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San Andreas – Streets of Los Santos & Swimming Preview
Chris Leyton
10/08/2004
RockStar North let the floodgates open with a plethora of information on the biggest game release of the year…
We asked for more information on San Andreas and we know that you guys certainly wanted it; little did we realise the bombardment of information that would follow through from RockStar upon our request.
After our earlier look at Workouts, Cops and BMX Tricks, we have today received extensive information on the Los Santos location featured within San Andreas along with a variety of other features set to appear within the biggest game release of the year.
As fans will no doubt know by now, San Andreas features three cities each approximately one and a half times the size of Vice City. The chaps at RockStar North were keen to stress that the challenge to the game designers has been the greatest faced since the series made the transition from 2D to 3D. Not wanting to underplay their efforts, RockStar North pointed out that in comparison to San Andreas, Liberty City was a relatively small town, whilst Vice City increased on this and featured a full city in its own era.
Whilst the team could have quite easily released San Andreas with little effort, itās fair to say theyāve excelled themselves, creating an entire living and breathing county, filled with vibrant people and a completely realised structure and infrastructure. Much like Vice City before it, the talented team of designers have based much of the look of San Andreas around actual places, with the likes of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and the countryside of both California and Nevada brought into the equation.
So far attention has certainly focussed around the streets of Los Santos, and today we can bring you a much closer look then ever before.
The Grove ā“ Home
The centre of CJās universe is the cul-de-sac where he grew up, where his mom lives and where all of his friends live. At the beginning of the game this is where CJ meets up with his old friends when he returns from Liberty City, and marks one of the focal points throughout the storyline. CJ lived here with his younger brother and mother both of whom are now dead, so itās up to CJ to try and pull together the pieces of what happened.
Apart from housing CJās family and his friends, the cul-de-sac is also the home turf for the Orange Grove Families, and CJ will have to spend a lot of time in his first few days taking back control of the gang and running things from the house. With so much activity in the last few years, the neighbourhood has become a tight community that is not very welcoming to outsiders.
Los Santos Beaches
Away from the suburbs, Los Santos is home to several beautiful beaches; what better place to try out your new-found swimming skills when itās time to take a breather and cool down. The beaches also make a great place to go for a morning run, with the sand slowing you down and putting you through a real workout.
Despite its problems, Los Santos is still a popular tourist destination and the beaches are often overcrowded with sunbathers during the day. Players can take in stunning sunsets from the Los Santos pier and wander around the amusement park before checking out a beach party going long into the night. Once youāve had enough of the beach, the boardwalk is only a short stroll away and home to cheap souvenir shops and fast-food street vendors.
Iām going to Vinewood
The more affluent areas of Los Santos include the Vinewood location, renowned for its rock ānā roll glamour and the Hollywood esque āVinewoodā sign located in the Vinewood hills overlooking the hazy streets below. A popular area for cruising, players are advised to check out the streetside attractions that include some of the most outlandish buildings and characters in Los Santos.
When you find yourself in a need to escape from the tawdry, touristy bits of Vinewood, itās time to take a drive into the Vinewood Hills, home to millionaire mansions and distinctive architecture.
Rodeo
Looking for somewhere to spend all your hard-earned cash? Los Santos is home to the Rodeo, the most exclusive and expensive shopping district in town. This is by far the most affluent area of the city, similar to the extravagant suburbanism of Beverly Hills, the buildings are classic architectural styles, the streets seductively styled and here is where to find Los Santosā rich and beautiful people wandering about.
Downtown Los Santos
What replication of Los Angeles would be correct without featuring the ghostly appearance of Down Town, famed notoriously as the location in which E3 is held every year. Although it seems like a ghost town by night, Down Town is home to the financial district of the city and naturally where the conference centre is located.
Getting Around Los Santos
As youād expect from a city modelled after Los Angeles, Los Santos is a concrete, urban mess with freeways, overpasses and intersections clearly shaping the structure and look of Los Santos.
San Andreas is the ultimate driving state, with the multi-lane freeway running throughout and linking Los Santos to San Fierro and Las Venturas, including all the points in between. The freeways are fast and convenient, as sometimes taking local streets can add time to your trip, whilst some of the neighbourhoods are just not safe to drive through ā“ thankfully weāre assured that traffic never gets as bad in Los Santos as in the real LA.
In addition to the stretches of roads and freeways, CJ can also make use of the Brown Streak railroad, running throughout certain sections of Los Santos. Players can simply hop onto a train and get off wherever they feel.
With so much detail crammed into the streets of Los Santos, RockStar North have been quick to point out that extra work has been put into the street signs throughout the city to ensure that players know where theyāre going ā“ believe us youāll need them!
Gone Swimming
For the first time in the GTA series, players can now enjoy the freedom of the waterways outside of the confines and comfort of a boat.
CJ has a number of swimming techniques at his dispersal, which are easy to master with the simple use of the left analogue stick and the X button.
Treading Water
This is the default setting once CJ makes the splash. CJ will automatically stay afloat even in the roughest of waters.
Breast Stroke
Pushing forward on the left analogue stick will initiate the breaststroke. This is a slow and calm way of moving through water, and has no effect on CJās stamina.
Freestyle
Holding down the X button allows CJ to swim faster, in a more proficient and accomplished manner. Whether youāre in a rush, trying to escape the police or just showing off to the ladies of San Andreas, players simply need to tap the X button to swim faster. However CJ can only swim at this speed for so long, naturally the more stamina that you have the longer youāll be able to swim for.
Underwater Action
Unlike certain other titles, CJ isnāt strictly confined to the surface of the water and can dive by simply pressing the O button ā“ an excellent means to escape the detection of people that are looking for him.
Once underwater you simply need to press the X button to explore the underwater world of San Andreas. The game features a ābreathe-o-meterā to depict how long CJ can swim underneath the surface for; when this reaches zero then itās all over.
It constantly surprises us just how much effort is being squeezed into San Andreas, with the team assuring us that as much effort has gone into ensuring the underwater world of San Andreas is just as realistic as the rest of the landscape; for example, in the event that you happen to drive too fast on your PCJ and end up in the water, youāll notice that the vehicle appears to warp slightly in the water to give the impression of refraction. Lighting effects are naturally different underwater to on ground, and will change accordingly to how deep underwater CJ is swimming.
Knowing RockStar North it also gives the team ample opportunity to hide one or two surprises down there, only for those willing to take the risk to discover them.
In a vast improvement to certain other titles, CJ doesnāt need to find a specific point to get out of the water; he can get out at any beach and grab onto any ledge providing itās low enough for him to reach.
If youāre out at sea and see a boat you can also hijack these, although doing so on a moving boat requires precise timing and skill, but it is very satisfying when you do so, watching the stunned pilot run from the boat and jump in the water in terror.
Finally the team have enhanced the actual technicalities of the water, resulting in an overall effect that is far more realistic and convincing. Open water reacts to different weather types, so when itās stormy in San Fierro the water can get extremely rough.
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