Yep, we got it almost as soon as it was out (only a couple days after the release) and yes, so far it's pretty awesome. There are an incredible number of celebrity voices in it too, not that *that's* been my deciding factor on any game, but it's fun in the sense of "Hey, who's that? That voice sounds familiar..."

San Andreas is basically a much larger version of Vice City--very different story-line but very similar game-play. There are a few things they've improved--like

[video game geek] on Vice City were you ever busted because you started to get into a car when you realized the cop was right behind you, but couldn't stop getting in the car to run? Now you can abort the action part way through. Also, single stars seem to be much easier to get rid of.[/video game geek]

The driving is a *little* more realistic--no plowing through other vehicles like they're not really there. (Sean was disappointed that driving can only be done with the joystick in this one--you can get a lot more finesse out of the d-pad in Vice City, and you can't use it in San Andreas.) Also, you can climb walls sort of like you can in the Tomb Raider games. They had a lot more fun building these cities (three of them, I think), there's a lot more to them, and there's a lot of play with the elevation changes, which is awesome. (I wonder how much the SF portion actually matches to San Francisco?) There's also some neat little add-ons, like you have to go clothes shopping, and taking over the gang territories, and keeping your girlfriend happy (regular dates in the beginning is the key--ignore her and your relationship meter goes down). You also have to work out and eat right--muscle and fat are two of your stats. Makes me think of it as sort of a GTA meets the SIMS.

Keep in mind Sean and I have barely begun playing it, but my favorite bit so far is the RC shop and its owner Zero. He's the total geek character, which is really funny because I *get* all of his lines and jokes. Like when you're gunning down the rc planes of his rival, if you get a good run on them he says "Great kid, don't get cocky." Or when he's going off about how he must fight this guy to the death, and he says he's never noticed how beautiful this season is, how he may never *sniff* never see Rome in springtime again. Funny stuff, yo.

Anyway there's not really much to say about it, except that it's violent game-play goodness. Also Samuel L. Jackson as the dirty cop? Rocks.