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Graphics & Performance
As I'm sure you are well aware, (the game having been released on PS2 for quite some time) San Andreas is a console port. This immediately causes some PC gamers to quake in their boots, after some recent, rather questionable ports. The game play in San Andreas really benefits from being ported to the PC. For example, mouse look and keyboard controls are FAR better than any console controller can manage, particularly in large gunfights and combat situations - none of that auto-targeting nonsense that just drives me insane! However, the one thing that does undoubtedly suffer is the graphics. The game engine has barely changed since Vice City (GTA3, even) and compared to the graphical prowess of recent PC releases, such as Riddick, Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, Doom3 and HL2, not to mention Far Cry, San Andreas' visuals start to look somewhat dated and out of their element. The most disappointing aspect of the graphics engine has to be the character models. Particularly for anybody who has grown accustom to a HL2 level of character detail. These now look so dated its almost laughable, low resolution textures and below par facial animation. What really brings it home to you about how poor some of these models actually are, are their hands. Rather than a nicely rendered full 4 fingers and a thumb, your persona has a pair of hooks for hands, that look as if they have been ported across from 'Lego Star Wars' albeit for the fact that they are not yellow.
This isn't to say there haven't been improvements over the PS2 version. Shadows have been vastly improved. This on its own undoubtedly improves the atmosphere of the city, with buildings casting shadows across the streets as the sun slowly sets. A trip to the neon lights of Las Venturas amply shows off the improved lighting over its console brethren. Draw distances have been improved too, which on a map as large as San Andreas gives scope for some impressive cityscapes. And finally of course there is support for high resolutions, right up to 1600x1200, which really enhances the level of detail in the game. I realized just how great the impact of this was, after being used to playing at 1600x1200 I had a stab on the Xbox version (shame on me!) and had to turn away in disgust.
There is of course one benefit of an older graphics engine and that is that anyone with a relatively new graphics card should be able to run this game at full settings and even higher resolutions without much of a struggle. Indeed, it seemed so much of a waste running this game on an SLI test rig, as I'm sure that even at the gaming nirvana of a resolution that is 1600x1200 those 6800 Ultras were sitting around wondering what to do next. Even so, I wouldn't recommend running this game on anything less than a 9600pro level graphics card, if you want all the nice lighting features enabled at a decent resolution. However, if you could run Vice City at a decent level, then chances are San Andreas will run just fine.
As for sound, well, you cant really go far without noticing the excellent sound track provided by San Andreas' various radio stations. Ranging from old skool and early 90's hip-hop to early house music and even Country and Western, there is certainly a lot of variety, and the choice of tracks is genuinely very good, adding to the 90's feel. Oh, and make sure you listen to some of the hilarious talk shows, not to mention tongue-in-cheek adverts. However, it might just be my personal preference, but I must admit to preferring Vice City's soundtrack above San Andreas. This, of course, is not a problem on the PC version, as you can setup your own user defined MP3 radio station, with whichever songs suite your musical palette. This is a small, but rather nice addition, if you have listened to the existing stations for long enough!
As for general environmental sound, full surround sound is supported, which is nice if you are lucky enough to have a full surround sound setup. Everything is of good quality. Cars sound, well like cars and planees, you guessed it, sound like planes. On a whole the sound of the hustle and bustle of the city is brought to life, pulling you further into the GTA world.
