by Andy Kelly, Games Editor, Future Games
No one believes me, but while wandering the countryside in San Andreas I saw a ball of white light hovering over a road. When I got close, it disappeared!
San Andreas is the only game I can think of that developed its own folklore - sasquatch, ghost cars, serial killers - which is testament to Rockstar's superb world-building. Some of my favourite moments in the series were spent exploring the woods and deserts of San Andreas, and when I saw that UFO - and I bloody well did - it was a moment I'll never forget. Sure, it could have been a lighting glitch or something, but I want to believe.
"My beautiful Banshee, ruined"
by Alex Dale, Games Editor, Future Games
I once spent the best part of an hour tricking out my car in one of San Andreas' TransFender body shops. No expense was spared. My banshee looked more like a monster truck when it was finished.
I turned right out of the shop and immediately encountered a police car. Seizing the moment, I drove straight over the top of it, but I toppled over on the way down and had to bail as it caught fire.
I ran to a safe distance and managed to turn around just in time to watch my pride and joy explode in a glory of flames, mere seconds after I'd drove it out of the garage. Then a policeman hit me in the back of the head with a nightstick.
Match fixing
by Chris Scullion, Games Editor, CVG
It's a shame that not many people talk about Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 these days, though it's probably because it was pretty short (since it was an expansion pack for the original game). I loved the fact that since it was set in Britain I recognised the names of some of the locations - Camden, Soho, Westminster, Hyde Park and the like.
The game made some subtle changes to show you were in London. When you got into a car you'd hop over and open the other door instead (since the driver seat was on the right), and all the other cars in the city would drive on the left side of the road.
By far my favourite bit, though, was the mission where you had to rig a football game. One of the Crisp Twins (definitely not based on the Krays) had put a bet on a football match but it was looking likely they would lose, so you had to drive to Southwark Stadium (which I'm assuming was meant to be Millwall's stadium, The Den), drive inside and run over as many players as possible. Ridiculous.
50cc daredevil
by Dan Dawkins, Games Editor, Future Games
My favourite scripted GTA moments include the moral curveball of the Dwayne or Playboy X decision in GTA IV, The Badlands mission, when you finally leave Los Santos for San Fierro in San Andreas, and the self-reflexive 'Looking for that Special Someone' moment at the end of GTAIV.
For me the greatest moments are those that occur by happy accident, and as much as I enjoyed painstakingly riding a NRG-500 up Mount Chiliad for the mother of all canyon leaps, my favourite accident occurred in GTAIV. I'd accidentally got into a ruck with a street gang who - as I remember - were getting a bit fresh with an elderly NPC, and proceeded to chase me down the street.
Unarmed and unable to defend myself from their sheer weight of numbers, I panicked and commandeered a Faggio (a rubbish 50cc scooter) to make my escape. As I 'sped' down the street, engine buzzing to explosion point, the gang - on-foot, to add insult to injury - were gaining ground. Panicked, I spotted a tiny ramp at the end of the alley, potentially allowing me to leap to safety over the chain fence. I gripped the throttle for dear life, as R Kelly's 'Bump N' Grind' started playing on the radio.
I braced for lift off, as R Kelly crooned "My mind is telling me no, but my body... MY BODY'S... telling me yes"... before I limply plopped of the ramp, landing in a crumpled heap on the wrong side of the fence. Humiliations don't come much better than that.
On your bike
by John Houlihan, Digital Editor, CVG
So many games, so many golden memories. The top down mayhem of the early entries, the awesome move to 3D with GTA III which was an absolutely incredible leap forward, the '80s retro vibe of Vice City, the consistently fantastic soundtracks and the biting satire of the radio stations.
It's a bit random, but one of my abiding memories will always be from GTA: San Andreas, finding a BMX and just tooling around the hood sightseeing for a whole day-night cycle, then finding a delightful back alley skate park to trick around on. Amid all the gangland carnage, it was just a delicious, low-key slice of sandbox gaming.
I heard wonders
by Ben Wilson, Editor, Official PlayStation
For all the hours, days and weeks I've spent in various GTAs dropping cops, mowing down pedestrians and toggling ambulance sirens on and off (this still pleases me in a manner bordering on psychotic), still my lingering memory of the series is cruising through San Andreas' wilderness at night with K-Rose on the stereo. All My Exes Live In Texas, I Love A Rainy Night, Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys - there were occasions where for half an hour I'd do nothing but drive around and just listen. How many other games can you say that about?
I gotta say it was a good day
by Tamoor Hussain, Staff Writer, CVG
For the early days in my relationship with GTA, I had found the games to be good but fairly unremarkable. I enjoyed bits and pieces of each game, and could appreciate the craftsmanship, but it rarely came together for that transcendent experiential way everyone is always going on about.
That was until San Andreas. To quote Lana Del Rey (yes, I'm totally doing this) GTA was always sorta punk rock, and I grew up on hip hop. When San Andreas came out, heavily influenced by gang life in L.A., with characters inspired by legends like Easy E, oozing the west coast hip-hop vibe, it finally clicked.
It was the first Grand Theft Auto where all I wanted to do was soak in the atmosphere. Every session I'd get me a drop top, hit the switch to make the ass drop, and cruise around listening to classic hip-hop. Those were good days.
Fore!
by Tim Weaver, Managing Editor, Future Games
It's hard to nail down one specific moment in a series so full of standout, often unintentional snatches of brilliance... but I'll always look back on a moment in Vice City when, having commandeered a golf trolley - possibly (the memories are a little hazy here) with a wanted level on my head, and cops in tow - I belted across Leaf Links Golf Club, Cutting Crew's 'I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight' filling the airwaves, and as the song hit its memorable chorus, I lost control and smashed into a brick wall. And died. Utterly ludicrous, completely non-scripted, absolutely perfect.
This is my town
by Iain Wilson, Staff Writer, Future Games
My favourite GTA moment came after months of empire building, side missions and hidden package collecting, when I finally reached 100 per cent completion in Vice City.
I dashed excitedly to my mansion to try on my reward, the newly unlocked 'Frankie' outfit, then saw those fateful words - "I completed Vice City and all I got was this lousy T-shirt!"
Thankfully that cheeky slogan wasn't completely accurate, as I also had double armor and health as well as the ability to recruit three bodyguards from my mansion. After giving them the nod we all piled into the nearest vehicle and went for a riotous joyride around the islands, teaching every rival gang a long overdue lesson in revenge.
Wrong side of the track
by Ben Griffin, Staff Writer, Future Games
A moment that sticks in my mind is invariably related to the in-game radio, which is always, always excellent.
I was on a date and, as it often happens, I accumulated a five-star Wanted rating. Through the pouring rain I spied a heavy roadblock up ahead, and veered onto some train tracks just as Iggy and the Stooges' I Wanna Be Your Dog flared up. As my date criticised my driving (to be fair, I hadn't checked my mirrors), the chorus hit, and suddenly a pair of blinding headlights filled the screen. It was the train. Who says GTA IV is too serious?
Comments
21 comments so far...
metallicorphan on 30 Apr '13 said:
I think the magic moment for me was going to kill the snitch at the top of the mountain in GTA:SA i was on a Dirt Bike and the Thunder and Lightning made it a very cool experience
TheCrimsonFenix on 30 Apr '13 said:
Maybe it was just me but the ability to enter most missions at any time of day with different clothing just added a little extra level of difference each time you played, even more so with areas that weren't used greatly, like the Snitch Chiliad mission Orphan mentioned. Those missions and their cutscenes would always have a different vibe to me when it was raining, late at night or the sun was just popping over the horizon.
The radio would always add a new level to the car chases or innocent drives across the desert in San Andreas. Even after the myths of that were completely confirmed to be false, it was just so much fun to go looking for them whilst eerie things happened regardless. I really hope V pays some homage to the myths whether it's through references or more aimless adventures through the countryside. The internet tried to do it again with IV with talk about ratman in the sewers but the closet thing I could get to an eerie experience was odd mumbles and moans coming from the homeless in the abandoned Sprunk factory in Alderney.
El Mag on 30 Apr '13 said:
Protecting Phil Collins in Vice City Stories.
Then being shocked at the price of the ticket to his concert after you finish his missions!
nefariousbig on 30 Apr '13 said:
I've always seen GTA IV as just a parallel of GTA 3. It's layed a foundation for the next game to be both technically excellent and expansive. GTA 3 is an excellent game, as is 4, people always seem to criticise 4 for not being as ridiculous or insanely large as SA, or not having the atmosphere of VC... it's just not fair to expect that. To be honest, they did a damn fine job moving to the next gen, the changes they made will definitely pay off I reckon. Now they have the basis of GTA IV, and all they've learned and upgraded through their other games, combined with an intense amount of effort over many years, which will hopefully (i'd say it's highly likely) come together to form something of the calibre of VC and SA. The scope of the game alone looks astonishing already.
DoomGuy84 on 30 Apr '13 said:
I got San Andreas from cash converters for £2 the other month (honestly dont know why its took me so long lol) and its the best £2 ive ever spent. Its such a huge game im surprised they could fit it all on one DVD, it feels even bigger than most games today which require two or even three discs. Theres so many memorable moments in the game but one of the best for me was the mission where you intercept the jet, jump onto the wing and get inside and then there is a virtua cop style shootout, after that you have to fly the jet back and land it at the airport....flying back with the sunset shining beautifully and 'America - Horse with no name' on the radio was just fantastic
P.s. Just checked and its the 'Freefall' mission in Las Venturas im talking about!
Nimron Tang on 30 Apr '13 said:
Mine takes a little explaining, if you're not a big GTA 4 fan most of this probably won't make sense so I wouldn't bother reading beyond here. Anyway here goes.....
I was on about my 6th playthrough, I had just unlocked the 2nd island (Algonquin/Manhattan). I wanted to drive the Sultan RS (I don't use cheats) and I thought to myself, "is it possible to helicopter to the northern tip of Alderney/New Jersey where the Sultan RS is, and get it back to Manhattan without dying or destroying the car, and then get away from the police without using a safe-house or a pay and spray?". (I never use the safe-house or pay and spray to escape the police, to me that's cheating)
The challenge was on. I decided to crash land the helicopter because of the 6* wanted level you receive for even getting close to a locked island. I managed to get in the Sultan RS and slip away from the area without sustaining too much damage. I decided to go for a spectacular route that involves two jumps. The first is heading south from the NRG 900 garage and takes you right over a freeway/motorway. You then travel under a bridge as the road corners left past your future safe-house and then you boot it in a straight line towards the ramp that propels you back into Manhattan.
Although it was a risky strategy, it paid off as it completely screwed up the pursuing police and SWAT/NOOSE vehicles. (who can cause serious damage to your vehicle) I managed to land both jumps with precision, now I was back in Manhattan. (and I was still a bit shocked with what I had just pulled off)
My car wasn't looking too good and the ground forces were closing in. (the bastard helicopters are omnipresent throughout all of this obviously, peppering me with bullets)
I managed to quickly find a guy driving a fresh RS (once you're driving one they start spawning around you on the roads) which I politely relieved him of.
At this point it was game, set and match, all I had to do was escape the gaze of the Helicopters using the alleyways between high buildings and then escape the search radius without being spotted. Once this was achieved I parked my newly procured Sultan RS outside my safe-house. To say I was extremely satisfied would be an understatement.
TheLastDodo on 30 Apr '13 said:
They'll never top blowing up the mafia with RC cars.
budge on 30 Apr '13 said:
I'm constantly smiling at all these memories.
One of mine was waking up in Whetstone after spending the while first part of SA in the the city. I remember just standing there rotating the camera admiring the truly breathtaking rural surroundings and atmosphere.
gnokgnik on 30 Apr '13 said:
In SA I also had this UFO experience. It was during night time out in the country side, it was raining and I stopped the car I was driving and got out to have a better look at a light in the sky getting ever closer. It seemed like one of the stars from the night sky just 'came down', getting closer, blurrier and lastly hovered above my car.
After a while the in game clock ticked on and morning broke and both the light and the night skies with other stars, dissappeared. I also believe this was some kind of glitch. Happend only once. And of course no one believed me (I actually got threatned to be permanently banned from the GTA forum on the site planetgrandtheftauto when I posted my experience back in the PS2 day), and probably no one will today either...
But I was releived to read this article. 
Very_Silver_Ownz on 30 Apr '13 said:
Riding a bike off Mount Chillad in San Andreas never gets old. Another magic moment was when a mate came over to play San Andreas 2 player mode with me back on PS2 and we would go onto the tallest building and have fist fights trying to kill the other and try pushing each other off the building.
patiotom on 30 Apr '13 said:
GTA and GTA London 4 person LAN party multiplayer, the one thing this game has never done right since is the multiplayer!! Looking forward to the new one, waiting for the PC port though
rikkicm on 30 Apr '13 said:
I remember buying the original GTA (along with Metro on VHS why I have no idea) and getting to the 3rd or 4th area where the mission was to steal a Cop Car, Ambulance and possibly a fire engine but couldn't complete the mission as I cheated and turned the cops off so couldn't get a wanted level and was unable to find a police car anywhere, having to start the game all over again.
Barca Azul on 30 Apr '13 said:
I completed San an to 100 percent whilst travelling and many a night in a hotel trying to find the scart connector so I could hook up the PS2.
I loved the cameos and random characters, like Sean Ryder and bez and the hippy who I forget his name. Some really spaced out glitches too where you would fall through things like quick sand.
AndyCVG on 1 May '13 said:
Yes! That's exactly the same as my encounter. Now I know I definitely wasn't imagining it.
Nimron Tang on 1 May '13 said:
That's "The Truth" you're thinking of my friend.
My San Andreas magic moment would be the same as Very_Silver_Ownz, riding a bmx to the top of mount chilliad, then launching yourself off the top and then parachuting back down to the bottom. I never went looking for Bigfoot in the woods, I was always more interested in finding quad bikes instead.
photoboy on 1 May '13 said:
Far too much San Andreas love going on. Vice City is still the best.
AbrarZShahriar on 1 May '13 said:
GTA SA is still the best. Someone should give the team of GTA SA awards
nefariousbig on 2 May '13 said:
Well there are deliberate UFOs that are supposed to appear in the sky occasionally, flashing lights that travel across the sky and then vanish. Could be a similar glitch to the one that would occasionally fly an AI biplane in to Mt Chiliad. Or potentially one of the ghost cars?
ChrisTypeR on 2 May '13 said:
There are literally 1,000's of great memories (most from GTA:SA) but the one that had me rolling around the floor pi$$ing myself with laughter was this - I had just stopped off to purchase a new piece at the ammunation in the northern desert just West of Las Venturas and decided to take part in the shooting range. After doing all of this, left the shop and proceeded to put the PS2 pad down to take in some much needed snacks & drink - watching the road in front, there was a man on a Sanchez, he came over the hill and BANG hit a car sending him flying (this was a good start), he got up, brushed himself down and went running in search of his beloved Sanchez which was down the road a bit and BANG, hit by another car, after brushing himself down again he ran the same route and BANG he was hit by a Big Rig!! This happened over and over again, the guy just would not give up - he got hit by Taxi's, other bikes etc etc etc. The way he just kept getting up, looking around and then going for his bike was just hilarious!!
I've not seen anything like that in SA before or since (and I have finished the game probably 10 times), the guy seemed invincible and completely non-phased
Alaann on 2 May '13 said:
I didnt know you could recruit bodyguards in vice city.the best moment for me was taking over the mansion in vice city going outside then finding out I owned it then exploring it with my own armory and helipad then realising the game wasnt over and then starting to build my empire thats my standout moment
Munkeymomo on 2 May '13 said:
For sure in San Andreas, the first time I visited mt Chilliad. Very excited as I had read much before about it, so was riding up with purpose on a dirtbike.
Out of nowhere a plane just crashed into me and blew me and my bike up. I'm pretty sure I just stared at the screen like 'Whuut the...?'
Seen it happen a few times since but that first time was so funny (after a few seconds of stunned silence).