Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

So GTA3 was about organized crime, and revenge. Vice City was about excess in a city of sin - and revenge. San Andreas? I've only just started, but so far a weighty piece of the game's theme is urban decay. And revenge.

The game opens with your avatar, Carl "CJ" Johnson, flying back to Los Santos, San Andreas on news of his mother's death, after a five-year hiatus up north. The first thing that happens to Carl is being picked up by a local cop he has a history with, and getting accused of shooting an officer. The second thing, is meeting up with his old neighbors and friends, and watching them argue because of some local rival gangs. The third thing is fleeing from a(nother) rival gang on bicycle. Then, of course, the fourth thing is taking action against the rival gangs, in the form of spraypaint.

Already, Carl has spoken more than once about staying in the city because things are "fucked up," implying that he intends to fix said things. Though I have seen more evidence thus far for destroying the city than taking it back, I maintain hope that Carl will take the high road.

Early on San Andreas started giving me a taste of its character-building component. I got a haircut, which affects my reputation with different social groups?; ordered some food, which affected my energy and my fatness; worked out on a bike, which burned fat and made me more apt in bicycle riding; and gained gang respect from the first few missions I completed. Like an RPG character, Carl has an array of personal stats that can be leveled up, resulting in new abilities, stronger attributes, and new opportunities.

The engine has thankfully been polished up a bit since Vice City, but its age still shows. Honestly though, I'm not as worried about that as I am about the urban english that racially threatens me at every turn.

Progress: Just tagged some graffiti