8 Over-Hyped Video Games (That Actually NAILED It)

8. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

It's hard to describe what it felt to live through Rockstar dropping GTA III. Suddenly all the walls surrounding a level or environment were collapsed, the open-world genre was born and everybody wanted a piece of the pie.

With Rockstar dropping the iconic Vice City just one year later - and it too being another five star game - once we got word of what was next, the run-up to San Andreas was something else.

Magazine previews detailed "RPG systems" for character CJ, they described the biggest game world yet; one where not one but three major cities would be included, and there'd be rural expanses in between Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas.

To an industry still exploring open play-spaces in general, it felt like Rockstar were building another world for us to live in.

Come launch, it all paid off. The voice cast, soundtrack and production value were outstanding, but Rockstar bolstered these macro elements with micro detail. Minigames like playing pool, basketball, arcades and a casino, car customisation, CJ's body customisation and so on.

Today it's a toss-up between whether San Andreas is better than Vice City overall, but there's no question it's one of the most impressive titles Rockstar have ever put out.