It might not be. Remember he made an appearance in Vice City.

At the end of the page which is essentially the end of the article, the author says that from what they have seen, this is not that much better then vice city. Maybe I read it wrong, but thats how I interpreted it.

i have 1 question about the grand theft auto games, Why is every single police men the same? Do they have like 1 guy and then they clone him lots of times, i its the same with normal people but they should have coppers that are just different

well black or white i will still enjoy san andreas. And mostley all charecters(pedestrians) look the same

New details about San Andreas emerge, as Australian magazine GamesTM publish a twelve-page preview.

The article focuses on the linking of cities, and the areas between those cities, i.e the countryside and the twelve small towns.

So if you follow a pedestrian, say in the morning he gets up, goes out of his house, you'll see that they have a destination to go to, they go to work, go to the store, meet up with a girl..
- Jeff Castenada, Rockstar Games


The change between city and countryside is gradual.
The air in Los Santos has a bright, gritty feel, and occasional bursts of rain; San Fierro is foggy; Las Venturas has clear air and harsh lights; the countryside has a warmer, more natural vibe to it.
The game has an improved use of partical effects. Exhaust smoke, tyres kicking up dirt, clouds of smoke when you stand on the brakes, and sparks flying from bullets.
Carjacking animations have improved. Rather than pulling the driver out of the vehicle, CJ opens the door, wacks him in the face, and throws him onto the road.
Country music is confirmed and will probably be picked up through radio stations in the countryside and small suburban towns
Kendall is angry with CJ because he wasn't around to help the family.
The number of recorded stats has increased. There will be a stat for just about everything you do; driving motorcycles, driving cars, swimming, running, sprinting and so on.
Pedestrians call obese Carl a 'fat ba*tard'. Even your own gang members say "dude, you need to lose some weight".
The pedestrian AI has improved greatly. You may see two pedestrians walking down a street, holding hands. If you break them apart, they'll react, and hold hands again.
Each pedestrian lives a different life. You can literally 'stalk' a pedestrian, watch he/she get out of their house, goto a shop, meet up with a girl, and go home again (for example).
Mt. Chilliad casts a massive shadow. All shadows are drawn by radiosity lighting, which covers the entire map.

Courtesy of Gamespot.com:

You'd be hard-pressed to find a game more eagerly anticipated than Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. From the information on the game that's trickled out so far, it seems that San Andreas will continue to evolve the simple but ultimately revolutionary free-roaming mission-based system that was introduced in GTA III. But Rockstar North is aiming to do more than simply offer the same kind of experience we've played before in the upcoming San Andreas. The game will take a dramatic departure from the previous entries in the series and will borrow liberally from both traditional Japanese dating sims and turn-based strategy games to create a new gameplay hybrid that--OK, no. Rockstar North is savvy enough to know that it can't rest on its laurels, but the team isn't insane either.


Oh God, my dignity! My precious, precious dignity!
San Andreas is being crafted to be an ambitious entry in the franchise, even by Grand Theft Auto's own revolutionary standards. While the core experience will stick close to Rockstar's winning formula of gritty criminal mayhem, San Andreas will also feature a host of new gameplay features that will make the world you'll explore even more interactive. Over the next few months, we'll be taking a look at these new features, and we'll be sharing new information and assets with you as well.

The first feature we'll be looking at is San Andreas' food mechanic, which will require you to keep your virtual alter ego, CJ, in good physical condition by tracking down some choice grub. The basics of the mechanic are simple: When CJ is hungry, a message will appear onscreen alerting you to his need for some chow. If you choose to ignore this missive, his energy level will start to decrease, and a host of other bad things will begin to happen. Superficially, your boy will get skinny and look generally emaciated, resulting in the ill-fitting of his clothes, which is hardly the look you want to have when trying to earn respect on the streets.

As if this wasn't bad enough, you won't just look weak. Your skinny butt will be unable to lift boxes or punch with any kind of force, thus ensuring many a beat-down in hand-to-hand fights. Along the same lines, you can say goodbye to speed and stamina, which will affect your performance as you swim, cycle, or run through the game.

To keep yourself from looking like Snoop Dogg's sickly cousin, you'll have to seek out places to chow down. We've been hipped to a few of the locales in Los Santos, the LA-inspired city in the state of San Andreas, where CJ will be able to get his food on. As with the previous GTA games, you can expect the food service establishments in San Andreas to mirror real-life locales--but with satirical twists.


Even supermodels have to work.
To wit, three of the franchise restaurants in the game are Cluckin' Bell, Well Stacked Pizza, and Burger Shot. Cluckin' Bell is the obligatory chicken shack that you'd find in most any civilized town. The Bell's menu is all about chicken, and it features such specialties as the Cluckin' Big Filet Burger and the Cluckin' Huge Double Filet. There's also a wings-pieces bucket and a "fowl wrap" burrito. Well Stacked Pizza is a pizzeria whose menu includes such pie variations as The Buster, The D-luxe, and The Double D-luxe. Finally, Burger Shot will offer delicacies such as the Double Barreled Burger, for those craving a regular dose of ground beef.

The restaurants are given an extra touch of realism, and it's a touch that's no doubt unpleasant for some. The employee uniforms for Cluckin' Bell and Burger Shot are of the fantastically demoralizing variety that anyone who's worked in fast food knows and loathes. However, if you're on the go (as any good gangsta should be, since sit-down meals beg for assassination attempts) and you don't want to hit up one of the above establishments, you can always stop by one of the vending carts that you'll find peppered throughout the city. An added bonus is that, based on our screenshot, it appears said carts are manned by moonlighting supermodels--which is never a bad thing.

Now, while it's clear Rockstar wants you to keep CJ fed in the game, just chowing down on anything and everything isn't going to do you any favors either. You obviously don't want CJ getting freakishly skinny and weak, but, at the same time, you don't need his morbidly obese butt rolling down the streets either. Each of the menu items we've mentioned has a specific caloric value that will affect how much CJ's energy and fat levels will increase. Finding the right balance between the two is a must, because eating too much can have some unpleasant results.


I'm not fat, I'm big-boned!
First and foremost, you will become fatter and fatter, resulting in the unpleasant sight of CJ bulging out of his clothes. Your tough saunter will become a waddle, and you won't be able to put your arms by your side. To drive the point home, you'll notice CJ struggling to catch his breath when standing still. If you let CJ reach obese proportions, expect the extra pounds to impact everything he does that involves physical exertion, such as lifting, climbing, swimming, cycling, running, and so on. You'll even find that some actions will be impossible to perform once CJ balloons up enough. His reaction time will be slow when fighting, and his pudgy bod will make a target so big your grandmamma could hit it.

To add insult to injury, expect to see non-player-character reactions to you change depending on your appearance. So plan on being taunted and not having much success with the ladies if you're too tubby. There really is nothing worse than being verbally abused by bandanna-wearing gang members in your own hood. Seriously. Worse still, if your rotund avatar has too much to eat, he'll just throw up, which isn't great either, because the money you spent on food will have gone to waste, and you'll be unable to buy more food for a while.

So what do you do to ensure that you'll be in tip-top shape? Eat properly, and wisely avoid binges. And, when in doubt, work out. While we can't go into too much detail on the game's exercise system just yet, we will say that, like the food mechanic, exercise seems like a simple gameplay addition at first but features a nice bit of depth to it. The benefits to having a healthy, fit CJ are pretty obvious. In peak condition, CJ will be faster and stronger. Additionally, he'll have more stamina and will demonstrate a quicker recovery time.


Hey, hey, hey, it's Faaaat... no, that's way too easy a shot.
The key thing to note is that skinny doesn't necessarily mean fit. You'll have to manage CJ's development of fat and muscle to have him be in optimal physical condition. Once you understand how the system works, you'll be able to have a custom CJ that you can physically tailor at your whim. For example, you can have CJ be relatively thin and possess little stamina, but you can also have him exercise and build up his strength to the point that he hits like a tank. The system appears to feature some nice, subtle touches that will affect your experience in the game based on how other characters react to CJ's overall appearance. The potential fat and muscle combinations can make for some very interesting looks for CJ.

While there's no word on how much of San Andreas' food will be Atkins-friendly, the food system seems like it could be an interesting addition to a series already known for quirky but compelling features. The character development and maintenance mechanics we've discussed here are far more complex than in the previous Grand Theft Autos, and they're frankly pretty innovative for the action genre in general. (How many games let you gain and lose weight?) We'll have more on GTA: San Andreas in the weeks to come. Until then, check out nine exclusive screenshots on the game's screen index page.

Here's the link for anyone who wants to check out the screens to this article, cuz I don't know how to post pictures. Gamespot.com - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas preview (PS2)

I posted those screens already a couple days ago, they dont seem to be showing up anymore. Can anyone else see them? There the ones I posted on the 24th.

Some new screenshots....

To go along with those screens....


"To a certain degree, it's almost impossible for a game as highly anticipated as GTA: San Andreas to fail. The appearance of a single screenshot, detail, or even the smallest rumor engenders a feeding frenzy you don't often see outside of a school of starved piranha."
- GameSpot.com


When previews come, they certainly do come big. Gamespot has spared no expense in treating us to one heck of a preview this time round.

Much like the IGN preview that we reported on earlier today, this huge 6-page preview looks at some of the new features in San Andreas - as well as the bits improved upon from previous games.

From weight training to amazing new visuals, here's some of the highlights of this immense preview:


Carjacking has gotten a whole lot tougher. No longer will civilians just give up their wheels to a wandering thug.
In response to this, CJ has a variety of ways to pursuade drivers into surrendering their vehicle. The most interesting method so far? Smashing the guy's head off of the dashboard. It seems to work quite well.
Missions will be more open-ended then in Vice or GTA3, blurring the lines between when you're on a mission and when you're not.
Stats have a whole lot more meaning now. The more you shoot, the more accurate you become. The more you find yourself behind the wheel of a car, the more skilled you become at driving, and so on.
In addition to building up strength at the gym, you can also learn new fighting techniques (think True Crime). Depending on where you are in SA, the fighting techniques you learn will vary.
Speaking of fighting, you can now lock onto opponents during hand-to-hand combat. This makes it much easier to bust up a few faces and break a few jawbones... not that we approve of that sort of behaviour, of course. CJ can now block attacks in melee combat, as well.
The Police chopper searchlight now serves a much more important purpose. When shining down on you, you'll find that the searchlight impaires your ability to see clearly, making it harder to drive and shoot.
San Andreas will include tons of licensed music, similar to Vice City. You can expect more of it, too, since there are quite a few radio stations available throughout SA.

In addition to this massive article, Gamespot has also released some astounding new screenshots.

Related Links: GameSpot.com Article, GameSpot.com SA Screenshots

*ejaculates

Heres IGN's review...

After being treated to a live demonstration of San Andreas at Rockstar's new New York HQ, IGN brings us yet another exclusive look at the latest GTA installment.

The article contains never before seen screenshots and all new information, focusing on 4 new features (either brand new or improvements on existing ones) that are bound to make San Andreas just as revolutionary -- if not moreso -- than it's predecessors.

"In the case of Rockstar's October-bound Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the pressure and expectations of its fans don't seem to compare to the strain that the developers are putting on themselves. Determined to create a product so far beyond what people are anticipating, they're working tirelessly day and night to ensure that it's not only the best Grand Theft Auto we ever seen, but also the single best videogame we've ever played."
- IGN.com


Here's a few highlights of the article:


Much like hairstyles, tattoos will be available to customize the look of CJ.
Depending on where you are in San Andreas, the style of tattoos will change.
You can use the right analog stick to move the camera -- both in vehicles and on foot.
When using a gun, the right analog stick lets you aim with any and all ranged weapons.
You no longer have to stay in a fixed position while aiming.
You can aim with the R-Stick while running and strafing with the Left analog stick.
You can look in any direction, even when you're driving.
Cars get dirty (even rust), and in turn you can now take em' through the car wash.
Gangs now sport their own "social" clique. Have a good enough relationship inside the gang and they'll always be watching your back.
Gangs are now smarter and have improved tactics, and act according to the situation they're in. What might've gotten you out of rival turf once may not work a second time.

Related Links: IGN.com Article, IGN.com SA Screenshots

You can get Tattoos too now.

I am gonna make my guy one bad ass.

this game going to be off the hook.

How is a haircut $500 and a tattoo is $50?

Look at this beauty....

[img]http://www.gtasanandreas.net/screenshots/image.php?image=50[/img]

Hey thats nice

Check out the swimming you'll be doing.
http://ps2.ign.com/articles/536/536831p1.html

We have any idea what the cars are going to be like?

Yay, the monorail is back!

looking good...

Here's a new screenshot just releasted today! I can't believe that they're actully going to have basketball in this. I wonder how they'll ever top all this in the next Grand Theft Auto!(hopefully)

Doesn't mean we can play Basketball. Could be a cutscene.

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/538/538541p1.html
That's how you earn respect.
I amn trying to post 2 pics but since the image button won't work I will post their link.

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/538/538541/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas-20040813031410670- 001.jpg

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/538/538541/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas-20040813031412702- 000.jpg

gtagaming.com has confirmed that you can play basketball.


Robbing Houses This is probably one of the features I'm most looking foward too.

How can you say a thing like that without being racist? You know I've never heard any black people complain about being a white guy in a game, which almost every game I've ever played has a white guy as the main charater. Now that there's one game that has a black guy and your already bitching!

check these out....

another good one...