Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Review

If there is one word that comes to mind when playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, it’s “ambitious.”

There are so many moving parts and organic systems in play when it comes to Rockstar’s swansong for the PS2 trilogy. I was in awe by how little the developers chose to compromise when it came to create a world this large on 2004 hardware.

I’m even more impressed by how tidy the entire package is. San Andreas is funny, provocative, enriching, immersive, and still a joy to play.

Story

Carl “CJ” Johnson returns to the fictional West Coast state of San Andreas after his mother is murdered. Once there, he re-enters the Grove Street Families gang and gets caught up in the brewing gang wars of urban Los Santos.

Working with corrupt police officers and old gang members, CJ’s life becomes entwined with the dangerous streets that he was so keen to leave behind.

Like any Grand Theft Auto story, San Andreas delivers its tale with an enjoyable mix of pathos and silliness. The intro promises a touching redemption story for the main protagonist, but it’s not long before CJ is back to robbing burger joints and spray painting the walls of Los Santos.

That’s not to say that there isn’t any emotional depth to these characters. Some plot twists genuinely saddened me because of how likable the core cast is. You can expect betrayals and murders alongside the goofy scenarios in San Andreas. And I stayed invested right through to the thrilling climax.