Plot. After living for five years in Liberty City, Carl "C.J" Johnson returns to Los Santos after he recieved the news that his mother was killed. Upon returning home, his cab is pulled over by Officers Frank Tenpenny and Eddie Pulaski, who had run-ins with C.J in the past. The cops put him in the squad car, frame him for a fellow officer's murder, and leave him in rival gang territory. Once Carl rides a bike back to his house, he finds his friends and family in disarray. His older brother, Sean "Sweet" Johnson, accuses him of the murders of Brian and his mother, and berates him for abandoning the Grove Street Families gang. In an effort to win his brother's trust, Carl begins to do jobs for his brother, and his other friends; Ryder, Big Smoke, and OG Loc. He becomes very protective of his sister Kendl, who is dating a member of a Mexican gang. Soon, Carl begins to work his way to the top and put his gang back to greatness.
Concept. Players take the role of C.J, in which you roam at first in Los Santos, where you have to gain territories, eliminate rival gangs, and take control of the city. Then you fight your way to the top in cities like San Fierro, and Las Venturas. In the city of Las Venturas, you get to see many characters from previous games.
Design. The game has the same graphics as GTA 3 and Vice City. The cities of Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas, are perfectly modeled after Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. The mini-games like dancing in clubs, and car rhythms reminds me to those moves of Dance Dance Revolution and Stepmania. The Hot Coffee Mod has become a classic among fans of the game, due to the strong graphic sexual content of the mini-game. In the Hot Coffee Mod, players have sex with girlfriends, and they have to fill the pleasure meter in which the girl will have a pleasant climax.
Voice Acting. Most of the voice actors are famous rap and movie stars like in the previous games. William Fichtner reprises his role as Ken Rosenberg, and looks completely different than his Dave Kleinfeld look in Vice City. Frank Vincent and Debi Mazar return once again to voice Salvatore Leone and Maria Latore. Other notable voices include Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Penn, Armando Riesco, Clifton Collins Jr., Bijou Phillips, Sonya Walger, and so on.
Rantings. The cops continue to be a problem in the game. Also, during a police chase, the traffic can be a problem as well. What I did not like is the rhythm car mini-game because I thought it was trying to copy the same concept of Dance Dance Revolution. What also bothered me is that they never included the Hot Coffee Mod in the PS2 and Xbox. Also, when you play on Cheat Mode, and you're invincible, I hate the fact that you can still die from long falls, I mean that was stupid. I hate the mission where you have to pilot mini-planes and bombard your targets, I mean that was nerve-wrecking.
Good Aspect. My favorite moments in the game are like parachuting, being able to fly a jetpack and even more planes than in the previous games. The radio stations rocked too. I was also left in awe that even more big names lended their voices in the game. My favorite antagonist in the game has to be Officer Frank Tenpenny. He's like one of the best villains in the GTA series, being such a brutal and corrupt cop. The game reminded me of many movies such as: Boyz 'N The Hood, Menace II Society, Juice, and Casino as well. Also, I liked the return of GTA 3 characters like Maria, Salvatore Leone, and even a much younger Catalina and Claude as well.
Overall. GTA San Andreas is a must have for players and fans of the series. This game has very high replay value, and it is the best of the prequels of GTA 3. I give this game a 10 out of 10