Did you know you could engage in relationships, run in a marathon and do courier missions? What kind of gangster game is this? Parachuting into the middle of the city and doing missions in the quarry don't sound like Grand Theft Auto, but the more we can do the better! Now on that note, while everyone is enjoying the new hovercraft, two player mode and freight trains, I've added a whole bunch of new publicity shots to the screenshots gallery.

Airstrip

Billiard

Trucking

Multiplayer

Biking

Womaniser

Hovercraft

Parachuting

Triathlon

I still don't understand, since when do gangsters run in triathlons? In other news, adamcs has just acquired the technology to make high-quality videos of the PS2 game, so expect some video footage if all goes well.

The PAL version of San Andreas has been released online by CHRONiC, and has been making its way across the internet. Similarly to the USA release, it is packaged at a comfortable 2800mb, allowing it to fit on a standard DVD5 disc, contrary to Rockstar claiming a less-popular DVD9 disc will be necessary.

In related news, the NTSC version of San Andreas was leaked a whooping 6 days before release date by PARANOiD, and was quickly thereafter available.

The GFCC, having made a name for itself by churning our Gameshark codes for both GTA3 and Vice City, is awakening. With the PS2 release having a comfortable exclusive, the GFCC guys will have plenty of fun making all kinds of wicked Gameshark codes for you.

Have a look around their San Andreas hacking forum for all kinds of codes ranging from stamina to weight to spawn any car you like.

With the numbers speaking for themselves, and analysts expecting the total sales of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to surpass those of best selling box office flicks such as Titanic, San Andreas is undoubtedly a success. And looking at the activity on our San Andreas forums, there is a huge number of people playing the game already.

With that in mind, a few helpful members of our forums have put together some helpful documents for your gaming pleasure.

• Meth. has put together a 100% Tick Sheet which lists all the things you need to do to finish San Andreas. It's a huge list, which you're free to print out.
• Tehhunter has put together a good list of commonly asked questions, which he is constantly updating.
• One of the first San Andreas walkthroughs has been published on GameFAQs, so if you're stuck on anything be sure to check there.

Over the coming weeks we'll be rearranging the site to provide more helpful information to enjoy the game, breaking up the screenshots section and putting up more screenshots and plenty more. The fun has just started!

GameSpot have added 20 new digital screenshots to their gallery, so be sure to check them out.

San Andreas will be released in the UK on 29th October. For those of you who already have the game (presumably in the US) check out this GTAForums topic for a list of confirmed cheats.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has been released in the US. The game is scheduled for release in the UK on 29th October. Go and grab a copy while you can!

GameSpot and IGN were first to review Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas online, with the game scoring 9.6 and 9.9 out of 10!

Both sites have added quite a number of new screenshots to their galleries (32 on GameSpot). The images show off the new HUD display, CJ playing pool, and the very first co-op screens. Be sure to check out the new videos on IGN and GameSpot, and of course GameSpot's video 'review' (Don't worry, no more Greg Kasavin).

Related Links: GameSpot Review, IGN Review, IGN Screenshots, GameSpot Screenshots.

While this may come as no suprise given the release date is tomorrow, Take2 sent out this press release today:

Somehting else worth mentioning is that a number of retailers (EB and GameStop, for example) have said they will begin selling the game at 7pm tonight in North America to those who pre-ordered it. But then, most with pre-orders probably got a call informing them they could pick up their copy, so if you did, you probably already know this. Whatever the case, good luck getting your copy. If you haven't pre-ordered it, it might be a good idea to try non-game-specific stores such as toy shops and department stores early tomorrow, as the traditional game retailers will surely be busy...

GameSpot have released a brand new preview focusing on Street Talk. A bulleted list for your pleasure:

• CJ has many different moods that he articulates through over 4,200 comments. This number excludes the over 3,500 scripted comments and lines in the over two hours of motion-captured cut-scenes.
• Depending on the way you treat and customise CJ, his mood will change as time progresses. For example there's fat CJ, pissed-off CJ, wisecracking CJ, and sweet-talking CJ, to name just a few.
• When talking to another character, you control what CJ says. Press left on the D-Pad for a negative response, and right for a positive response.
• There are over 300 different kinds of pedestrians in the game with over 60,000 different comments.
• Pedestrians will talk to CJ about their daily lives. And like every pedestrian, they have opinions. They will comment on nearly anything about CJ's appearance - his choice of clothing, tattoo, hairstyle etc.
• Pedestrians also talk to each other, and if you listen carefully enough, you can pick up very interesting details about their daily lives.

Be sure to check out the 2 new movies that were added to the GameSpot collection, here.

Related Links: GameSpot Preview, New Screenshots

Rockstar were kind enough to send us fansite exclusive screenshots for the month of October, plus a feature about High Grade weapons. See the full preview, here!

Note: This news post contains full radio track listings and Voiceactor lists. If you don't want to know, don't read any further.

The Official Playstation Magazine (US) were first to review GTA: San Andreas, and it recieved Game of the Month with a whopping 5 out of 5. They also revealed tons of new information, including voiceactors, gameplay info, radio listings and an interview with the president of Rockstar Games, Sam Houser.

OPM confirmed the co-op feature, and revealed that 2 player rampages are possible. There are also many other 2-player activies in the game (Rampages come in two forms, on-foot, or in a car). We are also told that during 2-play, the screen is not split. In San Andreas, you have the ability to take photos with a camera, and store them on your memory card. The number of storable photos depends on the size of your memory card. CJ can also date other girls.

Read More for the full radio track listings!

Voiceactors

Related Link: GTAForums Discussion

You have the chance to win a FREE Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas strategy guide. Check out PlanetGrandTheftAuto for details!

IGN: Insane Stunts of San Andreas

IGN has just posted a new article about the insane stunt jumps. Along with the article, there's some new movies as well!

GameSpot have also added two new videos. Be sure to check them out.

Related Links: IGN Article, New Movies, GameSpot Videos

The webmaster over at Rockstar just sent through the long-awaited answers to the Fansite Q&A from a couple of months back. With just a couple of days to go until San Andreas goes on sale, the completed Q&A session confirms a few things lots of people have been wondering about, and adds a few more curiously interesting hints to ponder in the run-up to the release. Here are an excerpt from the text, click read more below to check out the rest. Enjoy!

Firstly, we got our hands on some digital screenshots that were featured in magazine previews earlier this month. They are a bit small, but definitely worth a look. (We'll have them in 640x448px format soon).

Thanks to Jordan from our partnersite PlanetGrandTheftAuto for the images!. Note that the first image looks a lot like this IGN exclusive. If you look closely, you will notice that they are infact slightly different.

San Andreas will be released in the US next Tuesday. If you haven't already pre-ordered, do so now!

Unless you've been hiding under a rock all day, you've probably heard the rumors making their way around the intraweb about San Andreas being leaked online. Sadly, it turns out that this is in fact the case. With just five days left until the game hits store shelves, pirated copies of San Andreas have begun to circulate the web. Moments ago, Rockstar sent out the following statement regarding this unfortunate turn of events:

With just a week to go before San Andreas goes on sale, Rockstar has finally revealed the Las Venturas section on the official site! Not only that, but the third trailer, entitled "Homecoming", is online too. And, with that, I'm off to explore the site myself...

New screenhots from the Las Ventura update added to the gallery; just in case the offical site's too slow from all the traffic, or you just want to see them all in one place. Here's a few that caught my attention:

Thanks to the Webmaster@R* for the heads up.

Rockstar were kind enough to send us the assets from this weekend's IGN and Gamespot previews. Enjoy!

Check out the official website for longer/different clips of the featured radio stations.

Take-2 Interactive, parent of company of Rockstar Games have released more details regarding the double CD soundtrack.

The track listing for the double CD follows.

CD 1

1. The Theme From San Andreas
2. Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name
3. 2 Pac - I Don't Give A F*ck
4. James Brown - The Payback
5. Ronnie Hudson - West Coast Poplock
6. Guy - Groove Me
7. Eddie Money - Two Tickets To Paradise
8. Cypress Hill - How I Could Just Kill A Man
9. The Maytals - Pressure Drop
10. Slick Rick - Children's Story
11. Rick James - Cold Blooded
12. Raze - Break 4 Love

CD 2

1. Ohio Players - Funky Worm
2. Heart - Barracuda
3. Compton's Most Wanted - Hood Took Me Under
4. Lyn Collins - Think About It
5. Public Enemy - Rebel Without A Pause
6. Faith No More - Midlife Crisis
7. Bell Biv Devoe - Poison
8. Max Romeo & The Upsetters - Chase The Devil
9. Eric B & Rakim - I Know You Got Soul
10. Willie Nelson - Crazy

Bonus Track:
11. AFI - Head Like A Hole

See the press statement here.

The latest issue of PSM2 UK contains their 'final verdict' of San Andreas—although, judging on what was said, it sounds as if they've never even played the game!

A lot of the information hasn't been confirmed, and it's simply PSM2's opinion of things, so don't take all of this for granted.

• Confirmed music tracks include: Lil Louis - French Kiss, A Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Ray, NWA - Express Yourself, and "that track from a seminal 90's grundge band".
• PSM2 said that they drove from Los Santos to Las Venturas in 5 minutes on a Wayfarer. That was however, taking the shortest route, and the same journey would take 30 minutes cross-country.
• PSM2 are convinced that skateboards will be in the game.
• They also claim that you can control all of the planes in San Andreas, including Private Jets. You can carry up to eight gang members with you on a bigger plane/helicopter.
• No more heart icons—Eating food is the only way to replenish your health.
• They are also pretty sure that there will be quad bike racing side missions.
• PSM2 say that, when on a BMX, you can bunny hop by holding down L1. The longer you hold it the further you jump.

Thanks once again to Satriales at our forum!

Gamespot: Gang Life of San Andreas

GameSpot have released a new preview focusing on "thug life". Here is a quick summary of the new info:

• Rockstar North did some 'gang research' whilst developing San Andreas. To help with this, they consulted DJ Pooh, Mister Cartoon, Estevan Oriol, and hundreds of other people.
• Gangs in Los Santos include: The Orange Grove Families, the Ballas, the Vagos, and the Varrios Los Aztecas.
• Gang members are recognised by their clothing, tattoos, and hand signs. These are useful for two reasons--It allows police to identify gang set or victim, and it allows gang members to interact. The downside is, people in Los Santos musn't wear the wrong colours, or they'll be in for a beating!
• The character models now have fingers (No more blocky hands!)
• Each gang has its own territory, indicated by street warnings, wall graffiti, or simply violence. ie, Ballas jacking a pedestrian's car, drive-by shootings and such.
• Each of the 4 gangs in Los Santos is split up into 'sets'. This is good and bad news. Bad because, not all sets get along, and good, because there's plenty of backup.
  • Orange Grove Families
    Once one of the most powerful gangs in the city, they have broken up recently due to violence, and splitting up. Almost completely surrounded by Balla territory.
  • Temple Drive Families
    An old gang in Los Santos, located up north. Connected with the Orange Grove Families--If CJ needs help, they'll do just that.
  • Seville Blvd Families
    They only control a small patch of land in south east Los Santos, just under the Saints stadium. They used to be part of the Orange Grove Families, and again, they may be willing to help CJ. There is still trouble within the gang though, and can't always be relied upon.
  • The Ballas
    Sporting purple outfits, currently at war with the Orange Grove Families. They come in two sets.
  • Front Yard Ballas
    Los Santos' most nutorious drug dealers, and the Orange Grove Families' biggest rival. They currently control the 'Jefferson' area.
  • Rollin Height Ballas
    These thugs backup the Front Yard Ballas, and control only the tiny area of Glen Park. Slowly expanding southwards into Idlewood..
  • Los Santos Vagos
    Based in north Los Santos, Las Colinas and Los Flores, this gang is currently at war in East Los Santos. Heavily involved in drug trade.
  • Varios Los Aztecas
    A latin gang controlling areas in south Los Santos--Little Mexico and El Corona. At war with the Vagos, and headed by Cesar, an original gangster, and boyfriend of CJ's sister Kendal.

Be sure to check out the new screenshots that came with the article!

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is scheduled for release in 9 days, in the US. Stay with GTASanAndreas.net for all of the latest news and info as it arrives!

Related Links: GameSpot Preview, New Screenshots

The new soundtrack page has just gone up, with all the information so far about the standalone soundtrack boxset and the radio stations.

Don't forget to come back later on in the day for information on Gamespot's Saturday preview, and pay us a visit on Monday, when we'll be the first to bring you word on the official track listings.

IGN: The Soundtracks of San Andreas

• Details: 11 functional radio stations, 20 different DJs.
• "More licensed music than in any other action videogame in history."
• "Instead of looping the sounds heard on each station, the entire setup is dynamic."
• "Players can expect to hear live weather bulletins, deadly accurate news updates, music blocks, custom track lead-ins and outs, and call-ins from people all over the state."
• Three times the amount of commercials in GTA3.
• Music will sound different depending on your car and its stereo.
• You will be able to buy the soundtrack standalone in two versions, both available November 23rd.
  • Double album with highlights from each station.
  • Giant box set with 8 CDs.
• One new radio station in addition to the ones mentioned earlier: WCTR talk radio. The DJ is secret (aka Lazlow?) as is all other information about it.

Along with the preview, there are two new screenshots and eleven artworks for all the radio stations. Expect a new and fully revised soundtrack page once adamcs wakes up!

Just received word that Gamespot will be running a San Andreas article tomorrow night. Also, I just received the two screenshots that were up on IGN and Gamespot earlier in the week.

San Andreas Soundtrack Tuner

The official site has just been updated with a soundtrack tuner, a teaser for the official track listing being revealed on Monday, 18th of October.

Available to listen are 10 radio stations.

• Master Sounds (soul, groove and funk)
• Playback (hip hop)
• Bounce FM (funk)
• K-DST (rock and roll)
• K-Jah Radio West (dancehall, reggae and dub)
• CSR (modern soul)
• Radio:X (modern rock)
• K-Rose (country and western)
• Radio Los Santos (west coast hip hop)
• SF-UR (house music)

From what is available right now, it can be safely said that this soundtrack will be ace! At this point we are not able to confirm if these will be the only radio stations. Have a listen to the stations however, and visit back on Monday for detailed track listings.

We are also able to confirm that Rockstar Games will be partnering up with Interscope Records to release a soundtrack for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, expected to hit shelves November 23rd. The double CD will feature "a mix of select tracks from San Andreas' many in-game radio stations."

IGN have added brand new screenshot of Las Venturas to their gallery. This is one of the first looks we have had at the gambling system. It shows the player playing Blackjack with the dealer, and winning. Go check it out!

Gamespot have also added a new screenshot to their collection. The screenshot shows a dune buggy driving through the desert, and a plane flying towards it. Go check it out!

Some days ago we were told that a modified version of the San Andreas trailer started circulating airwaves, first seen on G4TechTV. Rockstar seems to have keep quiet about it, but there is some additional footage in the trailer, along with some changed scenes.

Today, courtesy of Timka we have a videocap of the trailer to show you. This particular advert was recorded from Comedy Central. After investigating the legalities of posting this file, we have come to the outcome that it should be fine. This file will however only remain online for a few days, so download when you can.

San Andreas TV Commercial (11.11MB)

Keep an eye on Gamespot and IGN this evening for some new screenshots - Thanks to Rockstar for the heads up. They also sent us the exclusive screenshots that were posted earlier this week:

After the online multiplayer rumors were shot down by Rockstar, new ones emerged from magazines stating there will be a two-player, co-operative mode. We now have more information on this rumor.

SPOnG.com visited Rockstar offices yesterday for a demonstration of San Andreas, and they decided to pursue these multiplayer rumors. After hearing the same lines from Rockstar reps about no multiplayer functionality, they did manage to pay close to attention to the game and are able to bring us this new info:

To sum it up:

• Dedicated two-player experience for a second player to join in.
• CJ will rescue a girl from a burning building, they engage in a relationship and the girl will be playable (probably using second controller).
• Co-operative features include one person driving and the other shooting, and a range of other mini-games.
• When co-operative mode is enabled, icons will display two-player missions on the map.

That means a whole new playing experience, with co-operative mode for a second person to join in! Add this to the already existing information about the huge state and three cities and I think Rockstar has gone beyond anything we were expecting.

The ever-vigilant Jordan over at PlanetGrandTheftAuto spotted the news that San Andreas has gone gold!

This info comes in from Inside Gamer Online, who, oddly enough, think "the series takes on a whole new perspective" by replacing Tommy Vercetti. Does this mean they think Vercetti has been the main character all along? But, erm, anyhow... While we've yet to receive confirmation from Rockstar just yet, the timing of it makes sense with there being only twelve days until release. Whatever the case, an official announcement from Rockstar and/or Take2 should happen any day now.

One of the most credible site for such announcements, GoneGold.com is down due to unknown circumstances at the time of writing.

Recently the German entertainment ratings commission announced that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas will be released in Germany with the rating from 16. This means the game will be censored, and today we bring you some information on this censorship:

• There will be NO special animation for headshots.
• There will be NO "reward" for killing people, for example they will not leave money behind after dying.
• You will NOT be able to interact with corpses (Such as hitting or kicking dead bodies).
  
• Blood effects WILL stay in the game, uncensored.
• All story missions, weapons and vehicles WILL stay as in the original version.

Are these details a taste of what's to come for other countries that will be limiting their San Andreas release? Well we know that San Andreas will stay uncut in the United States, having been given the rating M for Mature. The game will also remain uncut in the United Kingdom, where it has been rated as an 18+ game. The Australian version will no doubt be censored, to what degree and if as severely as Vice City is yet unknown.

A taste of what to expect in the official Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas strategy guide:

• Detailed mission walkthroughs, with clear instructions of where to drive, and what to do to make the most money & respect with expert strategies.
• Coverage of the new character abilities including eating, swimming, and more.
• A picture showroom of all of the game's vehicles.
• Detailed maps of the whole state.
• Hidden package/rampage/unique stunt jump guides, hidden bonuses and other extras.
• The guide is available to buy on 29th October, consisting of 300 pages (The Vice City guide had 180 pages).
• The Signature Series guide features cool bonus content, a premium foldout and much more! The guide contains a huge poster showing a map of the three cities, and locations for every side mission.
• Future-Press is making the official German translation of BradyGames' San Andreas guide.

Thanks to GTAScene for the german guide information.

Related Links: BradyGames, Future-Press, Amazon

IGN and Gamespot have added one new screenshot to their galleries (As in, one each).

Rah! So here we are with only two weeks left until San Andreas hits store shelves in North America. While we impatiently wait for these last thirteen and a half days to crawl by, the levels of excitement and anticipation amongst fans will surely climb right through the roof. And as the excitement builds, the amount of rumors and speculation will likewise grow exponentially to match. Because of this, we felt it might be a good time to bring some of the more persistent rumors into the light of day, and see what they're all about. A brief search through pretty much any message board across the intraweb will turn up any number of strange and unfounded rumors about various features in the game. For now, I'm just going to touch on a handful that are frequently repeated, or may otherwise leave people confused in two weeks when they finally see the game in action. (Note: this post is kind of long, so be sure to hit the "read more" link for the rest)

Rumor 1: Driving schools, driving stats, and car handling, oh my...

Over the weekend, many of us read in horror as Gamespot told us how the driving schools and stats would affect the overall handling of all the cars. The general consensus to this revelation was a resounding "WTF" at the implications that either A: the player's ability to handle cars would be handicapped from the start, or B: that the actual car handling would change throughout the game. Perhaps the biggest concern was that the latter would mean cars would eventually behave like the "perfect handling" cheat from the previous games, thereby taking all the fun out of, say, power-sliding a Manana through a group of peds. Then of course there were the general fears that artificially boosting the handling would make they player's actual skill quite pointless...

The latest playPlaystation magazine (December issue) is starting to appear on magazine racks in Germany, and along with the huge double-page advertisements there is also a preview with three new pieces of information:

• When CJ has enough respect, he can go to his turf in Los Santos, recruit up to 8 'homies' to take with him for a gang war. Once they follow him, they shoot at anyone who is harming CJ.
• In stores such as Binco and SubUrban you can also buy watches, hats, necklaces and chains.
• Remote controlled vehicles will be making a return. (Already known by some degree, including remote controlled bomb airplanes.)

Related Links: GTA-SanAndreas.de (original source), GTAForums topic.

As promised, R* have sent out the assets from this weekends IGN & Gamespot previews - Enjoy!

Check out the rest of the screenshots here, and stay tuned for all of the latest news and info, as it arrives!

We now have a second audio clip of Young Maylay rapping, thanks to a bit of research by Dead At 4 PM--who got in touch with Deeyah (a female rapper) who then provided a link to the audio clip.

Listen to Young Maylay rap in "What will it be", now!

Note: Young Maylay can be heard in the background (Er, obviously).

Gamespy have finally released the preview that they promised 2 weeks ago. Like IGN & Gamespot, the preview's main focus was of San Fierro. Have a look.

Catalina

Several months ago, Play Magazine (issue 118) revealed that a 'mystery girl', returning from a previous title, would appear in San Andreas. Rockstar have kept quiet, and the girl's face was blacked out during demonstrations at Rockstar HQ. So who could it be? Well, we have Mercedés Cortez from Vice City (a huge favourite), Auntie Poulet, (although I'm not sure they'd make such fuss over her), Candy Suxx, perhaps, Maria, Catalina, and more!

But the question remains, who is it? PSM2 may probably have the answer:

Okay, so pretty much everybody assumed Catalina anyway, but still, we now know that this character played a part in GTA3, which (basically) narrows it down to Catalina and Maria (Or, if you like, Misty, who really didn't play a big part in the game).

Not to mention, the Liberty Tree website tells us that Catalina once lived (Remember San Andreas is set before GTA3) in "Los" somewhere, or "San" something or other.

Whats that, a top-secret two-player mode? Righto, we do know that boat school, driving school and CJ throwing up are all confirmed features, so why not two-player? Anything is possible.

Meanwhile, Play Magazine UK tell us that Vice City took 12 months to develop, whilst San Andreas has taken upto 24. Think about that for a moment. Vice City was one of the best selling games ever, a sequel to the revolutionary GTA3. San Andreas has taken twice aslong to develop, and the map size has multipled by 5. Incredible, no? There's still time - pre-order now!

The Gamespot San Andreas weekend preview has just gone up, with 6 exclusive screenshots, following IGN's Welcome to San Fierro feature.

• In the centre of the Cobra Martial Arts dojo of San Fierro is the sensei inside a ring. Once you can get him in a conversation, you will be able to learn from him.
• At the start of the game CJ is equipped for fighting with what he knows from the streets. Going to dojos gives him new fighting styles, and you will be able to go back to different dojos to learn different styles. You will not be able to get back CJ's original street fighting style.
• There are buildings which are slowly rebuilding in the city, victims of an earthquake.
• Cinematic stunt features are back (without surprise).
• New audio features include echos in closed spaces on a cargo ship.

The article covers a lot of what we've already found out from print previews, including car customisation, the 3 San Fierro demo missions, the stealth feature and the climbing obstacles feature. Gamespot were given some little things to expand on:

• Your first safehouse will be CJ's mother's old house. Here you will be able to save your game (in an icon the shape of a floppy disk) and change your clothes.
• As the game moves on, more safehouses will be available to you, some of which you will have to purchase.
• In CJ's apartment there is a naked picture of Candy Suxxx on the wall, just as in Tommy's office in VC.
• By drawing a weapon and pressing L1 you will be able to view your skill level with that weapon. You will start out with "Poor" with all weapons, but will be able to progress to "Gangster" and even "Hitman."
• Walking up to a red marker in front of a schooling facility, you will be able to partake in challenges of the school and increase your proficiency in that area. (For example driving school and boating school)
• Cranberry Station of San Fierro will be a place where you can see trains. As opposed to sitting inside as a passenger and travelling around, you will also be able to jack the train and perform freight train missions, which consist of you driving trains to the right station to drop off cargo.
• Read more...

Related links: Gamespot Preview, New Screenshots.

Opie and Anthony

It would seem that hungry-for-controversy Rockstar has employed two controversial radio personalities Opie and Anthony to do some radio station work in San Andreas. In a recent interview with the guys, they expressed their amazement for San Andreas, but couldn't comment further because they had "signed certain things."

Opie and Anthony were kicked from radio waves during the summer for a stunt involving a contest for having sex in public places. After a couple was found having sex in St. Patrick's cathedral, their pranks caught up to them and the show was taken off the air. They do have a new show coming to XM satellite radio.

We shall see what they can contribute to San Andreas. A discussion about this is growing on GTAForums.com.

'Tis that time again folks and this week - IGN focus on the city of San Fierro.

• You can find all different kinds of people in San Fierro - homeless people, Starbucks Yuppies, and the aforementioned hippie-types.
• Garcia was described as "one of the most hostile areas there can be". It is believed to be the main location for international drug trade.
• In San Fierro, you'll find more locations for unique stunt jumps than any other area of the map.
• Every vehicle has been "built and rebuilt from the ground up". ie, each vehicle has completely different properties. For example, one vehicle may best be suited to long journies, while another could be best suited to driving in hilly areas.
• You can decide whether to have an open roof, closed roof, and you even have the ability to increase the bass of your car stereo!
• Wheel Angels specialises in doing mods for street racing, whilst a garage in Los Santos specialises in creating high-end low-riders.
• Taxi & Ambulance missions have returned. You can also tow cars in erm, 'car-towing missions', whether they want to be towed or not!
• Read more...

Related Links: San Fierro Preview, New Screenshots

The Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK has included a four page San Andreas preview in their November issue (#52). There are no new screenshots, but we were able to squeeze some new info out:

• Included in the game will be hundreds of interiors.
• There will be a non-pilotable nuclear submarine in San Andreas. (Perhaps docked in the harbor somewhere!)
• In order to learn new moves in the gym, you will have to beat the master of the specific sport you are learning (eg. Dojo, boxing).
• You will be able to dig holes in the desert. (Purpose unknown)
• Using the Pay 'n Spray will not overwrite any previous custom paint jobs you have from Transfender.
• While crouched, you will still be able to strafe, roll and shuffle.
• Trees, branches and bushes break if they are hit hard enough.
  AND...
• You can also knock down fences with enough power.
• You can set fire to buildings.

Related link: GTAForums topic, and a thanks to kudrun & Toomuchbrock.

Just letting you know that everyone should keep a close eye on Gamespot and IGN this weekend. Both sites will be putting up new San Andreas information and screenshots in the form of previews. Gamespy will be putting up a San Andreas preview early next week as well. I've been told that these will be stories worth seeing, so stay tuned.

Thanks to PlanetGrandTheftAuto and Rockstar Games for the collaboration.

Game Informer have released some new details in their November issue - the focus being, gangs. They gave a detailed description of how territory can be won by different groups (This is old information, see the P2 summary from last month). They did however, tell us how the gang recruitment system works:

Approach pedestrians sporting the OGF colours, and target them with the R1 button. You are given an option, select 'up', or 'down' on the D-Pad, and if the recruit returns your offer with a gang symbol, they're now a part of your team. The new system allows you to target your recruits with R1, and you have the ability to make them defend you, attack opponents, or simply follow you.

Thanks to GTAGaming for the news.

Right, so we found out that Young Maylay will be voice acting Carl Johnson, our main character. We know that he's a young musician in Los Angeles, California. We know that he has an original voice and that DJ Pooh and Dan Houser both adore him. Now here's the chance to find out what he sounds like, rapping!

Listen to Young Maylay rap in Salute n G's!

As you can probably tell, there's two rappers collaborating on this track, and Maylay starts at 1:18. Feel free to contribute your opinion.

Both Play Magazine UK and Official Playstation 2 Magazine Australia have done new San Andreas previews. The bulleted lists strike again!

From Play UK:

• R* reckon that it takes 100 hours to complete the main story missions.
• Cop helicopter fly around the cities, searching for criminals even when you havent got any stars.
• Kung fu, boxing street fighting can all be learnt, once you have learnt them you can use them and mix and match between them.
• Possibility of hot dog R3 missions!
• The Gant bridge is SO big that the weather can be different on both ends.
• you have 360 degree camera control. The faster you go the less rotation is allowed - eg. go fast and you can only look left and right.
• Los Santos property costs a lot of money.
• You can drive a combine harvester into the city.
• No 2 buildings are the same (with the exception of a selection of houses in estates which would look the same in real life).
• CJ can vault over ledges one handed.

Now for the Australians, the Australian release date has been confirmed by the magazine's editors as November 12, 2004. The other details from the magazine..

• The bulldozer will be steered by the rear wheels rather than the front.
• The riding lawnmower is the slowest vehicle in the game.
• Along with the already-confirmed katana, the golf club makes a return, too.
• The BMX and mountain bike are different in that the mountain bike has gears that are chosen automatically. Manual gear shifting is not yet confirmed.
• Just as you could stop criminals from running from the cops in Vice City and get $50, you can do the same except with putting out fires in San Andreas. The money reward amount is not confirmed.
• One animation improvement is that Carl will not only change his stance with each new weapon, but he will also change stances with the same weapon as his skills increase with that particular weapon.
• One of the ways that aircraft are more improved in San Andreas is that the crop duster can preform maneuvers such as barrel rolls, hammerheads and loops.
• Carl automatically targets enemies heads when he is at the correct range.
• The first place you find the desert eagle and the shovel is in the desert.
• Characters will respond to noise (gunshots, explosions) more realistically.
• Carl can lock onto anyone in the game (even if he isn't holding a weapon).
• Some of the time, you will be able to block (depends on the weapon that Carl is holding).
• Fires will play a bigger role than you might think. Through explosions from cars, grenades or even molotov cocktails, you could set fire to a huge portion of the map. This includes buildings, countryside and more. This can be used to your advantage, of course.
• You will be able to fire at enemies when backing up on your motorcycle or bike.
• A plough is in the game and Carl can use it to smash through buildings, flip cars and cause chaos all over San Andreas.
• There are several environmental objects that you will be able to destroy: milk crates, chain-linked and barb-wire fences, several types of plants, couches, chairs, other furniture and etc.

Thanks to dave100 at the Gamespot forums for the Play UK details, xeroer at edgeforums for the OPS2M Australia details, and a big thanks to Jordan from our partnersite PlanetGrandTheftAuto.

The october issues of Jeux Video and PSM2 France contain new details about the San Andreas gameplay. Jeux also released a few brand new screenshots!

In PSM2, the main focus was San Fierro:

• You are limited to a few combos at a time. It's up to you to decide which you'll learn and use.
• Each city has a few places where you can learn new moves and combos.
  Los Santos -> Boxing
  San Fierro -> Martial Arts
• The animation of attacks has improved greatly, and is much smoother than in Vice City.
• Aswell as swimming, CJ can 'dive'.
• Some new info on the targeting system (Auto-aim):
  A green crosshair is great. Yellow is more tricky and black is impossible to kill. For more precision, an FPS like system is available too.
• CJ can also use tactical "Solid Snake" moves to kill silently.
• The 'quality' of goods in clothing stores vary:
  Binco -> Cheap clothing
  Pro Laps -> Sports
  SubUrban -> Fashion

The only thing mentioned in Jeux magazine was that there won't be an Alcatraz in San Andreas

Thanks to GTAFrance for the originals, and Goldrusher_XT for the help with translations.

It seems SanAndreas.de, the 'official' german website for San Andreas revealed more of the map than they were supposed to! Earlier today the main flash clip with Cesar would also allow you to see the Las Venturas area, now the mistake has been corrected.

Unfortunately, we can no longer show you the images, and R* confirmed that the map is NOT accurate.

Another German print publication, Man!ac, has done a San Andreas preview in their November issue. Between going on about the larger polygon counts and shorter loading times, they revealed a few less-known pieces of information that are of no news to me, but might not be familiar to you folks.

• When in gang wars, you will be able to give the gang members that respect you tactical advice (such as in a war simulation game).
• Playing basketball will be a side-game such as ambulance missions or gambling in casinos.
• As in the previous GTAs, the standard police force (LSPD) will give up after 4 wanted stars, leaving you to defend yourself from tougher forces at 5 & 6 stars.
• Shop owners will draw weapons and defend themselves if they feel threatened.

Related links: GTA-News.de (original source), GTAForums topic.

Featuring three new screenshots of San Fierro, the November issue of Edge Magazine sports a two-page preview on the new Grand Theft Auto. Some of the information seems a bit shaky, but here's a run-down of the preview:

• In addition to the marine wildlife referred to in the quote above, flocks of birds will be seen in San Andreas.
• The tyres of the BMX bike "make a humming sound as they coast over the tarmac."
• Rough weather includes combinations of thunder and lightning.
• As seen in a video on the official site, clouds are no longer textures, but real objects to fly through.
• Your quest for hidden packages and bonus powerups will have you climbing on cars and ledges to get to otherwise inaccessible areas.

The new screenshots show a new angle of the Gant bridge, CJ driving a motorbike under the Gant bridge with the Kincaid railway bridge in the background, and a hippy in front of his "Love Van" with a rainbow in the background.

Related link: GTAForums topic.

Check out our new desktops page, which contains some never-before seen wallpapers!

The images were found at the retail section on the official website. Enjoy!

The October issue of Gamepro Netherlands has a rather extensive San Andreas preview. Here's a look over the new points:

• In one of the early missions CJ will be given the choice to wear the orange clothes of his gang. Doing this will earn you respect but you will be a marked man in enemy turf. Playing the safe way and wearing casual clothes won't get you much respect.
• When you buy new clothes, your old ones will automatically be saved in your safehouse.
• CJ will be customisable with beards and moustaches.
• A good selection of houses in the cities and towns will be enterable (and robbable).
• To start a robbery mission you will have to enter a furniture van and press R3.
• For a successful robbery you need to outfit yourself with ski goggles (enabling you to sneak around), and a furniture van where to load everything you are stealing.
• During a robbery you will be presented with individual items to carry out of the house into your van, one by one. When you're done, drive on to a courier who who you will sell the stolen merchandise to.
• Drives between cities take at least 15 minutes.
• It will take several minutes to drive only halfway up Mt. Chiliad with a dirtbike.
• Underneath Mt. Chiliad there is a tunnel.
• An advantage of training in the gym will be that you can hit harder and climb better.
• CJ will be able to climb around obstacles and fences in the same manner as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider. He will be able to hang onto ridges and pull himself up.
• If you get too heavy training for muscle, you will run slower.
• Experience with weapons will increase your accuracy with every weapon. (Not only the deagle as we've heard before)
• Every gang will have a favourite car that you will see them driving around in.
• Leaving cars on the street will get them towed, and you can steal them back from the impound yard.

Related link: GTAForums topic.

German magazine PC Games have published some new info.

• It is possible to open the roof of convertables, and shoot from inside the car.
• Police will communicate through the radio, and set up roadblocks. They will also discuss shortcuts to "catch" you.
• A bulldozer can be operated using the right analog stick. It is possible to destroy areas of the landscape.
• Waves/sea will change depending on the weather and wind speeds.
• There are more "alternative incomes", such as farming on a rapeseed field, or truck driving.
• CJ can take part in a bike race down Mount Chiliad.

Thanks to GTA-Action for the news.

Related Link: GTAForums Topic

After a long night of drinking the best drink in the world, Bacardi, I came home to see nice new goodies from Rockstar. There's a new postcard series and two new teaser sites. If you want to send a friend a San Andreas postcard, look on the updated Desktops page. The adverts for the new teasers sites are as follows:

Enjoy and have a good night (or a 4:38am morning).

As promised, Rockstar have sent us fansite exclusives for the month of September.