Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

man just let people buy this version, so what if it's "outdated" what if thats what people want, you've already drummed up steam around the game by releasing the definitive addition, if people don't like that why not give them the option to spend their money on this instead of not spend anything at all

[h2]tl;dr[/h2] ah ♥♥♥♥, here we go again ... timeless open-world masterpiece packed with insane freedom, detail, and personality [h2]Overview[/h2] Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas follows Carl “CJ” Johnson as he returns to Los Santos after his mother’s death. What starts as a personal visit quickly turns into a full-blown rise through the criminal underworld, spanning multiple cities and regions. The game delivers a classic zero-to-hero gangster story within a massive open world filled with activities, side content, and interactivity. [h2]The Good Stuff[/h2] The sheer scope of the game is still mind-boggling. San Andreas is packed with content, not just in quantity, but in variety. From the amount of vehicles (you can ride a lawn mower ffs), the different eating joints, hidden (e.g. not marked on the map) bars and strip clubs, weapons and whatnot (cameras, flowers, walking canes, smoke grenades, a fire extinguisher, military-grade hardware ... game has it all), to a lot of easter eggs, actual different unarmed fighting styles, a relatively in-depth dating system, and several mini games. The amount of content seemingly never ends and the level of detail is mesmerizing. You may take care of your body by working out and running a lot or you may just transform CJ into America's next Big Smoke by eating until you literally vomit. The radio stations running in the vehicles that you just "borrowed" from their now former drivers are oddly fitting. They reflect the environment and the characters and they are more than just background noise. Bikers listen to the Rock station, Gangbangers to some Hip-hop ♥♥♥♥ and inbred hillbillies riding their tractors in the outskirts of Los Santos are listening to country. Even today, the game keeps surprising you with minor aspects you either forgot or never discovered in the first place. Speaking of tractors and details, San Andreas is really VERY unhinged in hindsight. You can commandeer a combine harvester and "harvest" people. They actually get "Tucker and Dale'd" and their remains get sparkled behind you. Running over pedestrians in general may lead to bloody red skid marks left on the street. You can even beat up dealers (or anyone, really) with a dildo ... it felt so normal to do that as a kid but I guess it is not the standard anymore. The times have changed (r/BrandNewSentence). Despite all that chaos the story itself works surprisingly well. It technically is pretty serious but also goofy af with over-the-top absurdity. It does not take itself all too serious which is amazing. Missions are creative, memorable, and full of variety. Even if you rush through them certain moments just stick. The small details, all the stuff that is just implemented for usage in a singular mission, there is a lot of thought and love deep in the development process of the game. One underrated aspect is navigation. I did love the implementation of GPS in GTA IV but without a permanent GPS you actually learn the map. You start recognizing streets, shortcuts, and landmarks. And they stick. Returning to Los Santos feels familiar in a way that later entries don’t quite replicate. It is oddly rewarding to know exactly where your mission will be, where you need to go, maybe where there is a secret passage or whatnot. It genuinely feels like you’ve lived there. I wouldn't for the life of me find Roman's business In GTA IV without the GPS. I would not even know what to look for on the map. I also wouldn't find something to eat in GTA V ... [h2]The Sorta-Kinda-Grinds-My-Gears-Stuff[/h2] Some missions rely on vehicles with intentionally bad handling to create difficulty, which can feel a bit cheap. Handling in general is fine, but clearly dated in certain situations. Right before the final mission, you’re required to reclaim gang territories. The gang war system itself is pretty uninspired, and grinding through it gets tedious. That said, this is criticism on a very high level considering everything else the game offers. [h2]The Atrociously-Bad Stuff[/h2] Nothing. Genuinely nothing. [h2]Conclusion[/h2] Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is chaotic, detailed, unhinged, ambitious, and endlessly entertaining. Despite the memories, nostalgia isn’t doing the heavy lifting, it actually is that good and worth playing. San Andreas is a cornerstone of gaming history. It is probably THE game of my childhood and it rests amongst the greatest videogame experiences of all time. Grove Street. Home.

Didnt realize this game was no longer sold here. Not gonna cry about trying to find the remastered version on the low, just gonna download this again and let it take me back. RIP those who got here too late...