I'm torn regarding GTA:SA
 

On the one hand it looks like a huge improvement over the other games in the series, and I totally dig the customizability of your character as well as the fact that you play in a whole state with three different cities, the landscape inbetween and all that.

On the other hand, however, right now it seems like the game is somewhat geared towards a target group I am so not a part of, what with the strong stress on customizing your cars with all kinds of expensive shit, the selection of music (2 hip-hop stations, 1 soul, 1 funk andsoon... and 1 rock 'n' roll and alternative each, plus the country station nobody listens to in earnest, much like the classic station from GTA3*), and last but not least the whole "gang" aspect. I think you know what I mean...

I'm especially irked by the fact that you're in a gang from the start and have to help them get to the top, wage gang wars and such (granted, Rockstar might throw us a curveball storywise, but as it stands, I don't like it). I like my GTA characters to be hitmen, basically; they may be filthy rich hitmen at the end of the game, and they may have people underneath them, but they're still hitmen. Okay, and steal-tankmen, collect-stuffmen, what have you...

On the plus side, you get three cities, an amazing landscape, you may just be able to customize your character to what you want, the playing time is hella long, the missions will be a great playing experience judging from the last two games and you get different melee fighting styles and a reaper. The plus side is enough to make me drool. Until I remember the minus side that is.

Am I still coherent enough to ask you guys about your opinion on this whole GTA:SA shtick?

Not that I dislike classic music, mind you... also, nothing against the other music styles, but it's not me at all.

I dont like the gang idea either, I would rather work for whoever I want to, even if I could work for the cops, and having to worry about being shot at if I go to a new part of town/city could get really anoying depending on how many gangs dont like yours (walks outside of house, BANG!).

Is being in a gang all that different than being in a mafia gang? I mean you are basically in gangs in all of the GTA's. And I would definitely say that you can be in a modern day gang and still be considered a hitman. I don't really see this as a departure from the rest of the GTA's storywise, more just setting-wise. Just like Vice City took an 80's setting, now we have a more modern day thug setting.

I don't really relate to a lot of the culture that they seem to be going for here but I don't really relate to 80's Miami culture either. I still found myself totally engaged in the hilarity of all the stereotypes and storyline.

I just hope they don't mess up the mechanics :)

The gang side of things won't mean that missions are different, it'll be the same only it'll affect the story in some way too. You did missions for gangs in the last two games too, only the gangs weren't dynamic.
And the whole target audience thing has NEVER applied to me in ANY GTA game, but that hasn't stopped me from enjoying running over people in tanks, now, has it?

i definatly like vice city more a little bit of topic though who was ure favorite gang on vc the cubans the haitians the thugs the bikers
and i cant beat the biker gang im stuck on the sticking it to the man lvl and i cant seem to get the bar all the way up any ideas?

The only difference at all between a gang and the more mafia-style groups from GTA3 and Vice City is ethnicity. It seems like gang members will play a bigger part in drive-bys and the like, but this was already started in Vice City with the few missions that involved you working with others. I mean, in all seriousness (and I've heard people complain about this before), you're basically just saying "I don't like the fact that I have to play the story from the perspective of African-Americans."

I find that ridiculous. *shrug*

Grth: Haven't you learned to spell yet?

For all your gaming help, try www.gamefaqs.com. Probably the best site for gaming guides and walkthroughs. As a hint though, take a Gatling (minigun) and shoot stuff until a helicopter appears. Then shoot the helicopter.

Well, maybe I am looking at the story/setting too much. Then again, the whole gang-colours-jazzed-up-cars-street-respect thing doesn't just not apply to me, it actively irks me for some reason.

I'm pretty positive I'm gonna end up getting the game anyway... though it might be some time until that.

EDIT: Kefka, it's not that at all, in fact that aspect is really damn cool if you ask me. (Come to think of it, where's the rule that there has to be a "gang" setting as soon as the main character is African-American?) It's just that the games as I recall them were never as heavily based on the respect issue as this one seems to be. Maybe I should wait for some reviews addressing that though.

I should've mentioned above: I just pre-ordered the game yesterday. I'm pretty excited. The immense setting and... well, it's a GTA game. Good gameplay should be all but guaranteed, unless they do something really massive to mess it up.

So yeah, if you're still torn ask me in about two weeks and I'll let you know if it's worth it.

Of course, cynical bastard that I am, I could always take the satirical approach and overdo everything about CJ's attire and rides so horribly that the passers-by in SA break into laughter everytime they see my gold-plated sports car with five spoilers coming round the corner, equipped with enough hydraulics to attempt ramming the police helis down with its reinforced front whatever. That would actually be very much in true GTA spirit as I see it. Especially the 500$ (per leg) Tru Ghetto Style knee-low-cut pants I could undoubtedly buy.

If I actually do that, I will only have my friends Hops and Barley to blame.

I gotta agree so far. You were doing the gangs setting last time, the only difference was you were freelance. Now they've given you a rep and put you in with contacts. Is this bad?