Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was one of the more experimental titles Rockstar Games has ever released, in part evidenced by allowing countryside robberies to be completed in any order players wished. The game stayed true to the franchise's roots in crime drama but took several risks with both the structure and content included in the game. For the first time, players moved out of a single city and saw miles of real estate across three massive towns. Rockstar even gave players the ability to customize the look of CJ, the main character. Not only could he change outfits, but his body size could even be altered by working out in the gym or eating a bunch of fast food.

This level of experimentation extended to certain missions in San Andreas. Most notably was the string of missions CJ receives after he is exiled from Los Santos by Frank Tenpenny and the other cops in the C.R.A.S.H. unit. CJ is then told by his sister Kendl's boyfriend Cesar that he should meet up with his cousin Catalina. CJ and Catalina meet in Dillimore, where they then embark on a Bonnie and Clyde-like escapade across the countryside.

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What's unique about this string of missions is that it gives players complete freedom. Catalina asks CJ to help her with four different robberies. Unlike most missions in Grand Theft Auto, these robberies don't have to be completed in sequence. That means players can pick and choose which ones they do at their leisure. The missions that stitch these robberies together always occur in the same order, but players have the option to finish whichever robbery they want once Catalina asks.

GTA: San Andreas' Catalina Missions Were An Evolutionary Step

CJ stands on the train tracks

This isn't a massive change to the franchise, but it does give a good indication of the direction Rockstar planned to take the series. Since GTA: San Andreas, each title has become more immersive than the last. San Andreas kicked this all off with quests like these by letting players choose their own path. That ultimately meant that the relationship they formed with Catalina felt more natural. They weren't railroaded into completing the tasks in a certain order. Instead, they had the power to make those small choices as the story progressed.

This player freedom is a big part of what's made modern Grand Theft Auto so successful. The single-player stories are some of the best-produced in the business, but the ability to roam across the open world and engage with whatever content players find interesting has often been something that set the games apart. This seemingly insignificant quest chain with Catalina is one of the first signs that Rockstar was ready to hand players the reins to see what they might do with them.

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