-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Let's look back: Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
- Thread starter NeoGeoOwner
- Start date
What's wrong with stating a preference? I found both SA & GTAIV to be a lot less interesting thematically than VC.
Ok. You're free to live your life thinking when people say 'thug life' they're not referring to the classic early-mid 90s gangsta rap style. I'm telling you that's how people envision it when you say that specific phrase, rather than just saying 'thug' on its own, and that that is what the poster you guys are trying to mock said. If you want to seek offense in everything you read that's on you.
I'm not offended at all, I think it's funny that people hide behind innocuous-sounding words/phrases instead of saying what they mean. It always comes up when this game is discussed, too.
Anyway, San Andreas is still my favorite GTA game.
good lord, guy, chill out
im a small south american white dude that enjoyed San Andreas in part cause I got to play as a thug black dude in a world inspired by 90s hip hop and culture which I love
it stands to reason people might dislike it for the reasons I did like it
not everything is racism and saying "thug" very clearly reflects to a certain culture that doesnt equal just being black
im a small south american white dude that enjoyed San Andreas in part cause I got to play as a thug black dude in a world inspired by 90s hip hop and culture which I love
it stands to reason people might dislike it for the reasons I did like it
not everything is racism and saying "thug" very clearly reflects to a certain culture that doesnt equal just being black
Kwansu Dudes
Member
My favorite of all GTA titles. So much to do, so much to see, so what's wrong with taking the back streets?
Count of Monte Sawed-Off
un33dab@dpu$$y
Well it is a really shitty port.
Oh. I forgot that "thug" and "thug life" weren't code words for black people. That must have changed back to the Indian thugee background. Which, the word was originally racist and discriminatory, and now it is used for a different group of people. Kind of like how the Brits used it to refer to darker skinned people. And now Americans use it as a more covert racist term. Until yesterday, I guess. My apologies. There is no longer any hidden intent in that word.
help me understand your line of thinking
the whole thug life hood 90s hip hop gangbangers is a thing, right?
it's a culture that's predominantly prevailed or involved mostly black people, right?
people can not like that culture or have no interest in playing that kind of setting, and/or prefer a scarface-type story with mobsters
that = they are racists?
is every black guy a thug then?
I've no idea what you're rambling on about, but I'll come out and say it plainly as it seems to be what you're after - I'm less interested in playing a black guy from the hood than I am some up & coming Mafioso character. I've always enjoyed mob related fiction, and that's why Vice City has always been my favoured PS2-era GTA game, and also why I didn't really gel with SA or GTA4.
However, now I'm finally playing GTA5, Franklin is, for me, a great character, and it's making me want to go back and revisit SA... See if I'm missing something.
Nowhere did I say that people can't dislike the game. The fact that "thug very clearly reflects to a certain culture" is the issue because every single GTA protoganist is a thug but only one gets that used as a pejorative and a reason that they don't like the game. If the story didn't click, you thought the characters were annoying, the gameplay took a step back, or whatever else, then that's fine, but someone saying that they don't like the game because the main character was a thug or they don't like the thug life trappings, then it's obvious that they're just tiptoeing around what they actually want to say.
Angryharlot
Banned
Also want to throw out there how funny the "relate" stuff is from coming from White people when I rapping in metal and rock stopped raising eyebrows over 15 years ago, Soundcloud's main pages are fucking dominated by White "Neo-Soul" and I hear motherfuckers talking about "Ride'n" in my Synthpop. It is not uncommon to hear a soccer mom use the word "shout-out" these days.
So many people that cry about other cultures being the focus in media just seem to be complaining about having to see someone else as a protagonist. They are perfectly fine with the culture once you have a white person navigating it as if they have been there from the beginning.
This is not just a Black culture thing. Latin and Asian cultures get worn like costumes just as often. I am not calling anyone out from this thread, btw. I just see the attitude, everywhere.
So many people that cry about other cultures being the focus in media just seem to be complaining about having to see someone else as a protagonist. They are perfectly fine with the culture once you have a white person navigating it as if they have been there from the beginning.
This is not just a Black culture thing. Latin and Asian cultures get worn like costumes just as often. I am not calling anyone out from this thread, btw. I just see the attitude, everywhere.
what?
and in this scenario what are they tiptoing around saying?
I hate black people?
dude you realize the whole hood gangbangers thing is like.. a subset? to put it in a way? that has nothing to do with a race?
you're looking too hard into things. Thugs exists, "THUG" as a 90s hip hop hood thing is definetly a thing, and thinking that saying they don't like that is cause they straight up don't like black people is insane
I get that every character in GTA is a thug if you're gonna go the dictionary route or whatever, but do you really think tommy versetti and CJ are the same?
yes they are saying they don't care for that setting/lifestyle, which has absolutely nothing to do with not caring for a whole a race unless youre a crazy person that looks for racism in everything or put an entire skin color and culture under the HOOD tag, whatever that is
So if a person is not a fan of the 90s gangster life style or find it interesting, that makes them a racist?
No, like the guy above me said, if you're not interested in playing as a black player, then just say that. If you're more of a fan of mafia stuff, then just fucking say it. It's not that hard to understand. Don't hide behind coded language when the actual definitions of the words and phrases being used applies to every single protagonist in this franchise.
I neither said nor suggested anything like that.
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here.
Jmood88, would you agree that there is a thing called "Thug life" and that thing has it's tropes and it's own aesthetic?
OrlanisWorks
Banned
I miss the military so much. San Andreas had the ultimate map for a long long long hot pursuit. Such a blast that was.
You'd think I'd learn that discussing race around here is a lost cause. The whole thug life bullshit on the Internet is based on stereotypical black behavior. You understand that, as you know exactly what the guy is talking about when he brings it up. What I've been saying the whole time is that it's funny that people use words and phrases like thug and thug life when they really just mean a stereotypical black character or culture without having to actually say the word black.
No, that's just you making up an argument that no one has made.
what?
it's based on what those who lived that lifestyle fucking shouted from rooftops
the internet didnt invent it
you are the one who is citing crime and gangbanging as stereotypical black behavior
did it become a stereotype, do people associate black people with crime? sure, shitty people do
does that mean the whole "thug life" thing that rappers and such basically labeled themselves every chance they got doesnt exist and is some sort of racist fantasy? hell no
edit: also no one here's discussing those video memes that have "THUG LIFE" printed on them even tho you keep insisting on that
I love how in your quest to call others out as racist, you're the only one making truly racist comments.
Anyways, I loved the game but it was just too damn long for me. I just ended up quitting once getting to the Vegas map. Still prefer Vice City overall, it was just a better packaged game.
This game is when this series became not fun to play for me. Had a blast with GTA4 and Vice City and could never get into San Andreas, IV, or even V when I played it on the PS3.
Been looking forward to revisiting the series starting with Vice City to try them again. Also looking on picking up GTAV on the cheap on PS4 as well.
Been looking forward to revisiting the series starting with Vice City to try them again. Also looking on picking up GTAV on the cheap on PS4 as well.
Professor Beef
Banned
I just don't like the theme at all. Just looks like a cashin on the popularity of the thug/gansta look right now... god, I'll be glad when this fad is over.
I saw some white guy dressed like a thug (and he walked like a thug as well) in the mall the other day and I had to just roll my eyes at that... fucking horrible...
I saw some white guy dressed like a thug (and he walked like a thug as well) in the mall the other day and I had to just roll my eyes at that... fucking horrible...
good talk
Deified Data
Banned
Jesus Christ, can we discuss the fucking game.
So flight school was a pain in the ass, huh?
So flight school was a pain in the ass, huh?
I felt there was too much focus on content in volume, not so much in quality. The game really stumbles on a few of its ideas.
The PC version still has major issues and omissions when compared to the PS2 version. The fact that the community is STILL fixing the game says a lot. The damage system for example is still busted on PC. Totally fucking busted and weird.
Consider for a moment that just this month, the animations for pedestrians to sit on steps was reintroduced to the PC version, and the PC version is nearly 10 years old. The port is full of lazy omissions like that.
The PC version still has major issues and omissions when compared to the PS2 version. The fact that the community is STILL fixing the game says a lot. The damage system for example is still busted on PC. Totally fucking busted and weird.
Consider for a moment that just this month, the animations for pedestrians to sit on steps was reintroduced to the PC version, and the PC version is nearly 10 years old. The port is full of lazy omissions like that.
It was certainly the most painful part of the entire game. The PC version doesn't show proper prompts so figuring out how to get in and out of hover mode was a lesson in frustration.
Super_Cobra
Member
My second favorite GTA after Vice City. I remember fighting the army and taking it to the sky with the hydra jet.
Professor Beef
Banned
....I have clearly missed so much not having a PS2 during this time.
Same here. Vice City had an atmosphere and story that were unified appropriately. San Andreas was exceptional in some areas, but an exceptional game it was not.
TIMtationX
Member
San Andreas is one of my top 5 all time favorites. The go anywhere, do anything world is why i love it so much. I only just recently stopped playing the PC version last year when GTA 5 hit consoles. There wasn't anything you couldn't do in the game. Hell, it took me almost a year to discover I could steal a train for Christ sake. The only thing Vice City really has over SA is the soundtrack IMO.
How does a thug walk?
Ok, I'll just say my piece and then get out of here.
The problem is not me being obtuse, it's you going from A to B with a bullet.
In an earlier post you claimed that people were using "coded language" as opposed to simply saying that they would prefer not to play as a black character. You then back that up by claiming that thug life is represented by stereotypical black behavior.
The problem is how absolute your criticism becomes. Even if 99% of "thugs" are black people, that still only accounts for a very small portion of the overall black population. Extrapolating that not like thug life is a coded language for not wanting to play as a black character, is actually generalizing all black people as thugs. IE, they wouldn't want to play as a black character in any game because they opposed the thug life theme in San Andreas. Therefore thug life is equivalent to black people, period.
You are correct in a sense that they don't want to play as this particular subset of black people, but the subset is defined by the very word we are debating, so I don't see how you can claim that it's actually coded language (especially not for black people as a whole). In the same way we know the mafia is predominantly Italian, but we can understand the term as representing a very small portion of the Italian population and not just "Italian people."
With a swagger.
Super_Cobra
Member
Yes you did. Get a minigun, then a call the army, destroy them and take their tanks.
I didnt visit GAF back then, but there were those kind of reactions everywhere when it came out. I remember pc players crying out for somebody to make a mod that turned CJ white.
It's funny because I guarantee you the same people who say they can't relate to playing a black protag are the exact same people who argue that greater representation in video games isn't important.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Oh lord, the whole stupid thug life theme had to be brought up in here. We know what that's really about.
It's still the best GTA released for me eve V left out stuff that was in San Andreas. I was really hoping when I heard that V was going back to San Andreas it was going to be the entire state and not just Los Santos and that country town that Trevor's from.
It's still the best GTA released for me eve V left out stuff that was in San Andreas. I was really hoping when I heard that V was going back to San Andreas it was going to be the entire state and not just Los Santos and that country town that Trevor's from.