World Exclusive: San Andreas! multiplayer features revealed

Ever since the announcement of GTA San Andreas, there has been a multitude of rumours speculating as to what new gameplay features would be included. A significant proportion of this has simply been wishful thinking, but it is in the nature of Rockstar's marketing strategy to keep the most exciting details quiet until the last minute: offering up only the minutia of selected gameplay details such as the role of food, and the numerous hairdressing options etc.

Two of the most significant rumours surfacing so far have alluded to a possible online mode and a possible two-player mode. Through reputable sources, SPOnG has been informed that there will definitely not be an online mode: at least not for this PS2 version.

The two-player mode is, however, mostly shrouded in mystery. But we can, through these same sources, confirm its existence. The nature of it is still uncertain, but Rockstar has emphasised the fact that "GTA has always been a single player game." This statement, when taken in conjunction with Rockstar's current denial of a two-player mode, leads us to believe that it will be more of a sideline component - an ancillary option rather than a central one. If Rockstar was to announce that it did have a two-player mode, people might expect a full split-screen mode or full 2 player game, and so understating this feature prior to launch should add to the impact of the game when it does hit the shelves, rather than leading to disappointment or dashed hopes.

One particular instance of the 2 player co-op mode is a mission where CJ has to rescue a girl from a burning building. After rescuing her, she will fight by his side. If there happens to be a second player in the vicinity of the PS2, they will be able to pick up a controller and take command of this ancillary character. Indeed, there were other missions involving CJ plus one other character shown in the official demonstration. One of them sees CJ racing through the streets, with an accomplice having to drive extremely close to his vehicle throughout - this would make a great single-screen racing mission. Similarly, there was another officially revealed mission that saw CJ firing a minigun from a helicopter being piloted by a separate character.

As we've said, the official line is that the 2-player co-op mode does not exist; however, we were also told that the cut-scenes preceding those missions mentioned above "were not ready yet", and so the demonstration skipped straight into the standard gameplay. In the knowledge that, in fact, there is some sort of 2-player co-op mode and that cut-scenes using in-game graphics engines are rarely left until the very last minute, we strongly believe that it will be missions like this that sport the extra option.

Once the co-op missions have been opened up, they will be indicated by specific icons on the map: so if you've got a pal round, it should be easy enough to choose some sort of appropriate 2 player distractions. It is also expected that there will be an assortment of 'parlour games' with 2 player options. Indeed, the nature of Las Venturas, GTA SA's third city - based on Vegas, would certainly provide ample opportunity for such mini-games.

It's a shame that Rockstar hasn't provided a specific statement on these features, but so close to launch, it's a fairly academic matter anyway. What we can say with the full support of Rockstar is that we are looking forward to this game immensely, and will be bringing you a full-blown preview in the coming days. Word!