Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas definitely lives up to the "GTA" name, in fact it's arguably the best game in the series.
Before I start to give details on the story, let me just say that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is one of the defining pieces of software for the PlayStation 2 (It's up there with Path of Neo and Kingdom Hearts II) and it's filled with memorable characters, impressive graphics, and a great story. Speaking of which, here's a run up of the plot for what you need to know..
Carl Johnson a.k.a. CJ has escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos and stayed away for 5 years to live the life in Liberty City. 5 years later, he gets a call from his brother Sweet to inform him of their mother's recent death. CJ arrives in Los Santos, but is greeted by corrupt officers Tenpenny and Pulaski just so that CJ could be informed to do police jobs for them or be blamed for the death of a police officer. CJ then gets dropped off in an alleyway and bikes his way back to his old childhood neighborhood and home. There, he runs into one of his childhood friends Big Smoke, who drives CJ to the cementary to meet up with the rest of the gang. Once there, Sweet is angry at CJ for being away for so long and not being there for the family when they needed him the most. While leaving the cementary and about to ride in Big Smoke's car, the Ballas show up to try and kill the gang. But CJ, Sweet, Big Smoke and Ryder have finally made it back to Groove Street, safe and sound. CJ then has to put Groove Street back on the map and save his family and friends from anything that goes wrong and that's exactly where the full story comes into effect as you progress through the game.
The graphics are very impressive, especially for PS2 standards. The character models are 100% perfectly detailed and are very realistic this time around than in "III and Vice City". Environments are also tremendous with not only one city to explore, which is the fun Los Santos, but statewide. Yes, you can explore the wilderness, countryside, forests and San Fierro and Las Venturas. There's so much weapons to chose from in this game, it's just insane and fun to get ahold of.
Audio is another one of the game's impressive qualities. The soundtrack has great 80's-90's era rap and rock. Sound effects are bombastic and are in great quality.
Left dual-analog stick for moving CJ around. Triangle for entering/exiting a vehicle and karate kicks. X for sprinting and accelerating for when you're in a vehicle. Square for jumping and climbing over stuff, as well as reverse for when you're in a vehicle. L2 and R2 for switching weapons. R1 for aiming. O for shooting and punching. Right dual-analog stick for moving camera, you can also press select for switching different camera viewpoints.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas really does live up to the Grand Theft Auto name and it's, without a doubt, the best in the series. One of the best PlayStation 2 games of 2004. 5 out of 5.