Battle of the GTAs, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas PC Features

Also known as: GTA: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: SA, Grand Theft Auto: SA

We've rated the clones - now let's see how the originals stack up against each other

Words: Mikel Reparaz, GamesRadar US

Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969
1999 | PC, PSone

The setup: Also known as the Grand Theft Auto nobody played, this expansion for GTA was the first really atmospheric entry in the series. It came in at the height of Austin Powers' popularity, delivering a vision of London that was inspired by movies like the original The Italian Job and Quadrophenia. Sure, it was still top-down and kind of limiting, but it was wicked cool in an aviator-shades-and-Lambretta kind of way. This expansion also spawned an expansion of its own, the ultra-obscure GTA: London, 1961, which added new missions and a multiplayer map based on Manchester. If you've got 1969 for the PC, you can download the 1961 expansion for free here - just look for the flashing "free" button at lower left.

The rides: A nice selection of era-appropriate British automobiles (including a few with Union Jacks plastered onto the roofs), including a few clearly based on Mini Coopers and the ever-trendy Vespa motorscooter.

The criminals: Androgynous Mod Rodney Morash, filthy hippie Charlie Jones, rude boy Winston Henry and five other extremely well-dressed sociopaths. Like the first game, though, the character you pick only really influences your color scheme in the game world.

The town: London more or less as it was in the '60s, jam-packed with hipsters, mods, intimidatingly psychotic gangsters and not-so-veiled references to campy spy spoofs.

The music: An extremely listenable medley of 1960s Britpop, Herb Alpert-inspired horn riffs and bombastic tunes designed to stir patriotism in the English. Again, they're all tied to whatever car you're currently driving.

The violence: Still cartoony, but now extremely British.

Why it's the best: No other game lets you start a gunfight with sharp-dressed, scooter-riding Mods in front of Buckingham Palace while close approximations of 1969's hottest pop ditties scream in your ears.

Why it isn't: It's the original GTA with '60s attitude and Cockney swagger instead of urban blight. Pass.

Does it hold up? As much as we love the Carnaby Street style, this one's better left in the past. We'd love to see a current-gen update, though.

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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

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