After talking about it so much in my GTA IV review, I figured San Andreas deserved a review of its own. If they released it today, as it was when they originally made it, it would STILL have so much new and innovative stuff packed in it that it would still be a ten.

Let me start off with the cons of the game. Bad graphics, crappy animations, horrible pop up, terrible controls (on foot,) frustrating AI.

Okay, that's it. And no big deal, because the good outweighs the bad like an elephant outweighs a mouse. This game is simply amazing. Let me try and fit all the good things in a few paragraphs, because I could easily go on for pages and pages.

The sheer amount of things to do in the state of San Andreas (yes, the game world is a STATE...) make this game enjoyable for countless hours, which melt into days, which melt into months, which melt into years until- oh **** it's 2008! And I am STILL having a blast! Whether I'm finding new spots to BASE jump, engaged in high speed dogfights high in the sky, taking a sports car into a skate park, bunny hopping over cars on the freeway with my BMX bike, taking over an enemy gang's turf, customizing my hair, clothes, and tattoos, or running from the cops in a car, motorcycle, boat, plane, helicopter, tank, jetpack, parachute, on foot or bike... I am loving every second.

The setting is also awesome. It starts in 90's LA, with the main focus being on the games version of Compton, one of the most recognized neighborhoods of any city in the US, thanks to the tremendous amounts of gang violence and criminal activity. From Compton, you move on to greater LA, and from there you go to San Francisco and then Las Vegas, with mountains, woods, and deserts filling up the space in between, including sights such as the hoover dam and area 51.

But while the stage is beautiful, it's the characters that truly make the show. Each and every one feels original, and you will love, hate, laugh with, and cuss out each one accordingly as the story takes many twists and turns. Some complain that main character CJ is a whiny b*tch. But i bet they wouldn't say it to his face. He's a bad*ss... There's no other word to describe him. He reluctantly goes about everybody elses business, but its all for his own profit- or else he wouldn't do it. Meaning, all you haters out there- He's not a b*tch. He's just smart.

Here it comes, boys and girl of the gaming world: FALL!!!! The time where we are rewarded with all the truly amazing games of the year, after being subjected to the truly mediocre games of the rest of the year!

Don't get me wrong, there were a couple of good games that came out this year... GTA IV was the only truly remarkable one, though, and even that got old after awhile. (See my review, it's gonna be up soon.) But man oh man, get ready for Fallout 3, Fable 2, Far Cry 2, Gears of War 2, and the first Madden that looks halfway decent since a LONG time ago. I am salivating just thinking about the time that I'm gonna be spending on my @$$ in the coming months, immersed in worlds way cooler than my own. I can't wait!!