Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Patch

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What is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Patch

Beginning in a relatively humble way, Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto series has gone on to become one of the most popular in video game history. The first two iterations, top-down games with relatively simple mechanics that nonetheless offered some innovative freedoms, were solid, well-respected products. It was 2001's Grand Theft Auto III, though, that really turned the series into a phenomenon. The move to 3D brought the game's open-world settings to life in a way that few gamers had previously experienced, and the game was undoubtedly one of the most successful of the decade. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas took things even further, shifting the scene to a vast Los Angeles-like city and its stunning natural surroundings.

This Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas patch updates the PC version of the game to release 1.01. One of the biggest--and potentially most controversial changes--in this patch is that the so-called "Hot Coffee" feature of the game is disabled. This Easter egg, which Rockstar claims was unintentionally left in the release version of the game, allows gamers to view some scenes that some might find offensive so that its removal may be a positive for some fans.

Otherwise, the game adds support for new display resolutions; most interesting among these being a couple that are common to high-definition televisions. Although the patch notes are not definitive on the subject, there is a chance that some may finally be able to play the game in the 1080P resolution that is the most detailed available for that format.

A number of relatively minor bug fixes fill out the list of updates. Many of these fixes address problems that only ever affected a relatively limited subset of gamers, such as black expanses appearing where detailed textures should have been, but those experiencing issues with the game will certainly want to see if the patch helps.

Pros:

• Welcome support for new HDTV resolutions
• A slew of smaller fixes will bring relief to some gamers
• Removal of "Hot Coffee" may please some

Cons:

• No new features or real performance improvements
• Some gamers will miss Hot Coffee