Gameplay
There is no online multiplayer mode
The story is three times longer than the one in Vice City
Use the right analog stick to see from CJ's point of view
The display when running around or in a car will be similar to both GTA3 and Vice City
At least once every few days you will have to eat
You need to eat to keep up your stamina
Eat too much and you will become fat and be made fun of by other pedestrians
If you get too fat, CJ waddles around like a penguin, has trouble breathing, throws up food, and has trouble fighting because of slower reaction time
Work off the fat by going to the gym to exercise and be trim
Riding your bike counts as exercise
You can now swim
Swimming counts as exercise *NEW*
CJ automatically treads water without you having to press buttons *NEW*
You use the analog stick to do breaststroke in the water, which has no effect on CJ's stamina meter *NEW*
By holding X while using the analog stick, CJ begins to do freestyle (front crawl) which is faster, but uses up your stamina *NEW*
You can continue to do freestyle until you run out of stamina, and then you have to go back to breaststroke *NEW*
By pressing circle, CJ dives underwater, and then you can swim underwater by pressing X *NEW*
You have a lung capacity meter while underwater, and if you run out of breath before coming back up to the surface, you die *NEW*
Some secrets can only be found by looking underwater *NEW*
There are no special areas to get back on land once you are in the water; any area that he can reach or walk on to can be used *NEW*
You can jack boats that are driving while swimming in the water, although it's fairly hard to do *NEW*
Other people in the game can also swim in the water *NEW*
Running or driving on a beach will slow you down *NEW*
If you don't eat, you'll become skinny and your strength will be weakened
When CJ needs to eat, a message will appear on screen
The gym has boxing rings and weights to use, as well as a treadmills and stationary bikes
For example, running on the treadmill improves the distance you can sprint without stopping (although running outside improves this as well), and pumping iron will improve your strength and power, so you can run, cycle, and swim faster than before
Fighting in the boxing ring teaches CJ new abilities to be used throughout the rest of the game
In Los Santos, by boxing he learns new punching combos, punching while running, and punching someone on the ground; in San Fierro, you learn new fighting styles in the dojo; and in Las Venturra you learn to street fight in the rundown gyms
Anything done outside of a mission can change your abilities, appearance, and progress
Hundreds of different skills to learn
Learn new skills after completing side missions, or in normal missions
Achievements done during missions will affect what leisure options are available to you
'Dynamic Difficulty' changes the difficulty of the gameplay to match your skill
In Las Ventura, you can buy casinos and run them
You can gamble your money in casinos
You can rob homes with careful planning
You can be stealthlike, and hide in the shadows to avoid enemies
More new mini jobs such as taxi driving, etc
If you drive your car into the water, you have the option to bail out and swim to shore, or sink with it
Your stamina can be built up, lengthening how long you can stay underwater
You can recruit gang members, and use them to do four person drive-by shootings
During four person drive-bys, each gang member has an independent target, and there is a car health meter to show how much damage the car has taken
Recruit your own gang members to use in missions
Use your gang to take over parts of the map
Your gang members will come help you if you drive into your own gang territory and the cops are on your tail *NEW*
Some parts of the city you can take over yourself, some you need your gang
You must maintain your parts of the map, or you will lose control of them
The police will do anything to take you down, including grabbing on to your rear bumper!
Missions
For missions described in detail with screenshots, go here
The first few missions include basic tutorials
The main story missions will also take you into the countryside, outside of the three main cities
Characters
For a list of characters and a picture of them, go here
The main character's name is Carl Johnson
Characters from past GTA games will return
References to old characters from past GTA games will be in the game, only recognizable by hardcore fans
You can change your clothes
You can get haircuts which changes your appearance
You can change your facial hair
At Reece's barbershop, you can scroll through a list of available haircuts, which cost $500 each
You can get the haircut style of bald, jheri curls, afro, and flattop
Your looks will change how people interact with you
You can get tattoos for yourself, and each city has it's own style of tattoos
Los Santos has guns, gang names, and women tattoos; San Fierro has Aztec symbols, and drug iconography tattoos; Las Venturra has cards, and dice tattoos
You also have stats, such as by driving a car a lot, you become a better car driver
You can customize your character by changing his hairstyle, physique, weight, driving skills, clothes, possesions, weapons skills, character, relationships, and gang
Weapons
Carl can use dual pistols, and other weapons in dual mode such as the Uzi
Improved gun targeting system
You can strafe to avoid gunfire
You can attack enemies from behind
You can roll sideways during a gunfight by pressing a button
You can climb on, and pick up, boxes
More hand to hand fighting techniques available
You can lock on to enemies during a fist-fight
You can block attacks from opponents
Many new weapons have been added
Old weapons have been redesigned
Weapons match those available in the early '90s
Weapons all feel unique
New improved targeting system includes targets with full health have a green bar, if slightly injured have yellow health, and enemies that are almost dead will have a red health bar
You can get a headshot with standard weapons
The longer a player holds down R1, the better chance you have of getting a headshot when firing
The following guns have been seen so far:
Uzi 9mm
Ingram Mac-10
Colt .45 Pistol
Chrome Shotgun
Another Shotgun
AK-47
M16
Vehicles
For a list of all vehicles in the game so far, with pictures, visit the Vehicles part of the site
90's versions of GTA3 and VC vehicles will be in the game
Many more new vehicles
Improved driving physics, and an improved handling system
Cops on bikes will shoot at you when you're being chased, and if you escape them the police copters come
The police copters have a spotlight that can be used and aimed at you, which also creates a blinding effect
When flying, the view switches so you can see the horizon, making it easier to fly
Specialty vehicles can be unlocked
Cars get dirty when driving them through the countryside and desert, and can be cleaned off by going to a Pay-N-Spray
Dirt appears on and around the wheels, and also areas of impact when you hit something
Dust can also accumulate on your windshield when driving through dusty areas
On bikes you'll have to hit X fast to go faster, although it will still go forward by holding X
On the BMX bikes you can do wheelies, endos (stoppies), and other stunts such as bunnyhops, 180's, 360's, and more
Carjacking is much harder to do than previous GTA's, because pedestrians will fight to keep their car
You have to use a variety of abilities to steal the car, such as punching, kicking, even smashing an innocent person's face into their windshield
You have to be careful when running people over, because they may grab onto your car and try to steal it
Vehicles have corrosion effects, such as getting rusty, as well as getting dirty
Pedestrians' vehicles won't be perfect; their cars will have broken windows, loose bumpers, and even doors with bullet holes in them
Trailers can be attached/detached on the large trucks
The right analog stick is used to use the hydraulics (bounce) in the lowriders
You can drive your vehicle through billboards
Monster trucks don't have a handbreak, but rather switch to 4x4 mode when you hold R1
Because the monster truck's body is raised, it can drive over shallow water
Hitchhikers can be picked up
On the ATV's you can do wheelies and stoppies, just like you would on a motorcycle
Artificial Intelligence
Pedestrians are a lot smarter now, and react if you start beating someone in the streets
Peds have over 1 hour's worth of various comments, compared to 10 mins from Vice City
Peds react and sound differently based on where they're found in different parts of San Andreas
Peds exist in their own little world, and if you follow them you'll see them go through daily routines such as buying things at stores, etc
Gang AI has been drastically improved, because while you're not there, gang members will smoke, drink, and flash the gang's sign at each other
Gang's also have their own ways of getting you out of their territory, such as ambushing you, or attacking you upfront when you approach them
Music
There is three times more licensed music than in Vice City
There is a confirmed rap station
There is music from the '90s as well as a classic station
Confirmed songs:
Snoop Dogg - Gin & Juice
Dr Dre & Snoop Dogg - Nuthin' But A G Thang
Dr Dre - Let Me Ride
All of the information has been paraphrased from the following sources: Game Informer (Magazine), OPM UK (Magazine), OPM AUS (Magazine), OPM DE (Magazine), Power Unlimited (Magazine), PSM USA (Magazine), PSM Italy (Magazine), Edge (Magazine), GameSpot (Website), IGN (Website).
