Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

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

The Top 7... things Grand Theft Auto IV needs

The kingpin of crime games comes roaring back in October. Here's what we'd like to see when it does

6. More wide-open spaces

Some of the rumors about GTAIV have hinted that the next game will focus on a single city again, instead of offering up a whole state like San Andreas did. That's fine with us, so long as San Andreas' greatest feature is preserved: its landscape. Bombing down urban streets and running down pedestrians is awesome, don't get us wrong, but plenty of other games let us do that. Tearing around pristine wilderness and looking for new ways to be idiots, however, is a rare thrill.


Above: What makes this fun isn't the tractor, the sheriff's deputy or the field - it's that you can launch the tractor off that ridge in the background if you want, and the deputy will follow you to his doom

Bouncing down mountainsides on a bike was immense fun, and so was leading hick deputies on long chases through rocky canyons. We also got a stomach-churning thrill plunging ATVs off towering cliffs, and the isolation of exploring a vast desert dotted with ghost towns made for an interesting change of pace from the urban sprawls of Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas.

Of course, GTAIV isn't San Andreas, and it might not feature the same mind-boggling scale that kept us exploring that virtual state for months on end. But who knows? It might end up giving us a wilderness that puts Just Cause's lush islands to shame. And if that's the case, Rockstar, we'd like some wildlife this time - if only so we can think up gruesome ways to kill it.

 
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The Knowledge
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Genre: Action
Release date: Sep 20, 2005
Published by: Rockstar Games
Developed by: Rockstar North
Designer: Sam and Dan Houser
Franchise: Grand Theft Auto
Min system requirements: PIII 1.0 GHz or equivalent, 256MB RAM, 3.6 GB HD space, 64MB DirectX 9.0c video card
Recommended system: P4 2.5 GHz or equivalent, 768MB RAM, 5GB HD space, 256MB DirectX 9.0c video card
Multiplayer Modes:
Offline
2 player CO-OP
2 player VS
10 INCREDIBLE
Read the review
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