2. Characters
In my opinion, San Andreas has the best range of characters of any GTA game, and possibly the best protagonist (I would put it between CJ and Tommy Vercetti). From gang members to crazy pot-smoking hippies, San Andreas had it all, and provided some of the most memorable characters ever to grace a GTA universe. There was Woozie, a blind man who definitely didnt let his disability impair him, The Truth, a crazy hippy with an abundance of conspiracy theories, Catalina, the crazy South American dominatrix from GTA III, OG Loc, the aspiring rapper from Grove Street. I really could go on forever. To me, the funniest pair of characters were Kent Paul and Macker (played by Danny Dyer and Shaun Ryder respectively) due to their hilarious dialogue which contained far too many references to masturbation. On to the more central characters, CJ, the protagonist, was easy to relate to and empathise with. He felt remorse for the people he killed, and wasnt just some crazy psychopath. He showed emotion, and wasnt as dull as his GTA IV equivalent Niko, who showed less emotion than Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface. CJ was a real rags-to-riches success story, but after a talking to by older brother, and Grove Street leader Sweet, he never forgot where he came from. Aside from everyone else, one character stands up above the rest. Officer Frank Tenpenny, the crooked cop who framed Carl for murder in the opening sequence, and took this opportunity to blackmail CJ for the remainder of the game. Officer Tenpenny is probably the greatest antagonist in the GTA series, and whilst being voiced by the great Samuel L Jackson, Tenpenny tops the great list of characters that San Andreas provided.