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SAN AN: IF YOU'RE GOING TO SAN FIERRO...
Be sure to wear a shotgun and big hair ...in our exclusive look at San An's second city
17:09 San Andreas, you want it, we want, everyone wants it. Well, with the release date impending, it's almost close enough to taste now, but there's still just enough time to discover a little more about the most eagerly awaited game to appear on the PS2 in this, or indeed any other year.
Armed with an invite from the mighty Rockstar itself, we relocated to its palatial King's Road HQ, within shouting distance of Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, where Rockstar was ready to reveal the innermost secrets of San Andreas' second city, San Fierro.
Are you going to San Fierro?
You bet you are, because San Fierro is of course modelled on that charming city of never-ending hills and gentlemen who bowl from the pavilion end, San Francisco. As with the real-life metropolises, San Fierro provides an intriguing contrast to San An's first city, Los Santos, a fact you're instantly aware of when you're launched onto the psychedelic streets of Hashbury (Height Ashbury) and its ahem ...Joint Festival. Still there's little time to admire the scenery as a buffed-up, giant affro-ed CJ is immediately leaping onto a souped-up NR9 500 street bike and ripping along the streets to park outside Cobra Martial Arts, to unveil the first of San Fierro's many surprises.
Everybody was kung fu fighting...
For inside the Dojo awaits a sensei, a moustachioed martial arts expert who'd do Kung Fu proud and he's here to teach you some crucial martial arts skills grasshopp... er CJ. Although you'll always retain your original street fighting style (some things a boy from the hood never forgets), in San An, CJ can now acquire and hone new martial arts techniques by studying hard with local masters. You'll only be able to master one additional fighting style at a time, but a number of different fighting styles are available and it's entirely up to you, which you choose to employ.
Still, don't expect an easy ride, because before you get a chance to add these new moves to your repertoire, you'll have to beat the sensei in a one-on-one contest - in which it's no holds barred as he mockingly asks "So you wish to become a warrior?". One short and extremely violent bout later and after we'd finished putting the boot in, the sensei relented to equip CJ with a new running attack, some impressive high kicks and a Kung Fu finishing move, which fair made the old eyes water.
Watch out San Fierro, CJ is now Kung Fu fighting and he's as fast as...
Taking and driving away
Our next encounter was with one of CJ's old San Feirro associates Caesar, who does a nice line in hooky autos. Caesar's latest target is a downtown car showroom, Otto's Autos, where some rather tasty new motors are in his view, quite unnecessarily taking up too much showroom space. On the way over to 'liberate' these new motors, there's a quick word on Kendall, CJ's sister, who's taken over as head of the family while he's been away and then the dynamic duo head straight into Otto's, where the motors are parked on the upper floor of the showroom.
No problemo for our guys who drive them straight through the window and bust out onto the streets below. Obviously this doesn't go down too well with the local SFPD, who immediately start a hot pursuit, while CJ attempts to stay on Caesar's tail, who rapidly proves to be an utter madman behind the wheel. One high speed chase and several wrecked black and whites later and CJ and Caesar pull safely into their hideout, where the second major San An revelation unfolds, the custom car shop.
Steer your motor of choice into Caesar's chop shop and you can expend your hard earned readies on a wide variety of custom paint jobs, extra spoilers, side skirts, hydraulics and bumpers. It's a move which Rockstar hopes will make your favourite autos a little less disposable, and while none of the mods apart from the much vaunted Nitro (which blazes blue jets of power from the back of your car) will actually improve performance, they undoubtedly add to your cool factor (check out those lovely screens).
Incidentally, while in Vice City, some players complained that their favourite cars occasionally disappeared when they left them parked up on the street. However its not quite the same deal in San An, where if your favourite set of wheels have disappeared, then there's a good chance that the cops have simply impounded them. Time for a visit to the local SFPD pound no doubt - just remember to bring those bolt cutters to be reunited with your favourite ride!
Gimme shelter
Our final mission from San Fierro was something of a mercy errand for local Triad boss Woozy Mu, to rescue some poor unfortunate refugees who'd been imprisoned on a local oil tanker, which was floating in the nearby bay. Naturally CJ preferred to fly rather than drive and hopping on a chopper we were soon circling said tanker, which was rammed with container loads of crates. Attempting to pick off a few of the armed guards just bought us an RPG for our trouble and with "mayday! mayday!" coming from the pilot, we plummeted, spinning and burning into the drink.
Ah, but whereas water equalled instant death in previous GTA incarnations, in San An, CJ proves himself a fine swimmer and dodging swarms of gelatinous jellyfish, he's soon breast-stroking his way to the tanker and swarming up a convenient ladder and onto the tanker itself.
While it's usually fine to go in all guns blazing, why bring a world of pain down on yourself when a silent but deadly approach works even better? That's the new motto for San An and equipped with his new sneak mode which you can see in these screens, CJ proves himself no mean stealther displaying some moves worthy of Sam Fisher himself (although obviously there's none of that namby-pamby 'no fatalities or the mission's over' business).
Initially armed with just a knife, CJ proves an admirable stealthy slitter of throats and soon accumulates enough weaponry to wage a one-man war on the tanker guards. With safety off and double machine guns blazing, CJ blasts his way across the ship, mowing down grunts with happy abandon. However, it's also a good chance to see San An's enemy AI in action. Guards now use cover, run and roll and generally behave a lot more realistically under your hail of fire. Incidentally, it's also a nice demonstration of San An's new over-the-shoulder targeting system, which prioritises bad guys and generally seems a lot more sensible and a lot less fiddly to use. Top result lads!
Anyway, the mission's never really in doubt as CJ powers his way to the bridge where he's challenged to a one-on-one samurai sword fight with the big boss. Fortunately, CJ's in top shape and takes him down in a welter of sword strokes before running back to free up the hapless refugees from the container below. A quick leap over the side and into some waiting dinghies and the refugees head into the sunset. CJ powers to the shore, skids up the beach and parks his boat Bond-style in the middle of the highway, with the backdrop of the Golden Gate bridge looms above.
Sayonara San Fierro
So that's San Fierro for you, San Andreas' second city which provides a splendid contrast to the high pressure living of Los Santos. The architecture and feel of the city is extremely different and the steep streets and tram tracks provide plenty of opportunities for incredible jumps, damaged shocks and additional high impact carnage.
The addition of new martial arts moves is extremely welcome, the stealth mode might even give Sam Fisher a run for his money, but surely it's in the area of car customisation and the turbo boost provided by Nitro that's really going to set petrolhead's pulses racing.
Unfortunately there's probably not going to be time to take a look at Las Venturas, San An's third city before the game actually hits store shelves, but with the days ticking down now, the variety and flavour San Fierro adds to the overall game further confirms virtually everything we've ever hoped for in San Andreas.
Roll on release day, this is going to be one almighty game.
