Pros: Everything that was good about Grand Theft Auto III and much more.
Cons: Some overly hard missions, some annoying glitches, targeting system still needs work.
The Bottom Line: As good as Grand Theft Auto III was, Vice City is even better. Everything about GTA3 that was good is here plus some big improvements.
head-driller's Full Review: Grand Theft Auto (GTA): Vice City for PlayStation ...
This review contains many large spoilers, so please read extremely carefully!!!
Lately there has been one game series that's become a phenomenon. This series is Grand Theft Auto. Starting out in 1998, it was successful but not exactly smashing. The same can be said for the expansion pack and the sequel. When the third installment was finally released in October 2001 for the PlayStation2 game console, it became an instant hit. Selling over 7 million copies and staying at the top of the charts for a long time, the series had finally scored the big shot (no pun intended). It was inevitable a sequel would follow. Well sort of. You see, Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design) was already hard at work with another game, but it wasn't exactly a sequel. In fact, instead of picking up where the original left off, the developers decided to instead use a completely new storyline while still staying true to the nature of the previous games. The new game was called Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Already it received tons of hype and when it was finally released in October 2002, it flew off the shelves. Off course, many games that tend to be hyped also often tend to be rather overrated. Is this game a classic or is it overhyped? Find it with this review:
The story is set in 1986. Tommy Vercetti is a gangster who has served a prison sentence for 15 years (if I remember correctly it was due to a drug deal that went wrong). He's finally released from prison and, his boss, Sonny Forelli, wants him to continue with drug deals, and he sends Tommy from Liberty City (the town featured in GTA3 and also in the first game) and is on his way to Vice City (a Miami-type city which was also in the first game). There he meets with Ken Rosenberg, a cowardly and corrupt lawyer who enjoys snorting cocaine in his spare time. When Tommy & Ken attempt their first deal though it goes wrong when law enforcement interferes. Sonny is enraged that the deal failed and Tommy failed to get Sonny's money. Tommy promises to get Sonny's money. He starts working for Ken and is linked with some other people with criminal activities. Tommy becomes richer and more powerful and is on his way to becoming one of Vice City's most powerful crime lords. However this will be no small task, as he faces conflict from rival gangs. And of course he has to get Sonny's money.
The story aspect of the GTA series massively improved with GTA3 and it's even better in Vice City. It's great that we have a lead character who actually has a name and speaks. And what a lead character he is! Tommy is an extremely interesting and well-developed character with a neat background and I always wanted to know what would happen next to him. I enjoyed many other characters in the game as well and wished some of them played a larger role. Vice City has an overall great story that's unquestionably one of the best ever in a video game (it rivals any Final Fantasy game).
The game is set in 1986. The 1980s was a very memorable era, and it's not often there's a game set in that era. Even in the 21st century the developers nailed the atmosphere of the 1980s to a T. Everything from the clothes people can be seen wearing (acid-washed denim and hawaiian shirts), the ultra-bright and colorful neon display signs seen on Nightclubs, and the radio station (more on that later), it's amazing. The chances of Time Travel happening are slim, so this game is probably the closest you'll get to actually reliving a year (and for those who weren't around during 1986, this game will be very interesting). I was completely immersed in the game's '80s atmosphere. The '80s turn also adds a notably more lighthearted mood to the game, taking a break from the dark and gritty feel of GTA3, but don't think the game is sugar-coated, because it's dark in many ways, from Tommy's darkly hilarious one-liners, the cartoonish yet undeniably gruesome violence (ChainSaw dismemberment, enough said), some of the run-down and lonely neighborhoods (Little Haiti comes to mind), and the anti-social/anti-system theme, this game is a prime example of how something can look glamorous on the outside but can be plain Hellish on the inside. The game's atmosphere is absolutely amazing, perfectly capturing the feel of the '80s era and adding plenty of dark and twisted subject matter yet in a lighthearted and darkly humorous way. Those who were around during the '80s, prepare for a bloody, ultra-violent, and profanity-laden trip down memory lane.
The game's graphics are much brighter and clearer than GTA3's, and while the game's engine is somewhat similar, the visual presentation gives you a fresh feel. Vice City is based on Miami and bears many strong and striking similarities with the city; the palm trees, beaches, buildings, oceans, and Nightclubs all nail down Miami to a T. The graphics are all excellent and have even more vibrant colors than GTA3 and the character models have also much improved. There's more variety with the pedestrians, the envoirmental effects are superb (especially the wind gusts), and the water looks gorgeous. The special effects are also really impressive too (in particular I dig the Flamethrower's Flame Stream), and the violence is as gory and brutal as ever (ChainSaw Massacre!!!). Graphics aren't perfect but are very nice with nifty effects.
The Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) has improved quite a bit from GTA3 as well. The pedestrians don't go vigilante this time like in GTA3 (at least from what I know), but it's cool to see them standing in crowds and talking to each other, and this time gangs walk around in more clusters and act more "macho" than in GTA3. It's also not uncommon to see rival gangs fighting on certain turfs. The cop A.I. has also improved. I was really bugged at how in GTA3 they only seemed to think of me as a criminal. Well this time you're not alone, because cops can often be seen chasing thugs and getting into fights with them. Their A.I. still isn't perfect though, as the ever-annoying reaction of having them chase you for accidently ramming their car is still present here, and there are times when they can either be tough or plain stupid. Still the cop A.I. is good, and I liked how they were more strategic with their fighting.
Another improvement of Vice City is the sound. A lot of the pedestrians' comments can be really funny and a lot of the guns in the game sound really cool (especially the Spaz Shotgun, which is actually called a SPAS-12 in real-life). Aside from some neat sound effects, the game features some really superb voice-acting from some high-profile Hollywood stars (just like in GTA3). Some of these actors include:
-Ray Liotta (Goodfellas, Turbulence) as Tommy Vercetti, the lead character.
-Burt Reynolds (Smokey And The Bandit, Cannonball Run) as Avery Carrington, a real estate agent from Texas who likes to start gang wars and demolish the construction sites of rival construction companies.
-William Fichtner (Heat, Albino Alligator, Go) as Ken Rosenberg, the corrupt and wimpy coke-snorting lawyer.
-Phillip Michael Thomas (TV's Miami Vice) as Lance Vance, a criminal who becomes Tommy's sidekick and often helps him out on many missions.
-Lee Majors (TV's The Six Million Dollar Man) as Mitch Baker, a tall man who's the leader of a Biker Gang.
-Tom Sizemore (Natural Born Killers, Heat, Saving Private Ryan) as Sonny Forelli, Tommy's boss. He's very angry at Tommy for failing his latest drug deal.
-Robert Davi (The Goonies, Die Hard, License To Kill) as Juan Cortez, a Spanish Army Colonel who is begin pursued by French Government Agents. His missions involve tasks like stealing military technology and killing those foolish enough to double-cross him.
-Gary Busey (Lethal Weapon, Predator 2, Point Break) as Phil Cassidy, a Redneck gun-runner who enjoys blowing things up and drinking boomshine. His love affair with guns is noticable in his trailer home and his home in general perfectly depicts the stereotypical Southern hillbilly envoirment. (Fun fact: Phil also appeared in GTA3, in the mission Arms Shortage. He was the man you were protecting in that mission).
These are just some of the many high-profile actors that do voicework in this game (they also include Dennis Hopper, porn superstar Jenna Jameson, and even psychic Miss Cleo). It's truly amazing to see such Hollywood talent in a video game. Rockstar has crafted a story that rivals any movie, and the voicework is the icing on the cake. All of the actors are superb in their roles, breathing in a lot of life. Many of them also seem to be really enjoying themselves as well.
Another important aspect of the sound is one of the features that made this series famous in the first place: the radio station. It's back and better than ever. As stated earlier, the game is set in 1986, and the atmosphere and feel is replicated extremely well, but it wouldn't be the '80s without one crucial element: music. The 1980s was one of the most memorable for music ever (if not the most), and Rockstar compiled many hits from the '80s (including some underrated gems). There are so many great songs I don't know where to start. The best station in the game by a landslide is V-Rock (at least in my opinion). Remember Lazlow from GTA3? The host of the talk radio station Chatterbox? Well he's back, and as the host of V-Rock. He's hilarious once again and provides plenty of comic relief ("I Am The Master Of Darkness... That's Why My Name's Lazlow"). Better yet though, V-Rock features many awesome rock songs by some great bands. Some of my favorite V-Rock songs are:
-Turn Up The Radio (Autograph)
-Too Young To Fall In Love (Motley Crue)
-2 Minutes To Midnight (Iron Maiden)
-You've Got Another Thing Comin' (Judas Priest)
-Raining Blood (Slayer)
These four excellent songs are only a small taste of what the game's radio station have to offer though, as other good songs (not only on V-Rock) are Automatic (by the Pointer Sisters, heard on Fever 105), Call Me (by Go West, heard on Flash FM), and Obsession (by Animotion, heard on Wave 103). Some of the songs have been shortened a little (Raining Blood is one of them), but are still enjoyable to listen to. And of course no '80s music compilation would be complete without songs by Michael Jackson (in his glory days before he became the uh... psycho he is now) , and two of his songs are featured in the game, which are Billie Jean (on Flash FM) and Wanna Be Startin' Something (on Fever 105). The soundtrack really adds to the authentic atmosphere and feel of the game's '80s scenario. There are however two songs I must point out which are, well... really bad: their both by a fictional Scottish band called Love Fist (a stereotype of many '80s rock stars, right down to their leather clothing, long hair, and drug addictions). Two songs "by them" were made and their called Fist Fury and Dangerous B@stard (both are on V-Rock) and their both terrible, with irritating music and stupid lyrics. Still their music is a minor hiccup compared to most of the other music in the game which is superb (especially Autograph's Turn Up The Radio and Motley Crue's Too Young To Fall In Love). The soundtrack in this game is one of the best ever for any video game, period.
As good as it is to have a good story with good graphics and sound, that wouldn't mean anything if the game wasn't fun. Luckily Vice City is the most enjoyable GTA game yet, the gameplay is more diverse than ever and has variety galore, and almost every new mission feels fresh. Not every mission will have you blasting cops and innocent pedestrians left and right; they include tasks ranging from flying an airplane and distributing flyers promoting a movie, street racing, blackmailing, driving a car fast to keep a bomb from exploding (a cool reference to the movie Speed), freeing a fellow criminal from a jail cell by posing as a cop, smashing store windows to make them pay protection money, selling drugs from an Ice Cream Van posing as an Ice Cream vendor, flying little remote-controlled airplanes and helicopters and deploying bombs, raiding a mansion, firing away at government agents on a speeding boat, gunning at a rival gang from a helicopter, robbing a bank, and one mission even has you driving drunk. There's so much variety in this game it's unbelievable. The side missions return to, the emergency/public vehicle missions are back and there's even a stadium with three events you can take part in. The hidden packages are back, you can now purchase properties, okay I'm starting to get a little carried away here but this game has so much to it I don't know how to describe it all! This game has enough content to fill at least 20 other games (well maybe not, but still a whole lot of content). This game is easily the one of the most enjoyable I've ever played. I was disappointed that the Toyz missions from GTA3 didn't return, though. Still, a minor complaint when compared to the rest of the game's accomplishments.
The vehicle selection is as good as ever, with returning favorites from GTA3 including the Cheetah, Infernus, Stinger, Patriot and Sentinel with many new vehicles which in addition to bringing back GTA3's boats now finally bring back Motorcycles and introduce Helicopters and Airplanes! It's really cool to see past versions of vehicles from GTA3 (especially the Sentinel XS, which is obviously modeled after GTA3's Mafia Sentinel). The Motorcycles are mega-fun to drive (especially the PCJ-600, mad stunts there) and the Helicopters are just incredible (especially the Hunter, an Apache Army Helicopter earned by collecting all 100 hidden packages and/or finishing the last story mission Keep Your Friends Close). The boats are fun too, and the Skimmer (Vice City's Airplane) is a lot easier to fly than GTA3's Dodo Plane even though it'll still take some time to master.
The weapons selection is immense, with many different types of melee weapons, machine guns, heavy weapons, and more. In addition to the classic Flamethrowers and Rocket Launchers and Uzis there are semi-automatic and sawed-off Shotguns, six-Shooters, remote Grenades, laser-pointer Sniper Rifles, sub-machine guns (love the MP-5), assault rifles, Katanas, ChainSaws, Hammers, and even a MiniGun (*cough*Terminator 2*cough*). A lot of the weapons are fun to use and the much-increased variety of them helps to keep things fresh. However I disliked the new weapon's management system (in which you can only have one weapon of each class with you at a time, for example, you can only have 1 pistol, 1 shotgun, 1 assault rifle, etc.) which often made combat frustrating and confusing. And though the targeting system has improved a bit from GTA3 it still tends to suffer from the problem of locking on to an unintentional target.
Law enforcement is back with the cops, S.W.A.T. Team, FBI Agents and Army Soldiers, plus new additions like Undercover Agents who come chasing you in a Cheetah. Law enforcement is more strategic this time so simply going Rambo on them isn't always the best option.
In conclusion, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a landmark video game that's one of the best ever. With a plot that rivals the best Hollywood movies (a plot that is further supported by some truly great voice-acting by some Hollywood stars) and some excellent, addictive, freestyle and diverse gameplay (not to mention a truly great soundtrack), this is one epic game. It's not perfect, some missions can still be too difficult at times and there's still some glitches, but the pros once again beat the cons. Mature gamers, add this one to your collection.
Bring on Grand Theft Auto IV (or whatever the next game will be!).
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