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Given the release of Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories, many fans were hoping for GTA San Andreas Stories.
As it stands, San Andreas is the only 3D-era GTA title without a prequel. Given the game’s immense popularity, it does seem strange. However, Rockstar Games was pretty much done with the 3D era of GTA games. They wanted to move onto next-gen consoles with GTA 4.
Although the development team didn’t want to spend any more resources, a few Grand Theft Auto fans did want to see San Andreas Stories. They would’ve loved to complete a prequel trilogy with Los Santos and the surrounding areas. It was never fully realized, but it remains a fun little thought experiment.
Fives reasons why fans would’ve loved GTA San Andreas Stories
5) There would be better map utilization
One of the main advantages of prequel GTA titles is map diversification. For instance, Vice City Stories makes greater use of the military base by giving it storyline importance. San Andreas is already a large map with several unused locations to take advantage of.
One example is the Hollywood-inspired Vinewood. San Andreas rarely touches upon the celebrity aspects of Los Santos, instead focusing on criminal rap careers. A prequel could better use filming lots, such as the movie set death matches from GTA Online.
San Andreas Stories has several places that could provide mission set pieces. Not every square inch needs to be explored, yet a prequel would further develop underused locations. This includes Bayside Marina, the Old Venturas Strip, and the Blackfield Chapel.
4) Rockstar could provide a different perspective
Since the prequel would be set before the events of San Andreas, it can touch upon everything that happened before CJ arrived. However, it doesn’t even have to be from the perspective of the Grove Street Families.
There are several points-of-views that could’ve been taken in San Andreas Stories. One notable one would be somebody from the Ballas gang. Given the lack of important named characters on their side, it would further develop them during gang warfare. The same applies to the Vagos or any rival gang.
Rockstar could’ve also provided the perspective of a C.R.A.S.H. member. They already had a GTA protagonist with law enforcement connections in Vice City Stories. A member of the Triads would also be an interesting option for a theoretical GTA protagonist.
3) It would expand on the lore of San Andreas
Both the prequels to GTA 3 and Vice City expand on the background lore. Victor Vance went from a random mook that gets killed off to a fleshed-out character. San Andreas Stories would do much of the same.
Rockstar loves attention to detail, which can be seen in the prequels. From radio stations to important storyline characters, they provide insight into what these people were doing prior to the main games. This also extends to buildings, such as the construction of Sunshine Autos in the prequel.
Several storylines in San Andreas could be explored, such as what kind of person CJ’s mother was. Better yet, it could also lead to background explanations of important events, such as when Big Smoke decided to betray Grove Street. There is quite a lot of missed potential here.
2) GTA players truly love San Andreas
San Andreas remains a beloved gem in the GTA series, both in the 3D and HD Universes. GTA players would’ve bought the game simply because it’s San Andreas. They loved everything about it, the humorous characters, the catchy music, and the entertaining missions.
Even if San Andreas Stories was never going to live up to the legendary reputation of its predecessor, it still would’ve been a good game. Playing San Andreas a few years prior would’ve been an interesting series of events.
Rockstar is fully aware of its popularity, which is why they brought back Los Santos in GTA 5 (along with several callbacks). However, it’s not the same without San Fierro or Las Venturas. San Andreas Stories would’ve definitely brought these locations back.
1) This game would be a great send-off to the 3D era
The 3D era of GTA was a defining moment for Rockstar. It started in Liberty City, yet it ended in Vice City. Thanks to the heavy-hitting home runs of these GTA titles, they proved themselves industry leaders.
However, San Andreas is noticeably missing a prequel. GTA 3 and Vice City expanded on their storylines, yet something is missing with San Andreas.
The 3D Universe finally came to an end. However, it deserved a proper send-off with a prequel to the most popular title in this catalog.
Note: This article reflects the writer’s personal views.
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