Living The Thug Life
By Kit Vincent Sabit, Lance Vecar Pasoquin and Rory Sollano Jr
Did you ever feel like running around the streets and shoot anybody you see with a shotgun or an AK-47? Did you ever imagine going out with the homies and do a heist? Did you ever see yourself chased by cops? Well if you do, this game might be your cup of tea. Join Carl “CJ” Johnson with the rest of Grove St. as he accomplishes missions and gains respect in the hood. This game is the 4th installment of the Grand Theft Auto series. Released back on October 26, 2004, It’s became a title worthy of becoming a classic as time passed (It’s widely played even up to this date).
Gameplay
The story begins when Carl “CJ” Johnson returns to his hometown, Los Santos, as a newly reformed man. Then you lead CJ back to his neighborhood, Grove Street. There you can meet up with old friends and they will give a vast amount of quests to accomplish in order to gain money and respect. You also have to clash with rival gangs and escape every cop pursuit. As you progress within the game you can acquire new weapons, achieve stats, unlock different clothing, own different vehicles, own properties and have a few girlfriends. Experience gang culture, criminal life, friendship and betrayals.
The game is a third person adventure, action, open world game. The controls are very easy and fits well with the game. It can be played with the XBOX, PS2, PS3, PC and the latest addition through mobile android phones. The Story is incomparable and has a few major plot twists. The camera movements need a little adaptation but overall it fits well with the game. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas also offers great soundtracks mostly hip-hop and rap inspired by early rappers such as Ice Cube, Eazy E, and other well known rappers which can give a great sense of nostalgia. Aside from the action the game also provides the thrill of travelling around with unique vehicles such as Sports cars, SUVs, Police cars, Lowriders, Choppers, Tanks, and even Airplanes which can make you feel like you are emulating such transportations while obtaining them illegally (giving you a criminal vibe). The Star system gives off the thrill of being hunted down by cops which is a very thrilling experience (although you can’t do this in real life).
The cheat system also provides thrill to the game especially for casual gamers who just wanted to stroll around while leaving a trail of dead bodies behind. There is a wide array of cheats although some are pretty ridiculous, it always adds up sugar to your cup of tea. Sometimes even the best way to acquire a vehicle is to spawn it right in front of your eyes and act cool effortlessly . Even CJ’s Body type can be adjusted from skinny to ripped to fat (although it doesn’t make sense making your character obese and non athletic). The game can also be modified so you can “personalize” cj based on your prefered taste.
In the end this game will always have a special space in our hearts and it will never grow old despite the development of new games lately. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was so iconic almost everyone considered this game as a part of their childhood (despite the cases of parents trying to sue the game due to it’s violent and graphic content. Not to mention the strong language) even though obviously this game is not suitable for children. This game is treated as a classic therefore it is always evergreen.
