I’ve been thinking about these two classics and can’t decide which one told a better story.
San Andreas was like this crazy journey where you start small with CJ trying to rebuild his crew. Then everything goes sideways and you end up in the countryside doing bank heists. The whole thing with that government agent giving you those impossible helicopter missions was intense. Plus exploring that military base in the desert felt so cool. When you finally make it to Las Venturas and deal with all the casino drama before heading back home for the final showdown, it was such a wild ride.
GTA IV went in a completely different direction though. Niko’s story felt more grounded and serious, like those gritty crime films from back in the day. The whole immigrant experience in Liberty City was handled really well. His past catching up with him while trying to start fresh made for some heavy moments. No matter what choices you make, someone important ends up paying the price, and that emptiness Niko feels never really goes away.
Both games nailed their respective tones but in totally different ways. What’s your take on this?
Both are solid but I think IV takes it for the character development. Niko actually grows throughout the story and his relationships with Roman and the other characters feel real. San Andreas was fun but CJ felt pretty static compared to that.
San Andreas had this amazing sense of progression that IV never quite matched. Starting as this nobody who gets framed and watching CJ gradually build his empire back up felt so satisfying. The way the map opened up piece by piece made each new area feel earned. IV definitely had better writing and dialogue, but something about San Andreas just clicked with the whole rags to riches power fantasy that GTA does so well.
San Andreas wins for me just because of how ambitious it was. The story jumps between so many different settings and keeps throwing curveballs at you. One minute you’re doing gang stuff in the hood, next you’re robbing banks in the middle of nowhere, then suddenly you’re dealing with Area 51 conspiracy nonsense. It’s completely bonkers but somehow works. GTA IV is definitely the better written game with more realistic characters, but San Andreas just had this epic scope that made every mission feel like a new adventure.