Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Los Santos Preview

By Kristan Reed Published 17 August, 2004

More from our first look at Rockstar North's big one.

'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Los Santos' Screenshot 1

Sometimes the last thing you want to do is have a sneak preview of a game - mostly you're just spoiling things for yourself, ruining the surprise, but, when you're talking about gaming royalty, things are a little different. When the name of that game is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, suddenly your busy schedule opens up like Moses parting the Red Sea. 5 O' Clock Thursday you say? Right, we're there. Running late you say? Not a problem.

An hour behind schedule we sat down with Rockstar PR manager Hamish Brown and Dean Evans, who, despite having demoed the game all day are relaxed and chirpy - as befitting of men more than happy to talk about what will undoubtedly be one of the biggest single grossing entertainment properties this Christmas.

But where do you start when talking about something this huge? Where do you stop for that matter? So much to say, so little time, Brown started from the basics and worked down from there, briefing us on the back story: "Carl Johnson, CJ is the game's main character. He's been living in Liberty City for the past five years or so, supposedly to escape Los Santos where he grew up," he notes. "But the real reason was to avoid dealing with the death of his ten year old brother Brian, and he's managing to get by until yesterday when his older brother calls him up to tell him that his mother has been killed. So he immediately hops back on a plane to go home to Los Santos to be with his family. Very early on in the game, a couple of crooked cops pick him up and just dump him off in rival gang territory- which is where you come in."

Let's go to California... now!

'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Los Santos' Screenshot 2

But, what, we ask, is Los Santos? Sounds Californian to us. "Los Santos is where you start the game as Carl Johnson, CJ," explains Brown, "and it's Rockstar's take on Los Angeles. The rest of the game is based on bits of California and some of Nevada." Showing us the in-game map, it looks like a small chunk of the whole thing how much of the finished game does this demo represent? "Eight square blocks of Los Santos. And the whole of Los Santos itself is only about 20 to 25 per cent of the play area of the whole game." Jeepers. How on earth can they physically cram all of that onto a single DVD? "We're using Dual Layer DVD 9," Brown says. "The hardest thing is cramming it all onto that!" With all this extra content, however long is San Andreas going to take to finish? "Difficult to say," admits Dean Evans, joypad joyously in hand. "You're talking hundreds of hours - it's absolutely huge. There's so much to explore." But have they played it a lot and know their way around yet, we enquire. "Yep," nods Evans, like a man who enjoys his work.

But presumably Rockstar North had to make some sacrifices in the detail to make such a big game? "Not at all," insists Brown. "In terms of the design and effort that's gone into the whole areas, every single spot has so much detail put into it. It's so competitive up at Rockstar North people have their certain areas that they work on people just want to outdo each other. People want the best interiors, the best looking house, "my tree's going to kick the shit out of your tree" and all of that kind of stuff. There is so much detail in every single square inch, it's incredible," he boasts, without fear of contradiction. "Check out the reflections in pizza joint floor. Everywhere there's lots of interior attention to detail, people eating, getting on with their business. The amount of research that's gone into this is incredible from the architecture right down the gang tattoos." Indeed, it's hard not to admire Rockstar's handiwork. Clearly the money made from the previous two GTA games hasn't been frittered away.

Technically, then, it seems the team has more than stretched the PS2's capabilities. It's a serious improvement on the previous two GTAs, as Brown attests: "We've upped the draw distance by four times in the country side, and doubled it in the cities, and are using 30-50 per cent more polygons than before, all rendering at a solid 30 frames per second," Brown sings sweet music to our ears, and although the game is far from finished it's looking rock solid even now. "The animation has also been dramatically improved," he notes. "We've actually built the largest motion capture studio on the east coast of the United States to accommodate this project. A lot gets done in New York and LA; it's been a massive project." No kidding.

A kick in the gesticulations

'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Los Santos' Screenshot 3

Certainly, it's much more noticeable how much more gesticulation between characters and in cut scenes there is this time around. "Yes, all the characters you see in the game are a lot more animated; the motion capture is pretty damn awesome," and as if to prove the point CJ and his posse deliver more hand jives to one another than the average So Solid Crew rehearsal. "Even the Joe Bloggs hanging around the street are a lot more animated - they interact with each other a lot more, we have couples holding hands, gang members giving each other signs, passing each other blunts, stopping, giving each other handshakes, having a chat and then walking on." Blunts? What would the Daily Mail think of all that?

Looking at the game engine, it's easy to see the changes. Not just better looking and more animated characters, but in general; it's definitely noticeable that the lighting seems much more convincing this time around. "Yeah, Rockstar North has created this awesome lighting engine," Brown grins. "Everything has two different models whether it's night or day. If you can imagine someone in a white T-Shirt, at night, rather than it just getting dark and just going grey, if you've got moonlight it will have a slightly bluish tinge to it. You'll see people's windows and houses will be on and will have that really realistic illumination of the lights coming through the windows and curtains and stuff like that."

But as much as we loved Vice City it felt a very flat game. Can we expect more of a return to the design layout of GTA 3 this time? "As we have a take on San Francisco, so yes. You've seen our influences. You can mountain bike around the hills! Yes - that was one of the sandbox-style experiences we look forward to - will there be as much of that sort of 'messing around' non-mission specific gameplay this time: "Yes. It is just multiplied so much because of what you've got to explore. Just imagine, getting in a combine harvester, bringing it back to Los Santos and driving downtown -it's where it's at man!" Now that we want to see.

Grand Theft Railway

'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Los Santos' Screenshot 4

Aside from that, another thing we missed from Vice City was a railway transport system? And the news is good: "The Brown Street railway is one of the areas you'll see, and it's quite a big part in the whole system," nods Brown. "On the way to another mission one time we pulled up to a level crossing, the lights are red. So, of course we pulled up to the track, waited for the train and it slams into you, and just propels the car, it was very amusing."

But while technical improvements and more random nonsense to keep you amused are a given, one area that remains something of a mystery is the whole need to keep CJ fed: "Whenever CJ gets hungry you have to feed him," Brown points out. "If you don't play close attention to his health he's going to get bigger and bigger - you will be notified when CJ is getting hungry. This, evidently has an impact on player health: "If you don't feed him he's going to get thin, weak and lethargic, and that affects his performance in the game, so for example you won't be able to run very fast."

Apparently it won't affect your general ability to aim, but "certainly in hand to hand combat you'll come off pretty badly," Brown warns. "It also affects how you're perceived by others, so if you're really fat and waddling down the road, people will jibe you and stuff, so it affects you kudos and street credibility as well." And if you eat too much? "Well...you'll get obese. If you really binge eat, you will actually puke!" Mmmm. Grand Theft Puko.

Pump up the volume

And what would a GTA be but random craziness played out to a hilariously retro soundtrack - we ask how many radio stations to expect this time: "We don't know," Brown says. "That hasn't been confirmed at this point, but it'll be a full suite of early 1990s California radio, a really cool variety of genres and so forth." And presumably there will be a CD set like before? "I'm not sure; there's been no word about that yet." But, with Rockstar's PR drive entering full swing, we can expect more. So much more.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is due for release on October 22nd. Check out the official trailer later this week, with more first-hand impressions and chats with Rockstar in the coming weeks.

Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (54) Latest comment 7 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ssuellid #1 8 years ago

    The having to eat part sounds like it could be a hindrance rather than a decent 'feature'. I liked the freedom of the GTA series and this sounds like a constraint to me.

  • Eighthours #2 8 years ago

    Fixed at 30fps?? I'm sold.

  • sir_tripod #3 8 years ago

    Eighthours: "Fixed at 30fps?? I'm sold."

    ... And you weren't anyway? lol

    I can't work out which I want most; GTA: SA, PES4 or HL2...

    In any case, the bits being released about GTA are making things sound better and better. Plus there's the stuff we won't find out about until the game hits the shelves.

    I'm so excited, I've made a mess which looks like a glue factory has exploded.

  • Blerk #4 8 years ago

    We've upped the draw distance by four times in the countryside, and doubled it in the cities, and are using 30-50 per cent more polygons than before, all rendering at a solid 30 frames per second. The animation has been dramatically improved.

    Nice claims - hopefully the finished thing will live up to them. Should shut up the 'I can't play it, things just pop-up' nay-sayers, anyway.

    My main concern with this is that it'll be 'too big'. I already got lost in Vice City... with a play area three times the size I hope I won't be floundering with the map for most of the game...

  • gizmo #5 8 years ago

    Excellent, a new dimension to car chases: the level crossing - you may may make it, your pursuers don't! Lovely.

    30fps sounds good to me. That'll mean its worth getting the ps2 version.

    Plus the audio on the xbox version was way too tinny.

  • Blerk #6 8 years ago

    Shh... it distracts them from Riddick! :-)

  • valli #7 8 years ago

    all rendering at a solid 30 frames per second

    Yes! They ironed out my biggest problem with the earlier games! Also, did they have trouble squeezing everything into a DVD9?? *GRIN*

  • Destria #8 8 years ago

    PC version! PC version!

  • sir_tripod #9 8 years ago

    Apparently there'll be landmarks and road and street signs within San Andreas to help you get around.
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/04 @ 15:44

  • cheap #10 8 years ago

    antnee...can't be bothered to type out entire words? or do you have the "i don't like it" approach to literacy?

  • Enzo #11 8 years ago

    the one thimg that they have not talked about is cars!

    last time they always talked about the cars , how there was twice as many and so on!

    they talked about the railway ,,,,,,,, the transports are important ,,,,

  • dan13l #12 8 years ago

    These are clever guys, I can't see them throwing in a feature that will break things. I would imagine there'll be so many places to eat in the cities that it won't be a pain finding one. It seems like a logical extension of hiring hookers to boost your health to me.

  • Master Cheif #13 8 years ago

    Whens the PC version or Xbox version released???

  • Blerk #14 8 years ago

    When Sony are finished with it.

  • p3rks #15 8 years ago

    I think sony have a 6month exclusive?

  • Blerk #16 8 years ago

    I don't think they've ever said how long the 'golden handcuffs' are on this time, but I doubt you'll get to see the other versions before Christmas. I'm guessing that's the market that Sony was aiming for.

  • krudster #17 8 years ago

    The 8x8 blocks comment was specifically addressing the demo portion of the first bit. It's just a tiny portion of Los Santos.

    We didn't have a formal Q&A as such, this was just random questions we fired during the presentation. We'll hopefully get another opportunity to fire more probing questions soon - think of this as part of the introduction.

  • Frankypanky #18 8 years ago

    matt_jon


    he meant that Los Santos was 20-25% of the game and this demonstration was just 8 blocks of Los Santos
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/04 @ 17:10

  • Ruhen #19 8 years ago

    Wowzer Dudes!!!

  • Mr.Small #20 8 years ago

    Hi Kristan/krudster.

    Nice write ups. Since you had an opportunity to witness the new GTA in action, I was wondering if you had the sound up. Was the radio tuned into any talk station? Believe it or not, the thing I'm most interested in is not the draw distance, fps, eating etc. but the humour. Vice city was perfect when it came to humour, IMHO.

  • krudster #21 8 years ago

    The music was all placeholder stuff - hip hop tunes that I didn't recognise.

  • dadrester #22 8 years ago

    it's sounding more and more like an rpg. not that that's a bad thing in my opinion. kind of reminds me of shenmue with all the different gameplay genres mixed up there, and even fable with the respect stuff. i heard there will be playable arcades and gambling in the casinos and all that kind of stuff. i also like the idea of actually having stuff to spend money on, and it being more challengeing to get.

  • krudster #23 8 years ago

    Before anyone pipes up, this is being reformatted and reposted in a feature form. We just thought it worked better and read better as a full feature...

  • dadrester #24 8 years ago

    i don't suppose anyone can confirm rockstar north are doing the warriors liscence. i heard somewhere they are. it would be perfect too. manhunt crossed with gta3.

  • krudster #25 8 years ago

    Indeed, you are correct. No one knows anything more than that, mind you.

  • st3ph3n #26 8 years ago

    I will demand a level crossing with a jump that lets you attempt to jump THROUGH a train. Well over a flat car between the properly sized ones.

    Saw it done on telly once and always wanted to try it.

  • jaa #27 8 years ago

    I don't want to start an argument but, tbh, I'm so not interested in this that I can't even force myself to read these articles (sorry, Kristan)...

    And, yes, I played GTA3 and VC (but only a couple of hours of the later). Truth is I think sequels should appear 3 to 4 years after the previous game. I can miss their gameplay with such periods of time. I loved Splinter Cell but I didn't even finish the first level of Pandora Tomorrow. I don't want Colin McRae 5 but I do want GT4. You get the idea...

    Shh... it distracts them from Riddick! :-)

    I ordered Riddick yesterday... :) Even when I do have a pathological aversion to Vin Diesel...


    Edit: Blerk, I ordered Disgaea too. I'll blame you if I end up not liking it... :)
    Edited by 2 at 17/08/04 @ 21:18

  • krudster #28 8 years ago

    Hey, no offence taken...no one's forcing you to read 'em!

    But, I do want to check - you paid £80 for Vice City and PT yet played them both for a *couple of hours*? Or did you rent them?

    Do people really buy games and leave them gathering dust on their shelves?

    I know I used to do this pre-journo career, but I thought that was obsessive "must have all the acknowledged good games" psychotic behaviour.

  • jaa #29 8 years ago

    But, I do want to check - you paid £80 for Vice City and PT yet played them both for a *couple of hours*? Or did you rent them?

    Well, maybe 3 hours...


    Kristan, I bought 131 games (PS2+Xbox+GC) in the last 3 years and finished... er... almost 40.

    But I'm getting better. I only bought 4 games in the last 3 months. And I'm learning to not care about huge games that everybody wants (like GTA:SA). All without medication... :)

  • OnlyMe #30 8 years ago

    Yeah about that feeding part. I was wondering if dying would reset the amount of time since your last foodintake. How can you be hungry even after you die and starts over from the hospital?

    Then again, I guess it's only temporarily death, like a knockout or a superquick coma or something. Or maybe something like "The 6th Day", you know that cloning movie with Arnold?

    Anyway, it'll be a great game.

  • Sko #31 8 years ago

    I know I'll enjoy the game but I see SA as completely new playground for my special brand of bad driving. When nearly everything is a ramp, even the most accidental launch, flip, spin, crash looks like you intended to do it...

    I'm looking forward to Burnout 3 as well, for some reason.

  • beep #32 8 years ago

    all rendering at a solid 30 frames per second

    Heard that line before. Jak & Daxter 2 was touted as being 60fps, only they forgot to mention the ugly tearing by not working in any vertical sync.

    A solid 30fps would be great though. Let's wait and see...

  • TardKommando #33 8 years ago

    Any word on hooker additions/options?

  • Blerk #34 8 years ago

    Edit: Blerk, I ordered Disgaea too. I'll blame you if I end up not liking it... :)

    Another one bites the dust! \o/

    Don't worry, jaa. You'll love it. Unless it takes over your life and you forget to eat.

    /collects this week's pay-cheque from Koei

  • Eighthours #35 8 years ago

    I've got to say that San Andreas is sounding more and more like a real progression for the series. It seems to be far far more than a lazy update. Indeed, if the interviewees are telling the truth, it could turn out to be one of the best games ever, if all the disparate elements mesh together well. Rockstar seem to have thrown everything and the kitchen sink into it.

  • Aretak #36 8 years ago

    Do people really buy games and leave them gathering dust on their shelves?

    I've got more games on my shelf that I've played for less than 30 minutes than I do ones that I have. :-\

  • cheap #37 8 years ago

    dg...they're all busy with the 27 other gta:sa articles on eg

  • Kavvy #38 8 years ago

    What I want to see is the ability to wake up, crawl into a bar, get stunningly pissed and slowly turn CJ into a hopeless alchoholic.

  • Ruhen #39 8 years ago

    Man, any news on the mystery girl with the glasses!!!

  • BLACKSHEEP #40 8 years ago

    This will cause mayhem with my life and most probably 70 million others too!

    When they do a PS3 version, i'll probably implode :D

  • Kavvy #41 8 years ago

    In the navy!

  • MoFo #42 8 years ago

    nothing to see here.
    Edited by 1 at 24/08/04 @ 23:49

  • GTA4shizzle #43 8 years ago

    still can anyone tell if they know if going to be more than one disc.

  • dadrester #44 8 years ago

    1 disk indeed. but dual layer.

  • shizzle #45 8 years ago

    when are they gonna make this game for pc? and why do they always have to make the best games for ps2 first???!!! originally gta was made for pc!

  • Nillsens #46 8 years ago

    "For I might be from the "Streets" as some might say..."

    Chortle

  • Stinktier #47 8 years ago

    O.K., I`m compelled to add my two cents worth(Sorry, I don`t know how to convert that to British Pounds Sterling). I thought this forum was to comment on the GTA SA article above. However, it seems to have turned into a pissing match between Brits & Americans trying to prove who is more educated, cultured, smarter, has better grammar etc.(hacks up a big loogie, spits it into an old McDonalds cup). Personally, I think this is a waste of time. Why don`t we just make fun of someone who deserves it, like the French? Also, who can say which version of English is "better"? What the hell does it matter?(grimaces, reaches into sweatpants & adjusts balls)As for the game, if you think you`ll like the fucker, buy it. If you don`t, Don`t. (belches loudly)

  • dadrester #48 8 years ago

    O.K., I`m compelled to add my two cents worth(Sorry, I don`t know how to convert that to British Pounds Sterling).

    that would be 2 pennies worth

    max/ Salutatious Gent. i was unaware you had a 3rd peronality. i rather like him. quite aggressive ;)

    [edit] shitty spelling and grammar.
    Edited by 1 at 15/09/04 @ 15:45

  • Stinktier #49 8 years ago

    Thanks dadrester for the conversion to two pennies worth from two American cents worth. Yes DualUzis, I agree the GTA series is incredible & am pleased to see that you are a Second Amendment supporter whether you`re an American or not. I don`t own any Uzis, but AM rather fond of my .357. As for you Mr. Richards, I`m all for etiquette and can appreciate it. Unfortunately I don`t have any, & there isn`t any Chap Society around here that I know of where I could learn it. Anyway, it`s good to see you boys are playing nice.( gets up from computer, scratches ass, goes to feed pet cats)

  • dadrester #50 7 years ago

    i bite every time...

    but why rocstar is not privision him self>???

    because you haven't told them exactly what you mean. if you post your request on eurogamer correctly rockstar will listen to your requests. they frequently use eurogamers comments sections to add content to thier game at the submission stage of a project. if you re-post your idea might be included in san andreas or they might even bring out a special edition expansion pack. maybe they will call it "the tommasi and co, retard expansion pack"

    link nsfw
    Edited by 1 at 24/09/04 @ 02:22

  • Madder-Max #51 7 years ago

    "This response goes to the british twits on here.
    I am british, but those on here are more than likely hightly priivalaged children with private school education taking the piss out of the british royal english, i.e what the queen speaks, and those people living in the lage country homes funded by the queen.
    They are all sad and pethetic.
    Just ignore them and dont reply.
    This is going to ...
    I was reading thease post to hear what other people think, it got anoying when people keep winging about the eating thing, well if it wasent in there would be a lot more people complaining about not having it, that there are people complaining about it.
    If you dont like it, then dont buy it. "

    (AKA Max Richards) Chuckles......I'm 30 and left school at 16 and doing well for myself in IT thank you very much. Irony? Tongue-in-cheek? Mean anything to you? try googling 'chap-manifesto'. Bit of light-hearted nonsense... (some people take themselves WAY too seriously...!)

  • Madder-Max #52 7 years ago

    Chuckles to ones self...

  • Kavvy #53 7 years ago

    "Am I the only American typing on here."

    No, look for the posts that start "PS2 SUCKS", or contains the phrase "PS2 IS TEH GAY", or use the N word to describe those of black origin, or type "IM BRITISH BUT BRITS SUCK"

    You'll find they are all probably right Yankers.

  • Stinktier #54 7 years ago

    Just for the record, I`m an American(turns and blows nose on shirt sleeve), but I don`t think Brits suck, just some of`em. I also personally know many Americans that suck too.(gets bewildered look, wonders why the hell he`s still posting crap on here)WHY THE HELL AM I STILL POSTING CRAP ON HERE?!