Fan's San Andreas Remake Is Miles Better Than The GTA Trilogy
If you're still playing Grove Street Games' Grand Theft Auto Trilogy, you might be one of the only ones. We're not overstepping the line by saying the much-anticipated remaster of noughties favourites GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas was pitched as one of 2021's biggest games.
Instead, we're left with major concerns about the next GTA revamp with the GTA V Expanded & Enhanced, as well as a trilogy that's being affectionately called this year's Cyberpunk 2077, highlighted even further by our GTA Definitive Edition Trilogy review.
One of the major gripes is that the GTA Trilogy wasn't handled by Rockstar, and instead, was handed over to the relatively unknown Grove Street Games. Although GSG is known for its work porting the likes of the Bully Anniversary Edition and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, there are accusations the GTA Trilogy was rushed.
What Does The Fan San Andreas Remake Look Like?
Taking matters into their own hands, one GTA fan is rebuilding the game from the ground up to (hopefully) deliver a version everyone can be proud of. Posting on Reddit u/GHOSTinHELL is starting from scratch to improve the visuals of San Andreas. Although this is already a treat for the eyes that puts GSG to shame, it was originally unclear whether the OP actually intended on adding gameplay to their build. An update to the post confirms gameplay is coming "soon".
Even though it was just a glimpse at the shiny San Andreas, players absolutely loved the build and can't wait to try out gameplay. "Looks absolutely stunning," said one supporter. "It's a shame Rockstar doesn't realize they have had one of the most brilliant modding communities that genuinely loves the game for over 20 years yet refuses to hire people like you or at least work alongside you."
How Can You Play The San Andreas Remake?
Unfortunately, those sneaky sleuths at Rockstar won't allow this one to be up for long. As someone joked on the post, "Tactical DMCA Incoming!!!!!!" Before the GTA Trilogy was even announced, Rockstar sliced its way through the internet and axed any form of unofficial mod that related to fine-tuning the old games. It's ironic - especially considering most of these look better than what Grove Street managed to actually deliver.
Then again, the OP seems confident they "can't be touched" by Rockstar. Apparently, most builds run the original Rockstar files through an engine, meaning there's a case for copyright infringement. This clever fan claims they've created an entirely new version of the 2004 title using the Far Cry 5 engine. If this is the case, you could actually see this fan-made San Andreas remaster stick around a little longer.
Annoyingly, this GTA: San Andreas remaster shows what we could've had. Those delving deep into the code of the Trilogy suggest that the assets were simply run through a new engine - suggesting Rockstar and GSG spent literally no time or effort delivering a true revamp of the fan-favourites.
Devs have promised that patches will fix some of the issues currently plaguing the GTA Trilogy, but we wouldn't hold our breath on it looking anywhere as near as good as the fan build. We'll have to wait and see.