Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Special Edition) [PS2]

Fantastic (High Speed) Voyage The vehicles in San Andreas handle extremely well. Fans of the previous title's cars, trucks, and motorcycles should be pleased to know that in addition to several new vehicles made specifically for this game, a great deal of the older autos have been incorporated here as well -- only with an "updated" 90s look. Keep in mind, though, that the 1990s look really isn't the update that matters here; it's the vastly-improved handling system and dead-on physics engine. I guarantee you that you'll be able to tell the difference between San Andreas' and Vice City's automobiles immediately; each and every vehicle in the game has its own unique suspension, weight, and speed limit.

Fans of the car modification craze that invaded the racing genre are in for a treat too -- as they'll be able to pimp out their rides with a huge assortment of mods that allow them to upgrade their front and rear bumpers, tires, upholstery, and just about anything else. But these modifications do more than just make your car look better... they also raise your respect level with fellow gang members and increase your sex appeal stat with the ladies. Moreover, upgrading your ride with a hydraulics system (controlled via the right analog stick) enables you to partake in a mini-game centered on bumping your car to different selections of music. You can even add a nitro pack to the back of your car for an extra boost when speeding up.

Of course, there's a ton of other cool vehicle-based additions to San Andreas as well. The BMX bicycle, for instance, is a strangely addictive supplementary ride that allows players to drive it like a motorcycle for cruising or tap the X button like crazy for serious high-velocity action. If you want to get stylish, you can even perform various extreme sports-like stunts -- including stoppies, bunnyhops, 180s, 360s, wheelies, and a few others that I can't seem to pull off without smashing into the pavement. Additionally, there's a colossal list of automobiles that are brand new to the GTA series that include a devastating combine that chops its victims into goo, a super-responsive dune buggy, a hilarious street sweeper that's essentially an urban tractor with brushes, and a sweet little hovercraft. For flight jockeys, various kinds of airplanes and helicopters have come back into the fold as well, and there's a nice selection of super secret vehicles you've probably already uncovered. Players can even hijack trains if they're looking for a way to pass the time, and San Fierro tourists can take city trolleys if they're in the mood for a little something different.

Needless to say, it seems that Rockstar realized that after creating a land area as large as San Andreas that it would have to seriously re-approach its thinking when it came to the handling of cars. There are a ton of things in this regard that I haven't even mentioned yet too, like the improved AI of carjacking victims, the ability to pick up hitchhikers, a super-sweet Monster truck that can crush other vehicles, more realistic boat physics, and a ton of other related things that are better left to your experience rather than a descriptor. The Player's Club Of all the improvements made to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, however, the most important are the enhancements to the existing gameplay mechanics. Though similar to Vice City in that you can still lock on to enemies with the R1 button and cycle through targets with the L2 and R2 keys, the system is much smarter than it was before. One of the biggest complaints in Vice City, for instance, was that the target-cycle would lock onto dead enemies as well as live ones -- costing you valuable firefight time and making missions more frustrating than they should be. Now that problem is completely fixed with a much more accurate (and faster) cursor that locks onto the biggest threat in front of you until it's completely eliminated.