It’s been quite a while since I reviewed San Andreas on the PS2. As a matter of fact, it was but the 3rd review I ever did for e-AAGH.net. I was enamored with the game at the time and gave it a glowing review. I was really surprised with what they were able to do with the series on the PS2, but I didn’t know what to expect when it came to the PC. Well surprise, surprise; Alphasim has been surprised again, as the PC edition of San Andreas has surpassed it’s inspiration in almost every way.
Step one to get out of the way: Yes, this PC upgrade looks awesome. My system is sub-par, but even at 800×600 resolution and only modest visual settings the game looks superb. The lights and shadows playing across vehicles as they pass by is a sight to behold. The lines aren’t nearly jagged as on the PS2 either. When set to it’s highest settings, this game is a real looker… it just takes a fairly powerful system to make it run.
Now the drawback of the PC is definitely in the control. The standard keyboard setup isn’t optimal for the control style needed. Vehicles control fairly stiffly, and the bicycles are tough to drive since the rapid button tapping needed to get up to speed is a hassle on keyboard. On the other hand, mouse aiming is a major step up from a joystick. Headshots are easy to pull off at just about any time.
Let me ask you a question: What is one of the biggest perks of PC gaming? The answer; add-ons and mods. New cars, new options, new graphics and tools are already available for the game. Some of my favorite sites are gtagaming.com and gtagarage.com . Of course by now everyone knows of the ‘Hot Coffee’ mod loose on the ‘net, that adds interactive sex scenes. Because of this, Rockstar had to raise the game’s rating, which means it will be much harder to find for the time being. Hopefully, this won’t keep everyone from experiencing this masterpiece.
| Score | |
|---|---|
| Overall |   |
| . | |
