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Digital Foundry: GTA: San Andreas HD on Xbox 360 is a mobile port

Curiously, there isn't an equivalent new version of the game available on PlayStation 3. Instead, PS3 owners have to make do with the original PS2 release, which runs on Sony's software emulator and hands in visuals and performance that look like a very close match for the game in its original setting. That probably sounds like a back-handed compliment, but after playing the Xbox 360 remaster for a while, we're actually glad the original game is still available somewhere.

There has been some speculation about the basis of the new Xbox 360 HD version. Is it a port of the original PC version? Does it include assets from the enhanced mobile edition available on iOS and Android? What's the frame-rate like? And, bearing in mind the rudimentary nature of the visuals, is any anti-aliasing supported?

It becomes clear pretty quickly upon loading the game that we've seen a version of GTA: San Andreas rather like this before. Really quite recently in fact. The Android version formed part of our testing for the Nvidia Shield Tablet, and the Xbox 360 HD version appears to be a straight and somewhat uninspiring port of that mobile release, delivered by members of War Drum studios, whose names have been added to the credits.

Viewed side by side, Xbox 360 and Shield Tablet games appear to be a close match - the higher-resolution 2D artwork and the new front end are much the same, though the new console release appears to possess enhanced draw distance over the Android version (even when it's set to 100 per cent on the mobile version). Unfortunately, aside from the inclusion of Achievements, there's very little love given to this new edition. Just like the Android release, there's absolutely no anti-aliasing available, whereas even the original PC version supports this, while the vast majority of Xbox Originals on the 360 emulator supported 2x or 4x MSAA depending on the title.

What's even more unimpressive is that frame-rate is capped to 30fps and you don't even get a locked, consistent performance level. Travelling around Los Santos, we note occasional hitching and stuttering, with frame-time dips often in excess of 60ms, which translates into momentary dips where the game is running at the equivalent of 15fps.

In revisiting San Andreas, it's actually the PS2 original that comes across as the most authentic of the lot: a technological masterpiece of its time, with assets built to service what is today a relatively miniscule resolution, but at its most comfortable on the original target hardware. Curiously, despite the often crippling frame-rate, the controls just seem to feel better in some ways than the remastered version.

Scaled up to 720p and beyond, even with the enhanced assets, it's clear that the level of detail in the assets doesn't really stand up to scrutiny. The game wasn't really designed to scale in this way and it shows. At just £2.99, the Xbox 360 port is keenly priced for what it offers, but we can't help but wonder whether keeping the Xbox Originals version - at least alongside any HD remaster - may have been the preferable option.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-gta-san-andreas-on-xbox-360-is-a-mobile-port

GTA San Andreas 360 Frame Rate test

I can't find GTA San Andreas on the UK Playstation store. Hopefully it re appears as the original PS2 Classic.
 

BY2K

Membero Americo
What's even more unimpressive is that frame-rate is capped to 30fps and you don't even get a locked, consistent performance level. Travelling around Los Santos, we note occasional hitching and stuttering, with frame-time dips often in excess of 60ms, which translates into momentary dips where the game is running at the equivalent of 15fps.

What the hell...
 

Get_crazy

Banned
Yep, San Andreas Classic PS2 is not available on the Store, in Europe at least. And it was removed at the same time as the Xbox 360 classic edtion.
 

CozMick

Banned
Drops to 15fps, on a mobile port of a game.....on an xbox 360?

Have War Drum Studios ever released a console game?
 
Can I not re download my Xbox Originals version of this anymore? I know that the Originals version has been replaced for new purchases, but does that also extend to re downloading it from your download history?
 
What's even more unimpressive is that frame-rate is capped to 30fps and you don't even get a locked, consistent performance level. Travelling around Los Santos, we note occasional hitching and stuttering, with frame-time dips often in excess of 60ms, which translates into momentary dips where the game is running at the equivalent of 15fps.

What the?!

chansub-global-emoticon-ce52b18fccf73b29-25x32.png
 

Pophead

Member
How the hell did the manage a worse frame rate than the original?

Sheer laziness and they were looking for a quick cash grab imo.
 
Can I not re download my Xbox Originals version of this anymore? I know that the Originals version has been replaced for new purchases, but does that also extend to re downloading it from your download history?

Check your download list. It should hopefully still be there.
 

fernoca

Member
Yep, San Andreas Classic PS2 is not available on the Store, in Europe at least. And it was removed at the same time as the Xbox 360 classic edtion.
Still there in the US/PS Store. For some reason still at the price from the last sale, $3.99. Maybe it will be removed soon and is why it was left at that price. III and Vice City are $2.49, IV and Chinatown Wars are $4.99.
 

JP

Member
It's a mobile port? Well that'll explain why everybody thought it looked and ran like a mobile port then. I actually prefer the original version that they've now removed, it makes no sense replacing the old version with this one but I'm sure some people will.
 

GHG

Member
Sounds pretty rough. Most people would be better off getting it on the PC considering it will run on a toaster these days.
 

JP

Member
7nUfdtR.png


Seriously, why? Why would you not port the PC version? PS2 had grass ffs.
Looking at those images the PS2 version is far better. Graphically the only difference between the Android and 360 version is gat they've managed to ruin the blacks in the 360 version so it's actually a worse looking game on the 360.

Not sure what the hell Rockstar thought they were doing with this, I really hope that it doesn't sell. Having said that I wouldn't be surprised if the asking price is pure profit for them.
 

DOWN

Banned
Eh, it looks pretty good thanks to resolution. I still have the original downloaded in case this day came.
 

Foffy

Banned
7nUfdtR.png


Seriously, why? Why would you not port the PC version? PS2 had grass ffs.

The PC version by many is considered even now to be a bad port. Many, many features of the PS2 version in just game engine alone are borked out of the game on PC, despite PC's better load times and overall texture quality. For example, the PC version has broken alpha for helicopters and parachutes literally have zero animation when you move with one active...neither of which was ever an issue on PS2. There's also missing detail in some locations, like Las Venturas, and some cars are spawned in the wrong direction.

The mobile version is based on the PC version, but I believe it still has all of the borked things that the PC version had, save for better lighting.
 

Recall

Member
The mobile version had bugs that would hard lock during late game story quests which few got to due to the awkward control scheme.
 

Nzyme32

Member
I have the PC version but i need that controller support.

Its on its way to Steam. They've been putting up protected betas for a while now. The earliest one was unprotected and some GAFers tried it out - xinput and widescreen support are definitely there, but that was a while ago and there has been a lot of activity since
 

Oemenia

Banned
There are plenty of third party applications and mods which would allow you to do so.

People should not be supporting this version under any circumstances.
All three of the original version have their caveats, especially when downloaded onto their respective consoles (eliminates loading and pop-in).

I actually wish I had bought the XBOX Originals versions even though I have it on disc as well DL versions on PS3 and Steam.
 

Percy

Banned
That sounds like garbage.

To think of the money Rockstar could have made at any time last gen by doing a proper HD up-port of this or any of the GTA games, and they choose to shit this out for some reason at a time when last gen consoles are nosediving in relevance?

Doesn't make much sense to me...
 
That sounds like garbage.

To think of the money Rockstar could have made at any time last gen by doing a proper HD up-port of this or any of the GTA games, and they choose to shit this out for some reason at a time when last gen consoles are nosediving in relevance?

Doesn't make much sense to me...

It's like how they'll receive exactly the same acclaim and money for porting their GOTY last year as if it were a new game. It's just what they do/can get away with because of how huge GTA is.
 

I Wanna Be The Guy

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
Shitty port or not, if it comes to PS4 or Vita I'll buy it. When it comes to the ability to play San Andreas on a handheld I'll take what I can get. But yeah it's really shitty how badly Rockstar just phoned this in. The lack of effort is astounding. They couldn't even be bothered to officially announce the thing. Such a joke. And the thing is if they did a proper remaster and make a big deal out of it then it would print money.
 

Foffy

Banned
That sounds like garbage.

To think of the money Rockstar could have made at any time last gen by doing a proper HD up-port of this or any of the GTA games, and they choose to shit this out for some reason at a time when last gen consoles are nosediving in relevance?

Doesn't make much sense to me...

I guess they wanted to capitalized on San Andreas' 10th year anniversary with a quick "update" for sales.

If this quality is what one is to expect with their ports, I fear what will happen when they get around to Liberty and Vice City Stories. The PS2 ports of those games were already rushed, rumors are LCS is currently planned for a release in the next few months on phones, and both of those games can be bigger cash grabs for they were only on Sony platforms, so PC and Xbox users could very easily be swindled if the lack of quality of this SA port is the baseline for further ports.

The PC version of SA is already gone too, so either they're finally planning on fixing that, or once again fucking over the PC platform with yet another iteration of a port with issues. I sadly assume the latter; despite the PC versions of the PS2 era GTA games having the highest visual and texture quality of the bunch, many features in the PS2 versions are missing in all three games. Mods have fixed a lot of this for III and VC, but SA is only recently getting this restoration effort, and all of this has happened in just the last two or so years.
 

Foffy

Banned
If anything, this made me get the PS2 Classics version in case it's removed (US). For $4, no biggie.

It's probably going to be. I believe the game was already taken down on the EU side, so this is likely happening.

Rockstar didnt announce it but I knew last week that it would be a mobile port- I could have sworn there was a thread about it

sorry guys-

We had various hunches it was on the mobile port, seeing as that was not only the most recent version but they went out of their way to update the game with different lighting and various other things. It was the most realistic guess to make, so you're not out there for assuming any of this.
 
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