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GTA: San Andreas – Gangs of Los Santos Preview
Chris Leyton
19/10/2004
The floodgates are reopened with an elaborate look at the gangs in SA…
Despite having enjoyed a brief recent excursion to the chilled out delights of San Fierro, the gritty streets of Los Santos brought us kicking back to the harder side of GTA: San Andreas, with extensive information on the gangs that operate there.
Introduced in GTA2, gangâs have been a crucial ingredient to the Grand Theft Auto universe, and as youâd expect with everything else from San Andreas, this element has been taken to the next level.
Modelled closely from real life gangs after extensive research and consultation with people such as DJ Pooh, Mister Cartoon, Estevan Oriol and hundreds of others, everything from their clothes, tattoos, gang signs and code of ethics has been taken into when creating the state of San Andreas.
As youâre already aware, Los Santos is full of gang activity, with CJ and his Orange Grove gang up against a variety of others in turf wars and drive-by shootings; several neighbourhoods in particular are noted for their gang presence. The gangs who dwell are distinguishable by their particular styles, types and colour of clothing. A system that easily identifies them to Los Santos authorities, but one that allows them to show allegiance to one another and identify rival gangs. Citizens of Los Santos are advised not to risk wearing wrong âcoloursâ or they could find themselves as the next target.
Signs of a gang influence in a territory are everywhere; gang graffiti is often the first indication, marking a territorial boundary and serving as a warning to trespassers or other gang members.
Tattoos are often a symbol that a gang has adopted to identify their members, but again risks being used as a tool against them for the Los Santos police to identify them. As weâve previously touched upon, tattoos within the game are based upon those of early 90âs California â“ heavy blank inks, images of guns, gang sets and dice⦠Heavy religious themes however are preferred by âhe Los Santos Vagos, a Mexican gang in town.
Naturally when CJ returns back to Los Santos after a long East Coast hiatus, heâs going to want to chuck his colours back on and get some tattoos that represent him; he needs to prove his loyalty and commitment back to the Orange Grove Families, however be weary that strolling into the wrong side of town could make him a marked man.
Gang members in San Andreas have been modelled with unique fingers - a first for the GTA series â“ to allow them to use hand signals to communicate. This is a necessity so that members can identify themselves as members of a particular gang, and to disrespect rival gang members.
Throughout Los Santos the area has been divided into patches of turf; below youâll find details on these areas:
Orange Grove Families â“ Once one of the most powerful gangs in Los Santos, The Orange Grove is the gang CJ rolls with. Their typical dress code is green pants, green hoodies, green bandanas. Based primarily in Ganton, the gangâs influence has slowly eroded over the years as a result of increasing violence, internal fighting and splits within the gang (set trippinâ), and the growing influence of drugs on the culture. Theyâre now in a precarious position, almost completely surrounded by Ballas territory.
Temple Drive Families â“ Another old Los Santos family gang thatâs aligned with the Orange Grove, the Temple Drive Families are based in Northern Los Santos. If CJâs stranded up near their territory and is having trouble with the cops or a rival gang, theyâll come to CJâs aid.
Seville Blvd Families â“ This family controls the southeast beaches of Los Santos, and have been almost completely squeezed out by the Aztecas and Vagos. Theyâre holding onto a small patch of land just south of Saintsâ stadium. Like the Temple Drive Families, theyâll support CJ, but there is trouble brewing within the Families.
Both Temple Drive and Seville Blvd Families were originally part of the Orange Grove Families but after on-going internal fighting they have split off from them during CJâs absence. While they will help CJ when up against the Ballas or the police, the internal warring between the sets means that CJ canât always rely on them to be on his side.
Front Yard Ballas â“ The Groveâs fiercest rival gang, the Front Yard Ballas control Jefferson. They can be tough, even brutal. Theyâre Los Santosâ most notorious drug dealers.
Rollin Heights Ballas â“ These thugs back up the Front Yard Ballas, and hold the ritzy Glen Park section of Los Santos. Theyâve steadily been expanding south into Idlewood, currently one of the most hotly contested areas in the city.
These gangs colour is purple and can be readily identified by their purple clothing
Los Santos Vagos â“ This Latin gang are based up in northeast Los Santos around Las Colinas and Los Flores. Like the Ballas, the Vagos have gotten into the drug dealing game. Theyâre currently fighting hard in the battle to control East Los Santos, which is squarely between Ganton, Jefferson and Los Flores.
This gang is identified by the yellow that they wear
Varrios Los Aztecas â“ Sporting light blue colors, this Latin gang is based in Little Mexico and El Corona in South Los Santos near the docks, their main enemies are the Los Santos Vagos. Cesar, the boyfriend of CJâs sister, Kendl, is an original gangster that reps the Aztecas. They are the kings of lowrider customs, and drive some of the craziest rides in Los Santos.
RockStar advise us that the regions bordering different patches of turf are a dangerous place to say the least, with plenty of action promised whether you choose to get involved or not. Drive-byâs, skirmishes with cops, a crew of Ballas jacking some pedestrianâs car and going on a rampage through the city are all likely things to happen in such regions.
In separate GTA: San Andreas news and following on from the confirmation of the soundtrack and studio details, weâve received yet more information on the sound system beneath the game.
Most importantly is the news that the radio system has undergone a technical overhaul that promises to add immensely to its sense of realism, by now being completely dynamic as opposed to on a loop. With over 150 hours of gameplay touted, even the acoustic delights that San Andreas promises would begin to grate after a fairly short time in; however now the developers have created an ingenious system that is based around the game and allows the DJs to react to events within the game.
As the game progresses, the DJs will have different introductions to each song and will comment on CJâs progress throughout the game. In addition weâre promised real working weather bulletins based around the dynamic weather system in San Andreas, news updates, back-to-back clocks of tracks and call-ins from different people throughout San Andreas.
San Andreas promises three times as many commercials in GTA: San Andreas as in GTA3 (thatâs probably the first and last time youâll ever hear that), since San Andreas is a state filled with real brands that CJ can buy, whether it be clothing such as Helmut Schein, fast-food from Cluckinâ Bell or weaponry at Ammu-Nation.
In keeping with the wave of new introductions, enhancements and improvements that GTA: San Andreas, weâre promised that the radio will also sound differently dependant on what car youâre driving. An optional feature, allows the game to broadcast the sound to suit CJâs ride; for example, normal cars will feature a more balanced sound, whilst low-riders will have massive bass-bins with tons of low-end sound.
Combined with the modifications that players can choose from and purchase, it all ensures that players will become more possessive over their vehicles within the game and not just dumping an old one and jacking a new one â“ the sense of immersion heightens againâ¦
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