GTA: San Andreas

by gtaadmin on 27/03/09 at 11:34 pm

Released	2004
Protagonist	Carl 'CJ' Johnson
Time Period	1992
Locations	The State of San Andreas (includes areas: Los Santos, San Fierro, Las Venturas as well as desert, country, small towns, a mountain and forest.) Also includes a brief visit to St. Marks in Liberty City.
Featured Characters	Carl "CJ" Johnson, Sweet, Kendle, Cesar, Big Smoke, OG Loc, Ryder, Big Bear, B Dup, Tenpenny, Pulaski, Hernandez, The Truth, Catalina, Ken Rosenberg, Salvatore Leone, Maria La Torra, Kent Paul, Jethro, Dwaine, Emmet, Maccer, Madd Dogg, Jizzy B, T-Bone Mendez, Mike Toreno, Zero, Woozie, Su Xi Mu, Ran Fa Li, Johnny Sindacco, Jimmy Silverman.

GTA: San Andreas - Background

CJ grew up in San Andreas but left 5 years ago after his brother, Brian, tragically died. He has been living in Liberty ever since, but now has to return after the drive-by killing of Beverley Johnson - his mother.

GTA: San Andreas - Plot

CJ arrives back in Los Santos and is immediately framed for the murder of Police Officer Ralph Pendlebury. Pendlebury was working for C.R.A.S.H. (Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums) and was killed when he didn't agree with their "by any means necessary" approach. In fact Pendlebury was shot by new recruit Jimmy Henandez. This was under the duress of the main men of C.R.A.S.H. - Frank Tenpenny and his sidekick Eddie Pulaski. Tenpenny uses the threat of CJ going down for the cop's murder in order to force him to do his dirty work.

CJ meets up with brother and sister, Sweet & Kendl, and some of his old gang buddies Big Smoke and Ryder. Big Smoke has since moved out of Grove Street and the 'Families' are are falling apart. Sweet's insistence on keeping out of drugs has lost the gang a lot of money and members. What used to be one of the largest and powerful gangs in Los Santos has now split into a number of smaller groups and even they are fighting among themselves. The only one who truly declares his gangster ideals is childhood friend Jeffrey. But even he is more interested in moving away to become a successful gangster rapper. If only he had some talent like the highly acclaimed Madd Dogg. CJ helps Jeffrey [-- sorry, "OG Loc" --] by stealing Madd Dogg's rhyme book and sending his manager off the end of a pier.

Carl gets involved in various gang battles. These are mostly with the Ballas and Vagos, but also includes a new russian gang.

On a small scale - the Johnson Family themselves seem to be splitting when Kendl falls for rival gang member of the Aztecas, Cesar Vialpando. With CJ back on the team 'Grove Street Families' seem to be pulling themselves together. They are taking over long lost turf and even arrange for a meeting between all the 'families' in order to forge them back into one strong force.
Unfortunately the party is over when a SWAT team arrive. Ryder and Big Smoke dissapear and CJ is left to rescue Sweet alone until they return with a getaway car. Later CJ gets a shock when he sees Big Smoke & Ryder meeting up with some Ballas and Officer Tenpenny. What's worse is that they are gathered around a 'Green Sabre', the very same vehicle that was used in his mother's killing.

CJ sees that they are about to trap his gang, who are meeting under the freeway, and rushes to warn them. He is too late. After being knocked unconscious, he awakes in a small country town with Tenpenny informing him that his brother is in jail.

CJ is told to stay out of Los Santos. Cesar calls saying Kendl is worried and he's sent some backup to help. CJ should meet them in a bar in the town of Dillimore. It turns out that the "back up" is Cesar's fiery cousin Catalina. As CJ enters the bar she is threatening two large men with a knife. It appears that Catalina has a passion for armed robbery and has already cased some likely targets. The new 'Bonnie & Clyde' rip through the countryside turning over banks and liquor stores, but it soon becomes clear that Catalina has a quick temper and jealous nature. This demanding vixen may be too much woman for CJ to handle.

She eventually hooks up with a non-talkative guy name Claude Speed. At first she probably does this to make CJ jealous, but who knows what goes through her insane mind. She challenges her two men to race each other and of course CJ wins. Furious Catalina accuses him of cheating and says he can't win the car as she and Claude need it to drive to Liberty City. Instead she hands over the deeds to Claude's garage in San Fierro and the pair drive away.

The Garage In San Fierro

Accompanied by a marijuana growing, aging hippy known as The Truth, CJ makes his way to his new property.

It's a dump.

CJ feels he's been screwed over but Kendl can see its potential. She sees it as a chance to make something of their lives. She wants to build up the business and get into property. Once CJ and Cesar are convinced, The Truth says he knows some guys that could help. Dwaine and Jethro used to work as mechanics in a Vice City boat yard before Vercetti bought their business. They switched coasts and are trying their luck in San Fierro. An electronics whizz called Zero becomes the final member of the team. His major interest is RC vehicles and he sees himself as being "at war" with fellow RC genius and his nemesis - Berkley.

The group begin to turn the old wreck around.

Something is still bothering CJ though. He knows it was drugs that caused the problems back home and now he knows that the suppliers are based right here in San Fierro. He tracks them to a meeting with one of their Los Santos contacts - Ryder - and finds out that the major players are T-Bone Mendez, Mike Toreno and owner of the biggest club in town - Jizzy B.

CJ infiltrates the gang and eliminates them all, including Ryder who grew up in the house next door. He then ensures that the crack trade will cease by blowing up the factory.

CJ is summoned to meet a mysterious figure at a large cabin in the desert. It's Toreno! CJ had killed a decoy instead. It appears that the leader of the Crack syndicate is in fact a government agent. He's impressed with CJ and wants him to do the jobs he can't get caught doing. He also claims to have the power to get Sweet released from prison if CJ will do "just one more job."

At the same time The Truth, ever suspicious about government agencies and alien conspiracies, has CJ break into the unmapped government base, Area 69, and steal a proto-type jetpack which CJ then uses to acquire a flask of 'Green Goo'. The purpose or meaning of this is unknown.

While in San Fierro CJ became well respected by the local triad gang. In particular a blind man named Wu Zi Mu. Woozie is now opening a casino in Las Venturas but is suffering as the mob puts the squeeze on him. He offers CJ a share in The Four Dragons Casino if he will help out. Luckily it seems that CJ has a connection to the mob.

• The Truth knows a British band managed by Kent Paul.
• Kent Paul has long been associated with a certain lawyer from Vice City named Ken Rosenberg.
• Rosenberg was now hating his new job of 'running' Caligula's Casino.
• Caligula's is jointly owned by three different Mafia families and they are actually 'running' him.

So CJ gets in with Salvatore Leone before double crossing him and pulling a heist at his casino. The Four Dragons is a success.

Tenpenny calls a meeting. It's time to end their association and depart - permanently.

He whacks Hernandez over the head with a shovel, then hands it to CJ telling him to dig two graves. One for the cop, and one for himself. Tenpenny then leaves Pulaski to finish the job. But Hernandez isn't dead yet. He puts his last ounce of life into attacking Pulaski which hands CJ a gun and a way to finish the podgy cop once and for all.

Ever since Madd Dogg lost his manager and rhyme book his life had taken a downward spiral. He was addicted to drugs and alcohol and even attempted suicide. CJ saved him and now he is his new manager. Madd Dogg may be clean, but he has a lot of ground to make up. He doesn't even have his home anymore. The drug lord, Big Poppa, has taken over his Los Santos mansion. CJ plans to get it back for him.

It's time to go back home.

Back In Los Santos

Once back and settled in LS, Toreno keeps his promise and CJ's brother is released. But Sweet isn't happy with how CJ is acting. He's worried that while CJ is living it up in some mansion, he's forgotten about the hood - about the Grove.

One trip back to Grove Street confirms his worries. The place is overrun by Ballas, crackheads, dealers and junkies. Time to clean up. They take back their turf, clean up the streets and put the gang back together just in time to see Tenpenny brought to trial.

The TV announces that all charges against Tenpenny have been dropped. The corrupt murdering, racketeering bastard was free. Los Santos erupts into chaos as riots break out all over the city. The Johnson boys know this means trouble and head home to secure Grove Street. After calming things down a little and helping Cesar's gang regain control of their area, CJ has a vendetta of his own to deal with.

Big Smoke has achieved his goal and is now successful and wealthy. He even has his own crack factory right here in Los Santos. It's time for CJ to pay him a visit. He takes a SWAT tank and smashes right through the factory walls. Then works his way up through the factory until he reaches Smoke's top floor apartment. Smoke sits high on base playing a videogame. He has no regrets and really believes he made something of himself. He knows what CJ is here for and pulls out a weapon. The lights go down, and shortly after, so does Big Smoke.

Then Tenpenny arrives and tells CJ to fill up his bag with the money from Smoke's safe. He shoots a generator which completely shuts off the lighting and causes a fire which starts to fill the building. CJ races through the dark burning factory and gets out just in time to see his brother leap onto the back of the fire truck Tennypenny is using to escape. CJ knows Sweet can't hang on forever so grabs a car and follows the huge red vehicle all around Los Santos. Sure enough Sweet drops, but CJ is there to catch him. His brother takes the wheel as Carl starts shooting at Tenpenny's truck and the cop cars that have joined the chase. Finally in the brothers' home town of Ganton, Tenpenny loses control and crashes through the side wall of the bridge over Grove Street. The fire truck smashes into the hard road below and all is quiet.

The unrepentant lawgiver slowly crawls out. As various onlookers arrive he lies in Grove Street - weak, frail, beaten and dead.

GTA: San Andreas Notes

The waitress in Caligula's Casino, Maria La Torra, will stay with Salvatore Leone and follow him back to Liberty City. She will become a very important character in GTA 3.