Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Review
Review - putting the vice back in life
Version tested: PlayStation 2
Rockstar should be applauded for getting Vice City finished this quickly. Although you could (and, ahem, we did) spend more time playing GTA3 than most of the rest of the PS2's back catalogue put together, DMA Design's, sorry, Rockstar North's inspirational genre-blender was ripped to shreds by fans within a matter of months. They wanted more. We wanted more. Now we have more. And we'll make no pretence otherwise: Vice City lives up to the hype.
Everyone needs one Vice
Bikes are a lot faster than cars in many instances, but you'll come unstuck with far greater ease as well
Before we get into the whys and wherefores though, we'll take you on a short (and probably rather unnecessary) refresher course in what to expect. After guiding a nameless, muted escaped con through the streets of Liberty City, this time we've been given control of a character with something to say for himself. Tommy Vercetti is fresh out of the clink, and mob bosses in Liberty have sent him packing to Vice City to try and get a handle on the drugs business (and keep him out of the way). When that goes awry, Tommy is forced to press his connections with a crooked lawyer and various local kingpins to try and eke out those responsible for his misfortune. On the way, he'll handle work for a number of bosses all over town, whilst causing untold mayhem on the city streets and playing all sides against one another. No surprises there.
The plot that runs through the game is a lot stronger than GTA3's, mostly thanks to Tommy's inclusion. The narrative is nicely scripted, the missions forming a cohesive part as always, and like GTA3, allegiances change with the wind. Characters from GTA3 are woven into play here and there - you'll hear Toni manning Flash FM (the cleverly named precursor to Flashback FM), Fernando plying his trade on Emotion and there's an amusing entrance for a young Donald Love. And it's not just the characters - you'll still be searching for unique jumps, standout weapons (like the sniper rifle) and even hidden packages, of which there are the requisite 100. We had thought these were absent from Vice City, until we found one the other day - the realisation of just how much more there was to find and do was quite startling.
New toys
All the old faves are back, in slightly chunkier models
On the whole, Rockstar has done plenty to catch the attention of GTA3 fans, whilst filling the game with extras. Gary Penn, formerly of DMA Design, often used to bang on about a Digital Toyset, and to extend the metaphor, Vice City offers a Christmas morning's worth of additions. The most talked about are motorbikes, which range from the amusingly named scooter-alike, the Faggio, to some monstrous Harley Davidson types and speedy superbikes, and helicopters, which also play a larger part, with Tommy taking up the role of passenger in an early mission, sniping cartel members from their rooftop perches, before grabbing the controls later on for himself. Choppers are a fantastic addition, and you'll enjoy the build-up prior to getting hold of them. In one mission, you get to practice the controls you'll later rely on by guiding a remote control version with bombs attached to it - very clever.
Other, lesser additions which have perhaps slipped us by include the ability to take over small businesses to supplement your income and act as safehouses, to acquire your former bosses' tenements having offed them, the ability to leap from moving vehicles (incredibly useful, and roaringly cinematic as you charge, engine blazing, into certain death only to scramble aside at the last minute), and the chance to swap rags. Like dumping, switching or respraying cars, changing clothes at one of the various boutiques around town will give you a better chance of evading John Law. You'll also have to dress in various get-ups for certain missions, perfect for convincing the Haitians that the Cubans just whacked their leader, or conning your way onto a golf course to perform a golf buggy-riding hit.
And as you would expect, there's a greater arsenal of weapons, from melee additions like the hammer, meat cleaver and golf club to heavier duty tools like the Ruger assault rifle. The police continue their six-star assaults, although they seem a lot smarter in this incarnation, causing untold trouble even at a 2/6 wanted level. We're also a bit concerned about Ferrari-driving cops, who drive like lunatics and pack machine guns. Ouch.
Money-making, money-money-making
This looks like a nice place, but it pales in comparison to Ricardo Diaz' mansion
Like GTA3, you start off with a small environment and have to branch out by completing a number of missions. Come away from the first chopper-based mission and you'll have the city's second island to play with, and various new bosses to talk to. Some will call you on your cellular phone (which is suitably chunky for the day), which you pinched earlier on, whilst others will request a private audience. However the cut-scenes that once served so uniformly as mission briefings now edge closer to cinematics, with actual (and, brace yourself, amusing) dialogue between Tommy and his employers, who all seem rather taken with his masochistic tendencies. This is largely thanks to the work of a team of sterling voice actors, which includes such luminaries as Ray Liotta, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper, er, Jenna Jameson, hrm, that Tubbs bloke out of Miami Vice, and plenty more.
And for once, the main character isn't alone in his pursuit of, well, money. Various non-player characters (including the charismatic, sports car-driving Lance 'Quentin' Vance) will work alongside Tommy, showing up at odd moments.
And missions are a lot better in Vice City. Some of the missions in GTA could be quite boring, if it's now safe to say it, but you never get that feeling in Vice City. You can of course continue with vigilante, fire-fighting, ambulance and taxi missions in your spare time, and there's even a sniff of pizza boy about some of it, but that's only if you're bored. And you won't be. Some of your objectives are absolutely ludicrous, but there's always huge diversity in what you can do - to take an arbitrary point as an example, you could find yourself faced with a turf war mission. This has you killing lots of Haitians (including a mean sniper) and hauling their drugs van back to base camp. However, you could instead opt to work for the Haitians by retrieving their drug stashes from around town before the police get there. Or you could just work for one of the mansion-bound drug bosses with a golf course for a front garden, who wants you to whack somebody. Of course, you'll only find yourself in this position if you can get round a number of checkpoints in two minutes to impress the locals. In a speedboat - did I mention that?
Wasted
Jumps are a lot easier on bikes, and you'll find all sorts of unorthodox ones as well
Missions are spread all over both islands, and your hotel (the game's only save point early on) is located on just the one, so you'll often find yourself with a hefty drive to pick up some work. Indeed, if you find yourself wasted and left outside a hospital, you could have to travel for five minutes to pick up some hardware from Ammu-Nation, five more minutes to go get the job and a further five to get to the battle. However, buying up one of the many properties that are available for sale and the save points begin to open up, while taxis park outside hospitals to take you straight to the mission you've just failed. It's nice touches like these that make Vice City even more compelling.
There are definitely criticisms to be made, and plenty less incidental than the above, but then that's hardly surprising. The islands are perhaps a bit flat compared to Liberty City - you'll never fly 200 feet straight down off the top of a dam, for example, and you won't hurtle down bendy avenues with the cops in tow, but there are some tremendous hidden (and not so hidden) jumps to enjoy, not to mention a plethora of multi-storey car parks and countless humpback bridges to fly off.
But you can't make something this big this quickly without a few rough edges showing through. Significantly, there are some beastly load times in there, but then we can put up with a dodgy waiter when the main dish is so delicious. We could also point an accusatory finger at the cameraman from time to time, and it's a little maddening to see that character animation and models haven't been smartened up at all. Still, it takes more than a few flies to spoil a broth this good. One such fly, or bug, though, is the ability to get stuck in terrain whilst on the cell phone, and you'll also spot a few glitches, like odd character behaviour in the opening split-second of cut sequences, and occasional clipping issues - such as when a whole road vanished beneath us when we drove. Ugly, but of little consequence.
High gear
Some of the scenery is quite detailed, like the statue, and some of it is not, like the building behind you
But the good outweighs the bad by miles. It may look almost identical to GTA3, but it builds on the game in almost every way. (And in strict fairness, the visuals are very nice in places, and everything looks suitably '80s, particularly the clothing, and the way the sun flits in and out of your eyes is genius, with rain spots on the camera too). But dialogue is indeed richer, the soundtrack is much, much better (and well worth buying for £29.99, we'd say), the radio banter is just as funny and there's more of it, the cars are often juicier, the bikes are speed demons, there are seamless new additions like the way your body hurtles over bonnets as you crash, and the way you leap out of cars in mid-air, the missions objectives are much more diverse and there are in the region of 80 of them, the weapons are meatier and the targeting's slightly better (albeit still fiddly). All that and it took us about 30 hours to top off all the main missions. That put us at about 40 per cent complete on the 'stats' page, with loads more to worry about.
However, the pièce de résistance is, in our opinion, the developer's clearly rebellious nature. As you edge past cars on the highway by night, glancing up at the phallic skyscraper in the near distance, you'll realise it's even more phallic for the giant meat and two veg implied by the illuminated windows. And it's Rockstar North's obsession with detail that will see Vice City emerge as another big winner. Most of the fun you'll have in Vice City is down to what you can find off the beaten track - beach balls, destruction derbies, and much more. Hopefully temptation won't get the better of them, and we will get a proper sequel next time, but as far as one-year-mission-packs go, Vice City is the finest of all. And since you've already bought it, we'll simply wish you bon appétit.
Tom's Rating - 10/10
Cars seemed to be shinier back then - less smog, perhaps
The Editor's Take
Got bike, now I just need to kill some bikers [how does that work!? -Ed]
When Vice City was first announced to the world, it sounded like it would be a nice stopgap release to keep the millions of GTA3 fans happy. Little did we know just how far Rockstar would go to make this 'filler' become the most anticipated new release of the year.
But there is a massive difference between how you'll feel playing GTA3 and Vice City for the first time. For one thing, when GTA3 came along it was a bolt out of the blue, and a heady voyage of discovery as you realised just how deep the game really was. There was no hype, no build up, no hysterical previews, no review code, just a finished game, in a box, you and your PS2.
Great expectations
Tommy dresses sharply for the ladies - shame you can't push them in the pool
This time around there's a reputation to live up to, and not only that, Rockstar has oiled the PR machine so that magazines everywhere have been devoting huge sections to preview coverage, and subsequently have thrown around 97 per cent review scores like confetti. There have been spoilers literally everywhere, so essentially a lot of the element of surprise that you had playing GTA3 will be replaced by an excited sense of expectation.
Your initial experiences of Vice City will reveal only a few subtle changes from its predecessor, but this is most definitely not just GTA3 with new missions. For a start, the frame rate and speed of the faster vehicles is noticeably quicker, making car chases even more insane than before. You can explore indoor locales (albeit with a small load delay), the weapon and vehicle count is mind boggling, the visuals have a smarter sheen to them, (with cars shimmering with a heat haze that looks gorgeous), the scripting is even better (and at times hilarious), while the seven Radio Stations are simply stupendous.
A masterstroke
And now he's pretending to be a pigeon - coo, coo!
The licensing of over 80 tracks from the 1980-86 era is a masterstroke. It sounded good in theory, but to experience it in practise elevates the game even further. If Rockstar had merely licensed a few old duffers, it might have been good, but somehow it has managed to pull classic after classic out of the bag, most of which have dated sufficiently to really make you feel like you're driving around in the Summer of '86. There are, of course, some absolute howlers in there too - plenty of execrable soft rock that were only hits in the States (The Outfield, Night Ranger) but even these make you chuckle, because they came from the era that not only fashion forgot, but irony forgot.
It's all very easy for us to laugh at the clothes and the music from that pastel shaded time, especially if you're old enough to remember buying said items. But the thing that was so utterly hilarious about the '80s was that all these fashion, musical and cultural faux pas were conducted with a seriousness and an attitude that has long gone. Now it's all knowing winks, kitsch and irony, but you only have to check out A Flock Of Seagulls to realise just how completely ridiculous the era really was - because they really were being serious, although they'd doubtlessly deny that now…
With this in mind, the attention to detail on the cut scenes, combined with the most well realised dialogue and scripting ever witnessed in a videogame make the game all the more enjoyable for it. And with such a heavyweight voice cast, is this the shape of things to come? Games with real voice actors in it, rather than some geezer who makes the tea at the developer? Thank the lord.
Reap the rewards
When these guys are around, you know you're in trouble
But this is all, ultimately, window dressing. What about the game? Vice City delivers here too - in obese portions that it would take the best part of 40, 50, maybe 80 hours of your life to gorge upon. 10 hours through and you think you're making headway, but check out the stats and you're, like, 15 per cent through! But as with GTA3, much of the game's completion lies in off the beaten track sub missions that you may or may not wish to hunt down. Whatever. It's all there if you want it, which is the important point. Vice City doesn't force you into doing anything, but you'll reap the rewards if you do.
And believe us, you'll want to reap the rewards, because Vice City has the same compelling, addictive qualities of GTA3, albeit with some of the more glaring flaws dealt with, if not ironed out completely. Targeting is finally somewhere near fixed, with the ability to use a first person mode on some of the weapons, which is a welcome addition. Combat will still get on your nerves from time to time, let's not kid ourselves here, but it's a big step in the right direction.
Another slightly irksome issue that has followed GTA3 is the camera system, which when close up against buildings can go completely berserk and leave you not knowing where the hell you are, which when you're in the midst of a mission can mean the difference between success and failure. Fortunately it doesn't happen all that often, but when it does you'll be cursing, especially if it's the third part of a mission and will cost you another ten minutes to get back to the same point.
Tired engine
Ammu-Nation is now very much a walk-in joint, with several new weapons to tempt you
As we mentioned in our first impressions piece, certain aspects of the engine are looking tired next to recent advances in technology, especially the rather rudimentary approach to texturing - in particular plants and bushes. Stand up close to any of the many bushes populating the city and you'll know what we mean, as they obscure the screen in a vile blurred green mess.
Meanwhile, we're sorry to see the wonderfully realised train/underground system be stripped from the game, while the lack of any sense of persistent state has been inherited, so that often wrecked cars will disappear if you go away and come back, likewise pedestrians, etc, but really, in terms of affecting your enjoyment, it won't make a jot of difference. That said, we're certainly looking forward to playing a Grand Theft Auto in an environment that is as advanced as the gameplay. Maybe GTA4, eh?
Consistently entertaining
Nit picking technical grievances aside, Vice City is every bit as good as we thought it would be - if not better. When a game can keep you as consistently entertained as this one, you'll be glad of the depth, and you really won't want to stop playing it. But don't expect to be constantly surprised, for much of Vice City is a retread of old ground, and if you didn't like the last one, then Vice City probably won't change your mind. But bear in mind that's rather akin to being a footballer and deciding that you'd rather not play with a ball today. Do yourselves a large favour and buy this game, or as Rockstar once advocated, steal it.
Kristan's Rating - 9/10
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About Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
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About Tom Bramwell
Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000. Follow him on Twitter.
Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.
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Comments (166) Latest comment 8 years ago
Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!
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That's good. I feel better about my (painful) decision not to pre-order this and to concentrate on finishing at least the missions part of GTA III first. That said, this looks very exciting indeed and I can't wait to get my hands on those bikes!!!
Oh yeah - 2 reviews for the price of... well, none! I like it...
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I wouldn't mind picking up a nice second hand PS2 with only one game or smth though... Or a stolen one, for that matter!
/Phreedh
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You've got to love the C64 intro. Inspired.
Worth getting a PS2 for GTA. Shyeeeeeah! If ever you needed an excuse to get Darths Toaster, now is the time!
As I've said elsewhere, nice to see the DTS sound being used, although my amp decodes it as 2/2 DTS. Do you think it's just mirroring the front speakers to the rear?
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/Phreedh
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Must. resist. !!!!
Must. resist. power. of. the. dark. side.
Oooo, now I am very tempted to get a PS2 - never thought I'd say it. No way I'll get it past the missus though - specially not with a wedding to pay for. Perhaps once a PS2 is under £100.....
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I've been playing VC all morning and loving it, the bikes are great and the eighties tunes add so much atmosphere it's fantastic and one of the ads about two guys dancing to win the heart of a robot is superb.
One amusing thing I did experience was two swimming trunked guys having a set to with a cop and they punched him to death! Quite handy as I picked up his piece and night stick.
Did have a bit of a worry when I first started it though, it kept locking up on the intro. A quick blow into the dvd-drive and the bit of dust that must have been causing the problem must have got shifted! Thank God I thought either the disc or my PS2 was playing up... Phew.
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I wish more PS2 games supported this - and 60hz for that matter.
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Damn. I wasn't going to buy this yet, but now a trip to town at lunchtime seems like a really attractive proposition...
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Out of interest, how long have the guys at EG had this game for reviewing?
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Buy a ps2 and the game, you'll either get away with it or won't have to pay for the wedding.
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and oh dear oh dear
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I thought Vice City was an 18
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How soon before we get a CD key request? I've just had a flashback of the GTA3 review!!!!!
EDIT: Bah! Deletion of Cheat Master's enormous cheat code has spoilt my top notch gag.
EDIT2: Blimey, more deletions! At this rate, I'l be the first poster on this thread!
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"EDIT: Bah! Deletion of Cheat Master's enormous cheat code has spoilt my top notch gag.
I saw it and it was very good
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Yet Woolworths proudly devote acres of shelf space to their Game of the Week... and it's Lord of The Rings. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
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Doesn't seem to work on the argos.co.uk website, so I can't reserve a copy on-line to pick up later.
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They're advertising it nationally in the papers and my local one had a big cardboard sign about it in the shop too a couple of days ago. You also get a free 3rd party joypad for each individual transaction too.
The catalogue number is 364/9372 Here is a direct link to it on the Argos website. So even though you can't actually reserve or buy online at least you know it's there! Perhaps a printout to show them in the store could help!
Right enough waffle I've got the GOTY to get back too...
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Ack! Really?! Since playing GTA3 I just can't play the originals any more. I loved them at the time, but now they just seem so.... unplayable. The way you have to move your man like you're driving a car is just... ugh. Oh well, each to their own!
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I'm off to Argos tomorrow. Hmm, and they've got Ratchet & Clank for £29.99 too...
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Some websites report it being canned, some say its still going.'
Well, let's hope for the latter then!
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Stand up close to ANY object in real life and it blurs you dumkopf. Who is that idiot who nitpicked the game apart. Tell him to go and work for Edge magazine!!!
Peej
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That'll be Kristan, then. Watch it Peej, you'll get barred!
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You might want to have an ophthalmologist check whether you're far sighted. And it's Dummkopf.
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I just took a hike down to my local 'stockist'.The mups don't even have it.They won't stock it until November 15th as stated on the web site.
I did see the soundtrack for Vice City today though.
£35!... THIRTY FIVE ENGLISH POUNDS!!.Talk about cashing in.
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I just thought it was a bizarre thing to say. Name ONE game which doesn't feature pixellated blurring on background scenery.
Oh and K-Chat - even funnier than Chatterbox! And twice as long!
Lazlow NEEDS his own show on Virgin FM...FACT!
And ban away if you must, I thought I was living in Britain not Iraq.
Peej
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Yes it's probably best too if you want a copy of VC, however at least all the other new releases are 30 quid which ain't bad. Of course if you get a copy of VC you probably won't spend anytime on any of the cheap games you could get but it's still a bargain.
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And Argos have never heard of it (and game won't price match 29.99 so don't even bother asking!)
Peej
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lol. The cretins ...
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I can wait until Christmas.
I can wait until Christmas.
I can wait until Christmas.
Honestly, this "willpower" thing is easy once you get the hang of it.
\me gets ready to go home tonight and play humble GTA III instead...
I can wait until Christmas.
I can wait until Christmas....
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A whole bloody week! I'm going to try and get it over the weekend now, I can't wait a week.
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*Sigh* Youth. When you hit 35 a week flies by in a blink.
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*runs for cover*
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*Begins bombing Errol*
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Me too. Playing GTAIII again for 10 minutes yesterday covinced me I won't get GTA:VC. For now at least.
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All games are repetitive: jump, shoot, drive, kick, slot l-shape into hole, move troops around until they win or die trying, save galaxy (or locale of your choice), shoot zombie and panic about control system, cast power word kill, level up , up and away.
Know what I mean?
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edit: to clarify this: Fighting the marines in Half-life could, literally, be called "repetetive", cause it happened several times in the game. But it always was a challenge and just plain fun because of the decent AI, great weapons etc. Fighting in GTAIII became boring quickly, cause the only challenges were the bad targeting system and camera.
Er..Hm...Bit tired...
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KCHAT is great aswell.
They should make the next GTA in Vegas ala Casino.
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Hi gang,
First of all I am *really* sorry some of you did not get your pre-orders for Vice on the Friday. Please let me explain, I know this doesnt make up for the disapointment but hopefully you will forgive us.
We recieve stock from Take 2 on the Tuesday and starting our massive packing job striaght away. Thanks to lots of hard work we packed all the Second Class postage orders by that evening and gave to the Post Office to deliver first thing Wednesday. We have to post Second Class on the Wed to have a chance of Posty Deliving on time you see.
Wed we, including me
And thats really where our control of the situation ends - we got all pre-orders done and in the post on time with no problems and have thousands of delighted customers and a handful of understandably annoyed folks.
I know of several persoanl friends that ordered on Thursday afternoon whose order we picked, packed and delivered on Friday morning. This is no consaltion to you cross folks I know, but it goes to show the randomness of the Royal Mail I am afraid.
So please again accept our apologies if your one of the few that did not get your game on Day 1 and I hope you'll give us the chance to serve you again.
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Heh
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Secondly, the game comes across as GTA on speed, which is a great thing.
I look forward to loosing the rest of my weekend to it.
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Whereas I think it looks better with them on, I think this is a very personal thing!
I think I like the game, I didn't go to bed before 5:00AM this morning! Eeek!
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It's all well and good being a patronising prick, but it's far worse when you're a misinformed patronising prick. Your idea of youth is anyone under 35?
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Also, 10 second stoppie (or endo if you're from my neck of the woods, or nose manual if you're into your BMXing) on a scooter, and 10 second wheelie on a scooter also, but that was some kind of fluke being on the beach and going over a fortunate bump.
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I bought a condo on the second island as it was a good saving location (it was pricey at $14000) but it saves trekking around, saw a roof access doorway and went up... Oooh a helipad and someone's left a chopper on it! Best 14 grand spent EVER!!
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I've spent more time trying to unlock easter eggs on my Attack of the Clones DVD than I have playing Vice City.
I am impressed with the music on the game though. Squashing pedestrians with 2 live Crew on the radio hahaha! superb!
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Ps2 hardware just can't handle it imo. I get buildings/lights poping up ahead of me too close for my taste, and frame rate slowdowns are too frequent.
I'm not even gonna vent on low texture counts and rather blocky surroundings.
Graphically, while one of the best looking games on ps2, it simply can't compare to what the other two systems are capable of doing in visual departmet.
Yeah yeah, gfx isn't everything, but just imagining playing vice city with cube/xbox hardware makes me weep.
Oh well, back trying to earn the cash for that strip club.
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I know this isn't towing my usual line but I do feel that Rockstar are pushing the PS2 to the limits with this incarnation.
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the only viable platform from what you chaps are saying.
If it does,I just hope they don't use that poxy renderware to port the game over like they did on GTA3.I know PC game buyers are in the minority compared to console owners but there was no excuse for turning out a shoddy conversion like that.The frame rates were shocking on my machine that can normally run this kind of stuff for fun.It was an insult as far as I was concerned.
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Just played this solidly for most of the weekend. It is good, no it's better than good it's everything I hoped it would be. Stuff your frame rates up your ass, stuff your cross-platform arguments up there too. This game, and GTA 3 are what the PS2 was made for. Stuff arguments about the hardware limitations, show me one other game on any other platform that has the same living breathing free-roaming cities that the GTA 3d series have...show me one other game that has at least 80 music tracks let alone two massive chat radio stations for a soundtrack. Show me one other game that has the ability to make you smile constantly at the little subtle references throughout it, or the huge glaring ones for that matter.
X Box owners are jealous, cube owners are distraught...PC owners are gnawing their mousepads in half in anticipation of it being released on their chosen platform...but anyone with a PS2 is probably laughing their bollocks off at the lot of ya.
Believe the hype...it really is as good as it seems and any piffling arguments you might have heard to the contrary are either sour grapes or put about by people who really shouldn't be playing computer games in the first place.
Peej
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Peej
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I can do without the scripted sequences that made the HL AI.
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Also imagine having custom sound tracks from the HDD along with the 80 or so in game.
More vehicles bigger environments more persitent environments etc.
Sure people who don't have a PS2 are going to be jealous, but you cannot argue that this would not be better on a more powerful console.
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Well, most of my Xbox games have some 200 music tracks of my own choice... and Amped comes with 150 tracks.
But, yes, reading all this, a part of me is now regretting selling my PS2. But then again, I played GTA3 quite a lot and didn't really like it for just reasons UncleLou mentions.
Anyway, my mate with a PS2 is desperate to do a swap loan so he can play Halo and Splinter Cell, so maybe all is not lost yet.
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The precise reason I cancelled my order with Play and ordered it from Game for a total of £36.24. It cost me a few quid more but considering the amount of fun I've had this weekend with it I'm glad I spent the extra few notes.
One weird thing I've found is when I'm buggering about trying to do wheelies and I fall off, I more annoyed because it interrupts the music rather than because it hurts! Best soundtrack of any sort EVER!
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edit: - just checked Play and VC is still 'packing' even tho it arrived saturday.
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Very impressed so far. I can identify with the claustraphobia that people are talking of - some of the streets are very narrow. Also, I think generally the city has less character than GTAIII.
But all this pales into insignificance once you get into it. Absolutely beautiful.
'Have you fired one of these things from a bird before?'
'No I'll get some practise on the way there'
Wonderful, blasting golfers on the green en-route, whilst listening to 'automatic'. I'm only 9% complete and totally in awe.
One last comment, the far side of the island seems like 'we're running out time, whack some generic buildings up to pad the island out' Don't know if thats the case.
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I can't, as long as there's nothing better. Still the best AI (or at least it feigned to be) out there, imo, and didn't really feel scripted. Haven't played Halo, though.
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I own all three consoles and can see the merits of owning all three. Until the GTA series makes it to the X-Box I'll be more than happy with the PS2 version - why? Well the game isn't all about the graphics, the amount of polygons it shifts or the amount of extra tracks you can whack onto the HD in MP3 mode (after all if you want extra music while you're playing, turn your CD player on!)
What GTA 3 and GTA VC are all about is a game that has had me playing it on and off for a year. I measure the life of a game by how many pound coins I would've shoved into the thing if it was an arcade machine. Can it justify its cost? Can it ever....
So if I was to use that example for other games I own I would say that only Halo, GTA 3, GTA Vice City, and Gran Turismo III have "paid for themselves" in the amount of time I've spent on them. Quite a few other games that have had very good reviews in the press and on here have not.
I'm no techno-luddite...my gaming juices would positively be on overdrive if I thought there was even the slightest possibility of the franchise making it onto the XBox - but for the time being there isn't (and don't mention the PC version, it wasn't that great considering the hardware I run at home) - So until there isn't I'm damned if you're going to prize my fingers off the PS2 gamepad...!
Peej
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This will never happen, In my opinion.
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With Sony having bought exclusive rights until late 2004 that would seem to be correct.
But what about the next-gens and GTA5? Xbox2 or PS3? It's anybody's call.
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It is perhaps their greatest weapon.
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What will happen is that there'll probably be a true sequel to GTA 3 (hopefully using a new engine - I will concede that VC's engine does need a re-write but for my money I didn't see much of the "loss of memory of car positions, people positions etc" that has already been mentioned on here (I come out of the hotel, I see three cars, I turn around, turn back again and the same three cars are still there...! And that never happened in GTA3!)
For now though I'm very happy indeed with GTA VC. It's depth is breathtaking...Only about 9-10% in and it feels like there's still a long way to go. The missions haven't been too repetitive and like a greenhorn cabbie I'm slowly finding my way around VC just like I did with GTA 3 and that's what appeals to me the most - GTA VC is a very personal experience because everyone will get something different about it - and if your my age the soundtrack will sound like every old "taped off radio 1" compilation you've ever made...
Peej
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I can't belive some people have been brainwashed to the level they can't distinguish a good game any more and make comments about their other systems having superior horsepower or declaring other, totally different games (H*lo), being "better"!
Look in the mirror and you'll see your face green with envy, greener than your Dashboard
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Analogue sky won over digital squarials
VHS won over Betamax
FIFA used to win over PES
Remember, shit floats, but quality can win through, given time.
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Nothing, but it's not necessarily true. The PC version of GTA3 proves that precisely - it was no better (and in some cases it was actually worse) than the PS2 version.
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Codswallop....Aside from Halo and one or two other games, there's very little on the X-Box to get your teeth into the way you can with VC. Everything's prettier (sometimes), everything's smoother (sometimes) but I bought my X-Box for Halo and Jet Set Radio Future (as well as the upcoming Crimson Skies II) - I won't kid myself that because it's the most powerful console it's got the best games - pretty pictures aren't everything..
If the X-Box was the market leader I seriously don't think that the spread of games would be much different and it still doesn't change the simple fact of the matter - there isn't a GTA game on the X-Box...
Simple solution to the console wars bollocks topic talk - own all three and a very large screen TV - oh and be shacked up with a girlfriend who doesn't mind leaving you alone for hours at a time but is always there when you want booty!!!
(I can dream can't I about the last part..!)
Peej
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Well, that's because it was a rather lazy port, wasn't it? If the game had been developed for the PC (or Xbox) and harddisk support from the beginning, the game surely would have been 'better'. Like a better saving system and the abililty to actually make a lasting impact on the scenery. And better framerate! That sniping mission on the boat in GTA3 was a real pain due to the choppy framerate.
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Otherwise quit whinging and enjoy the delights of GTA:VC, Mario, Splinter Cell, Mech Assault, Phantom Crash, etc on your console of choice over the Christmas.
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Dunno about that.. IMHO the second island is the more interesting. Reminds me of GTA2, what with all the stairs up to rooftops and backstreets etc. Some top rampages scattered about too
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Don't get me wrong, I'm not critisiing the brilliance of this game for one sec...
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I hope it is not too many (or too hard !).
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I hope it is not too many (or too hard !)."
It's not too hard, Errol. IIRC, I did some missions for the guy on the boat, and then his mate. Pretty soon the hurricane warning's over and you can pop across the bridges.
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Hardly any really, can't remember the exact amount. One tip for anyone who maybe having trouble on "Guardian Angel", use a self targetting weapon like a pistol or smg rather than the Ruger, it makes it a lot easier and you won't end up killing Lance by mistake like I did first time around...
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As for the game; I'm really enjoying it, they've recreated the era quite authentically, it's well-scripted, the radio chit-chat is as enjoyable as ever (the ad for 'Yuppie and the Alien' cracks me up every time) and I'm having fun discovering a whole new city.
Incidentally, does anyone feel as if giving the central character a voice makes the game feel slightly less amoral?
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I just bought the pole position, apparently if you let the "ho" dance for you until it costs you $600 you get $4000 profit from it every day.
She is a munter mind you.
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The "Top Fun" Radio Controlled Plane Checkpoint race (go to the roof of the North Mall Car Park, get in the Top Fun van and OFF you go!)
Can't believe how realistically those RC planes handle (ie one smack against a lamp-post and they go spiralling out of the sky!!!)
This game is GOD!!!
Peej
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The last mission is called "Keep Your Friends Close" but I won't spoil it. You get it after "Cap the Collector" which you get for buying the print works... or The Malibu, after completing either of their assets.
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At the time the SID was about the best sound chip around in any home computer...! I still remember some of those old SID tunes to this day...(and it didn't do that band that did Zombie Nation any harm ripping off an old SID tune did it!)
That intro did make me laugh though...used to spend hours on C64 paint packages wrestling with that "lovely" 16 colour palette...WOW.
Vice City just has so many moments that make me smile, and I'm only 18% in... (Sorry, I have a life y'see!) - Best bits so far (Spoilers ahead - stop reading NOW if you don't wanna ruin it for yourself!)
The bikes - all of them! They're all cool, even the stupid Pizza Moped.
The RC missions. Those planes ROCK!
Wading into a huge gang of colombians with a chainsaw.
Pretending to be Arnie with the Minigun (take THAT police cars!)
Listening to "Life's what you make it" by Talk Talk as the sun sets and you're out cruising in a speedboat...
Jumping out of a car mid-slowmo-stunt...(funny!)
Chopping up builders with the RC Chopper (That'll teach you to bodge my loft conversion!)
Head-chopping with the samurai sword.
Ack I could go on...but all I keep thinking is "I'm stuck here at work when I want to be at home playing this bloody game!"
Peej
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"Guide your red square around the huge cityscape of blue blocks...pick up other red squares to use as weapons! Cruise around in a wide variety of vehicles like "Flying Red Square", "Sailing red square" and all new "Radio Controlled Red Square". Take part in multi-faceted missions like "Annihilate all the blue squares with your red square..."
Well, it'll be here before the X-Box version anyway (har!)
Peej
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That's one thing about the game that is a bit anachronistic, there's no way a console as crap as it would have been released in 86. At least you don't have creepy guys trying to show you puppies though so it's not all bad!
I wish I could get hold of some Giggle Cream though, there's a few people's desserts I'd like to put it on although only 23 people have died from it so it's probably not as useful as I would hope...
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Hmm, thinking back - I think I would've just about got my PC Engine back in '86 - and that had excellent graphics (for the time!)
Oh god, not only have I made far too many comments on this thread, I've been playing games for over 25 years! God help me...even trainspotters quit after 10 don't they?
Peej
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Also, my save game got corrupted, it's only taken me about 6 hours to get to somewhere NO WHERE NEAR where I was when it broke.
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The creepy lawyer guy remind you of Jonathan King?
The sleazy Paul Kent remind you of Dennis Pennis's alter ego....
Oh I dunno - I think I've been playing this for far too long.
Peej
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Yep that's who I thought it was, I expect that's what they intended. Definately one of his best screen performances in that role.
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Still playing, still loving it...still will be this time next week as well (a rarity in gaming these days!)
Peej
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TOMMY CAN NOT SWIM !!
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Well I'll be jiggered! If it isn't Doc Avalanche! How's it goin' Jeff!
Smile, you're on http://pseudsreunited.tripod.com
Heh!
Not sure why the renderware engine seems to get a regular panning on here. As well as the GTAs, burnouts etc...airblade was developed using it (and that was amazing-looking even if the game sucked sun-dried tomatoes out of a chaste monk's bottom!)
Peej
Peej
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But he can sure play a mean pinball!
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Also, PJ, any reason you need to sign each comment with a sig and some extra returns causing us all to move that mousewheel one more revolution to see the next comment?
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How do you get rated on your wheelie performance, I've being pulling wheelies all day and I have yet to get a rating in it. And I *am* pulling wheelies.
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You're best doing it on a sanchez or a PCJ. The trick with the sanchez is - from a standing start whilst holding back press the accel till the bikes at a nice 45 degree angle. Then let off the gas and just feather it till you get it to a point where it's perfectly balanced with no power applied. You can drive along whilst holding back for maybe 20 seconds without using the accel. Then when it feels like it's slowing down enough to drop just feather the throttle a bit again till you get some more speed up. I did this round downtown for 298 seconds round all the corners and streets etc. before I got bored.
You always need to hold backwards and feather the throttle, not feather backwards and nail the throttle.
And bob is your uncle as they say.
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Yep - gotta keep your digits exercised in at least one other way than the nation's favourite hand-involving sport...!
Peej
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Could I care less!?!?!!
Peej
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Anyway, if you don't have a PS2, just go get the PC version and play it for three months - then you can get Vice City - no PS2 needed.
Plus it looks and plays better on the PC! Quick (or no) loads. Removed arbitrary roadblocks. Better graphics (on a good machine). Can use your own soundtracks. The list seems to go on and on...
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Sorry to break this to you, but GTA4 hasn't been released yet!
We'd prefer it if you bought our software rather than play a pirate version anyway, you skank. That way we can afford to develop GTA4 with all it's cool new features. What cool new features I hear you say? Well you'll just have to wait, all I can say for now is 'Neptune'...
Jiro Czech
Team Art Resource Developer
GTA4© Development Team
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'Neptune' isn't the only clue we are actively leaking now, the terms 'Lots of Hover Bikes' and 'Lifelike futuristic weaponary' have now been added to the viral marketing list.
Tiger Walts
PR Officer (Tard Liason Division)
GTA4© Development Team
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