Before GTA 5: 5 Reasons You Should Still Be Playing San Andreas

4. Gameplay Over Graphics

As I said earlier, I€™m not a hardcore gamer, but from my perspective, and this is backed up by a few more knowledgeable friends, games are more focused on providing amazing graphics, than an amazing all-round gameplay experience. San Andreas definitely provided the latter, and whilst the graphics were decent at the time, it shows how good a game is when it€™s still enjoyable despite having poor graphics from a modern day perspective. GTA IV is guilty of the aforementioned crime, as whilst it provided stunning graphics, and an immersive sandbox world, the enjoyment wasn€™t really there, and I only completed the game once, as I couldn€™t really engage in it. This is summed up greatly by Edge, who declared San Andreas as "the ultimate expression of freedom, before next-gen reined it all back in." which really epitomises the point I am making. San Andreas provided the enjoyment, with a laid back style, and vibrant, colourful environment, and crazy missions such as burning a field of marijuana with a flamethrower, and whilst I admit GTA IV was a great game, it felt too grey, gritty and serious. Even at the time, San Andreas was criticised for its poor textures and character models, but it still remains a classic in terms of playability.