Poll: San Andreas is superior to GTA4

[Phyroxis]

From a historical perspective, GTA:SA is more GTA than IV was, simply because GTA was known for its wacky fun. GTA:IV took a much more serious tone, gritty realism, with realistic cars. Its a style that is distinctly different from its predecessors.

I loved all of the GTA games before IV because of the ability to just dick around a giant sandbox. Super fast, easy to drive, cars. Flying as high as possible in a helicopter and then hurling my character out, onto the water.. or cement.

GTA:SA gave us a huge place to play, with a bunch of awesome toys (see jetpack, jumpjet, casinos). Whereas GTA:IV gave us a gritty, realistic, story with boats for cars and expensive guns, little money, and whiny, annoying, "friends" to cart around.

I play games to have dumb fun, to relax from a busy day. I don't want to be frustrated by difficult vehicles, expansive story (also why I don't like metal gear), and the lack of toys to play with. I'll still pop in SA and dick around in the jumpjet.. haven't really touched IV since I beat it (except to attempt to get trophies, but got bored of that quick, too).

This is also why I love Saints Row 2, the game that did GTA better than GTA:IV. (And Red Faction: Guerilla, though that one is a step back from SR2)


GTA:IV is a great game, but it is the exception to the rule that GTA has established in the past. It'd be beyond reproach if it was branded differently.

Bottom line: Its a fine game, but its not GTA.

 

[JimJamJahar]

I personally thing that GTA IV was miles better than San Andreas. The characters are great, the missions are fun and the world feels real. Immersion is a very important concept that silly games like San Andreas really miss out on. Liberty City feels like a real place, since the environments are varied (within the bounds of New York), the people are reactive and sometimes quite funny and the physics are great. You can get to know the city and see places that you know because it feels more realistic and this adds a player/game bond. I tried playing SA, but I found it to be too dumbed down for me. I hate gang culture and it has been in so many games that I really don't care anymore. That being said, Saints Row 2 was incredibly fun, funny and I really liked it!

 

[Volafortis]

Cool poll, bro.

Regardless, I think that there were certain features in San Andreas that are missing in 4, but overall 4 is the better game.

 

[MetalDooley]

Well it boils down to this

San Andreas = OTT action
GTA IV = Gritty realism

There's only going to be one winner for me in that scenario and it ain't the gritty realism.Playing GTA IV felt like a chore at times and I got bored around 90% of the way through the story(still haven't finished it).That never happened in SA.

Fact is Saint's Row 2 felt more like a GTA game than IV did

 

[titaniumChampion]

tldr: Vice City > GTA IV > GTA SA

I can't stand playing San Andreas. Vice City had, in my opinion, the best music in a GTA game. Vice City is my favorite one to play. I loved the voice acting and story so much more than San Andreas.

GTA IV is incredible. I do admit that one thing that bothers me is getting calls when I'm just messing around town causing chaos. The traffic is sinister as well. Another disappointment was no way to get a new hairstyle or shave. Despite these issues, I love playing GTA IV. Niko is a great character with awesome humor.

CJ was boring to play as. Not to mention the entire art style for the game was darker than GTA IV. Yahtzee's point about GTA IV counts for San Andreas more, I felt like I was viewing the game through a used coffee filter.

 

[PHOENIXRIDER57]

Vice City is clearly the best

The only thing that Vice City has over San Andreas is robbing stores. I'm done with GTA anyway, moved on to Saint's Row.

 

[TheTim]

I loved San andreas because there was so much to do that you can't do in gta4
but the absolute fun of the multiplayer in Gta4 made it better.

 

[unoleian]

Why does everyone dig at GTA IV's driving? Sure, I hated it at first for being different, but now I've come around, realized just how damn fun and visceral (and freaking EASY) it really is, and now don't have fun driving in any other sandbox game since. No other cars in any other sandboxer I've played carry that same feeling of inertia and momentum like GTA IV's cars do.

Seriously, FUN! Doing top speed down a highway, blasting pigs through their windshield while trying to not die yourself has NEVER been this fun in a game.

Anyone who thinks the driving sucks, just sucks at it themselves...but that's just one little forumers opinion

 

[Kevin7557]

GTA4 was made and it listened to the criticism from people who will never buy their games.

It forgot about the fun and so it sucked. San Andraes was fun. It had those moments. (A moment is a thing your remember from a game or a personal story that happened too you. Games that have these are really worthwhile)

ChinaTown Wars was better than GTA4. I have to admit I ate crow on that one because I didn't have much faith that GTA experience could be put on a DS but they did good.

Anyway now I'm a Saints Row Fan, because they listen to their fans and make games I want to play. GTA can keeps its high graphics limit, if it ain't fun it ain't worthy playing.