be unable to see the chopper for any ambitious pot-shots, but it will leave you more susceptible to approaching ground forces too.
Cool lighting
Finally - and more for the technology buffs out there - the bods at Rockstar are promising incredibly sophisticated lighting to portray the sunny environs of San Andreas´ West Coast setting. Each city boasts its own individual look ( dirty heat in Los Santos, crisp blue skies and occasional fog in San Fierro, and glitzy neon signs in Las Venturas), and there will also be specific textures and lighting for both night and day.
Until the next time...
Well, once again, that´s all for now. No doubt you´ll be waiting impatiently for the next batch of San Andreas stuff now. Never mind, at least you´ve got these lovely new screens to keep you engrossed in the meantime.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, as ever, releases around late-October time for the PS2.
Stephen Daultrey
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BOYZ IN DA HOOD: SAN ANDREAS SQUEALS ONTO HOME TURF
Gang wars, territorial markings and big tattoos - new GTA: San Andreas PS2 game details and screens!
17:42 Ever felt the urge to stick a load of tattoos across your chest, back and biceps and strut your stuff down the local high-street looking like the latest release from Parkhurst? Or how about hooking up with all your mates in the local precinct to lure a rival nutter down a backstreet alley for an ungentlemanly slap round the mush?
Sound like fun to you, does it? Well that´s good, because all these features are the latest goodies ( or nasties?) to be wormed in the crime-a-thon epic that is GTA: San Andreas.
Tattoo You
Similar to wandering into a diner for a bite to eat, or the nearby barbers for an un-trendy Hoxton mullet, San Andreas lets you frequent the many tattoo parlours scattered about the city. Select your design, name a bodypart, splash the cash and hey presto... You´ll look like a walking art gallery.
Each parlour´s choice of artwork differs depending on its geographical location too. For example, the heavily rap-influenced environs of Los Santos specialise in tattoos devoted to guns, gang names and girls; San Fierro is far more fixated with Aztec signs and drug iconography; while Las Ventures focuses, quite bizarrely, on cards and dice.
However, be warned - decking yourself out like a half-man, half-graffitid underpass will make you instantly recognisable to both rival gang members and the cops, especially after you´ve been arrested. After all, there ain´t gonna be no need for any identity parade when you´ve got a 12-inch, dark black dragon spread across your forehead now is there?
Wanna be in my gang?
As most of the tattoos available offer strong gang affiliations, it is understandable that gangs play a considerable role within San Andreas´ gameplay. Loyalty between members is key, and can be used for your own strategic gains.
For example, got some cronies on your back and someone thinks your new hairdo makes Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen look trendy? Then get your mates involved. Whenever you´re being chased, your fellow comrades will steam in with a helping hand ( or crowbar), provided you have their respect. The clever player, of course, will use this to lure rivals into hostile territory while they make a hasty getaway.
Conversely, it can also work to your disadvantage. Try to outsmart your foe, and you´ll up with blood... We mean egg, on your face. Cunning gangsters can lead you into traps, employ different tactics or even send out large bunches to finish you off when you´re tired.
As Rockstar North´s head honcho Leslie Benzies comments: " We spent a lot of time getting that level of interaction right, and making it unique. We wanted to convey very clearly that the gangs had a certain way of communicating, very definite mannerisms, and yet had to create signs and language all our own that was faithful to the world we´re trying to depict."
Dirt, camera, action!
The new features don´t end there, either. Rockstar has also revealed that San Andreas will employ a manual camera for added freedom. Like most top-drawer third-person games, the left analogue stick will be used to manoeuvre your character while the right analogue stick offers complete camera control, both in-vehicle and on foot.
Firing arms has also been tinkered with. Rather than being forced to shoot in a fixed position, you can centre your aim using the right analogue stick whilst running/strafing with the left analogue stick.
Finally, the level of attention to detail with regards to cars has also been ramped up a notch too. Drive about in a sparkling beauty, and it´ll soon become dirtier than a monkey´s botty following a severe case of the runs. Plus, if you look around, you´ll also notice fellow residents with bumpers hanging off their dusty old bangers. Okay, so it may not be the most groundbreaking feature in any game ever, but it should certainly add to the overall atmosphere.
And that´s all for now, folks...
So, that´s the latest happenings from GTA: San Andreas. While you sit there twitching at the prospect of even more details arriving very soon, you´ll probably want to stare at these new screens for a bit.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is due to release on PS2 around late-October time.
Stephen Daultrey
DBZ Budokai 3 bientôt présenté
