Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – PlayStation 2 (PAL) (Australia) (WATA: 8.5) (Seal: B+)

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is an action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It was released for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) console in 2004.

The game takes place in the fictional state of San Andreas, which is based on California and Nevada, in the early 1990s. The player takes control of Carl “CJ” Johnson, a former gang member who returns home to Los Santos (a fictional city based on Los Angeles) after his mother is murdered.

The gameplay in San Andreas is similar to previous Grand Theft Auto games, with a focus on open-world exploration and completing missions to advance the storyline. However, San Andreas also features a number of new gameplay mechanics, such as the ability to swim and dive underwater, ride bicycles and motorcycles, and customize the player’s character’s appearance through clothing, haircuts, and tattoos.

San Andreas also features a large number of vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, boats, airplanes, and helicopters. The game’s world is also filled with pedestrians and non-playable characters (NPCs) that react dynamically to the player’s actions, such as running away if the player brandishes a weapon in public.

One of the most controversial aspects of San Andreas was the inclusion of a hidden minigame called “Hot Coffee,” which involved a sexual encounter between the player’s character and his girlfriend. The minigame was not meant to be accessible in the final version of the game but could be unlocked through a mod or cheat code. This led to a large amount of controversy and resulted in the game being temporarily re-rated as Adults Only by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

Despite the controversy, San Andreas was widely praised for its expansive open world, engaging storyline, and memorable characters. It was a commercial success, selling over 27.5 million copies worldwide and becoming one of the best-selling video games of all time.