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GTA San Andreas is easily considered one of the best GTA games ever made. This is due to a multitude of factors that made it far superior to its predecessors.
The GTA series has established Rockstar's dominance in the open-world genre. This wouldn't have been possible without some of the earlier GTA games, especially the 3D Universe trilogy. All three games in this trilogy came out in quick succession within a few years.
However, in terms of improvements, each sequel was way ahead of its predecessors. GTA San Andreas was the last of the 3D trilogy, and it was naturally the best. The enhancements that Rockstar brought to the game were far beyond expectations.
Why was GTA San Andreas so popular in comparison to previous games in the series?
GTA 3 was the first fully 3D game in the franchise, and it turned out to be a huge success. This prompted Rockstar to release two sequels to the game using the same RenderWare engine. The core mechanics remained the same, but each consecutive game was significantly different from the others.
GTA San Andreas was released in 2004, and it soon became the most popular game ever made by Rockstar. This record was only broken by GTA 5, which came out in 2013. There were plenty of reasons for GTA San Andreas being so popular.
1) Map size
The state of San Andreas was massive in comparison to previous games. It included three distinct cities and their countrysides. Players could travel freely between Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas. There were countless buildings to enter and multiple secrets to explore too.
The sheer size and variety of the map was astounding for a game made in 2004. It left players overwhelmed and obsessed with the game for years, which persists even today. Prior GTA games only had a single city and nothing that could be classified as countryside.
2) Features
GTA San Andreas was a massive leap in terms of gameplay. Previous games were nowhere near it in terms of features. Players could dress up CJ as almost anything they wanted, as well as drive and customize over 200 vehicles. On top of all this, GTA San Andreas also featured RPG-like elements.
Players could maintain CJ's body fat and muscle levels by eating and working out at gyms. They could also enhance his abilities through a skill progression system, much like other roleplaying games.
3) Other factors
The storyline in GTA San Andreas is often considered the best in the series. It was completely original, based on the gang violence and the L.A. riots of the '90s. The central themes included loyalty, betrayal and ambition.
The storyline, vehicles, fashion and music perfectly captured the atmosphere of the 1990s. Even today, most GTA players enjoy the soundtrack as a nostalgic experience. The sandbox-like gameplay was accentuated further by the use of cheats that were much crazier than in previous games.
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