Rockstar were kind enough to send us the assets from this weekend’s IGN and Gamespot previews. Enjoy!
What would Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas be without weapons? Erm, Grand? With San Andreas just two days way, GTANet looks into what the game has to offer in terms of high grade firearms.
Firstly, we see the Vulcan Mini Gun. This frightening weapon delivers barrages of ammunition at a spectacular rate�designed to, literally DEMOLISH its target and its surroundings.
Despite the immense size and weight of this firearm, it is portable enough to be carried on the streets of San Andreas. Police responding to incidents in which this weapon is used, are likely to call in SWAT teams to deal with the threat. A powerful weapon that offers unthinkable damage. Hold R1 to spin up the barrel and squeeze L1 to fire.
Next, we witness Heat Seeking RPGs�mainly, the STINGER. To put it simple, this weapon is, literally, the s—! Lightweight, portable and easy to handle�what more could one ask for? This shoulder-fired guided missile system is designed to take down low altitude aircraft�planes and helicopter to be specific. This firearm allows the player to lock onto a heat source, (usually a car or plane) fire the weapon, and begin aquiring new targets before the warhead has even destroyed the first target! To activate this process, bring up the targeting reticle by pressing R1 on your controller. Continue holding down R1 and center the viewfinder on the target. The reticle will acquire the nearest target, and then change from green to yellow and finally to red, indicating that you have achieved target lock. You can fire the weapon at any stage of the lock-on process, but the closer to red, the more effective your strike will be. The production, research, and development of the Stinger Missile System is a secret, but intrepid pilots flying over the deserts on the outskirts of Las Venturas have a ton of stories about near misses with the Stinger.
Moving on, we have the M4, a modified version of the M-16, a weapon that we are all familiar with. This weapon contains a shortened stock and barrel, therefore making it more compact whilst still retaining the extreme force and accuracy of the M-16. This weapon provides the ability to pin-point your target with the highest possible accuracy, and target specific parts of the body or vehicles�for example you can target a vehicle’s tires, or even gas tanks — one well placed round of shots (aiming mainly for the gas cap) will cause any car in San Andreas to explode. Whilst shooting, try kneeling. Kneeling greatly increases the accuracy of this weapon, and even whilst doing so Carl has the ability to roll from side to side whilst holding the R1 button and pressing left or right on the left analog stick.
The Tec-9�a favourite amongst Los Santos street gangs. This popular firearm is one of the more interesting choices. The weapon is relatively cheap, and allows CJ to ‘dual wield’ it, levelling competition between rival street gangs during battle. Upon reaching the Hitman Skill Level, CJ can carry two weapons at once. Simply collect another weapon, and he will automatically hold two. At this stage, all of the ammunition between the firearms is shared, and reloading occurs automatically. Rate of fire is effectively doubled, good in cases where you want to kill someone, erm, fast.
Last but not least on our list is the Desert Eagle. It’s like having the power of an artillery cannon in a small, easy to use package. Well, maybe not so easy to use, as in the hands of an inexperienced shooter, the recoil makes it almost impossible to keep a grip on. With a lot of practice and skill however, this .50 caliber beast becomes a bit more managable, and the reload speed and accuracy get a boost as well. This gun was first designed as a target/sport pistol, but the intense stopping power has made it a favorite amongst those who need to stop enemies dead in their tracks- generally with one nice shot. Not only does it work well using the auto-lock system, but players can use free aim to send .50 caliber slugs at opponents with sniper-like accuracy while retaining the mobility a handgun provides. Just hold R1, line up the sights, and, well, I’m sure you can imagine the rest…
