“Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” is an epic homage to the West Coast gang culture of the early 1990s.
Yes, parents, there’s way too much violence and profanity here for the kids. For those of us 18 and older, though, it’s among the best video games this year.
The story about the never-ending cycle of escalating violence borrows heavily from movies such as “Boyz N the Hood.”
It’s 1992. Carl Johnson – “C.J.” to friends and relatives – has returned home to the sun-baked urban sprawl of Los Santos, San Andreas, after five years on the East Coast. His mother has been murdered. Worse, authorities have framed him for a homicide he didn’t commit.
It might seem gratuitous, but this gritty realism is part of how “San Andreas” transcends its video game roots. Playing along, it feels more like an interactive movie where you’re the star and director.
There’s so much more going on here than I could possibly describe in this review. The short of it: The innovative, free-form nature of the previous games has been greatly expanded without diluting the experience in the process.
Massive hardly begins to describe the detailed virtual world Rockstar Games has managed to cram onto a single PlayStation 2 disk. “San Andreas” dwarfs the expansive environs found in “Liberty City” and “Vice City” from the previous Grand Theft Auto games. “San Andreas” spans an entire state, with three cities and the rural areas in between.
“San Andreas” continues the superb voice work of the series, with performances by Samuel L. Jackson, Ice-T and others rivaling anything they’ve spoken for the silver screen.
With its drugs, drive-by shootings and harsh language, the $50, M-rated “San Andreas” clearly won’t appeal to everyone. But fans of the previous games or anyone looking for a deep, gripping portrayal of life in the hood ought to check this one out.
“Mortal Kombat: Deception”
Few video games have outraged anti-violence advocates like “Mortal Kombat,” which debuted in the arcades more than a decade ago.
The latest version, “Mortal Kombat: Deception,” continues the grisly tradition while adding several new modes you wouldn’t expect in a fighting game, including – you read it right – “Chess Kombat.”
I’m willing to bet that chess master Garry Kasparov hasn’t played anything like this before. There are all the usual pieces you’d expect on the board, but strategy will only get you so far.
Once the pieces meet, you still have to fight in a showdown to secure the win. And let’s not forget the traps you can set, which will kill your enemy instantly, or the spells used to heal or teleport your pieces.
It gets stranger. “Deception” also has a head-to-head “Puzzle Kombat” mode that’s similar to the block-stacking in “Tetris.” The twist? Warriors battle it out at the bottom of the screen as you play.
These odd sideshows were amusing at first, but I soon tired of them.
Not to worry: “Deception” remains at its core a one-on-one fighting game.
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