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Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories Preview
Written by Karim Maksoud on Friday, October 6, 2006
We take a first look at Rockstar's latest GTA side-story...
If there ever was a crazy, isolated, completely irrelevant decade, it would have to be the 80s. I mean, everything about it seemed so very strange, like a HUGE step from the LSD-induced 70s - the tin-sounding music, strange politics, and stupid fashion and the shade of pink that seemed to come with everything made it feel like some kind of filler material between the 70s and 90s. But don't get me wrong, I don't hate the 80s. It brought us Tony Montana. And Duran Duran.
Moving more to the point, there haven't been many successful video games based in the 80s -the video game version of the Miami Vice serial was terrible. You could argue that only successful one was Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It seemed to capture the era perfectly, from the music to the joggers in half-length t-shirts (what was that about?).
However, while it was undoubtedly a great addition to the GTA series, some people complained about the fact that you STILL couldn't swim, which was annoying in a lot of cases. Nevertheless, many hardcore fans were left hungering for more 80s action. Now, Rockstar have decided to quench their thirst with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, which actually looks like it might surpass the original.
GTA: VCS puts you in the role of Victor Vance, brother to Lance Vance, who featured in the console game as a friend of the Tony Montana-esque main character, Tommy Vercetti. Fans will be pleased to know that many familiar characters from the original game make a return in Vice City stories, such as Umberto Robina and Ricardo Dias. The original Vice City layout has also been used for the PSP, avoiding any confusion, (along with avoiding a lengthy development cycle).
A lot of new features have been added, even if the city is replicated. Apart from all-new weapons, radio stations, music, clothes and vehicles, you'll also be able to fly helicopters, which may feel jerky considering the PSP's control layout. You're also able to swim (rejoice!), and ride a Ferris wheel situated near the beach, which you can take pictures from.
Vice City Stories is in the middle of the standard Rockstar media blackout, but we'll have more coverage of the game leading up to its release later this month.
posted October 7, 2006