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Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories Review
Written by Robert Falcon on Thursday, November 9, 2006
Large list of things to do; solid multiplayer options; great presentation.
Semi-weak story; controls can be iffy at times.
Damn it. Leave it to Rockstar Games to run an ad that would leave the song "Easy Lover" (by Phil Collins and Philip Bailey) running through my head throughout the week. And it's not easy playing something like Gears of War or Resident Evil 4 while the song's running over and over again. Nonetheless, I had a great deal of anticipation for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, especially considering how good the first GTA title, Liberty City Stories, was for the system. This one, as you might have guessed, takes place in the 80's, in the middle of Miami's big drug trades which led to the city having some kind of seedy image.
The player takes control of Vic Vance, a man in the middle of several moral dilemmas. Along with dealing with family problems involving a drugged-up mother and a corrupt older brother (Lance Vance, previously introduced in the original Vice City), he finds himself being barked orders by a corrupt commanding officer on a military base. However, as he slowly begins to work his way through the seedy underbelly of Miami, Vic begins building power and alliances that will suddenly change the tide of things, giving him an empire he's never imagined. Of course, with any Grand Theft Auto game, the fun comes with the journey, not the destination.
The one real problem with Vice City Stories is that the story isn't as well-told as in previous games. Vic is introduced to a series of interesting characters, including bad guys and good guys alike, but the story never meshes together. A genuine sense of humor seems to be missing from the dialogue, resulting in a little less care for the content than one might expect from a game such as this. Fortunately, Rockstar makes up for this by including the same "go anywhere, do anything" mentality that previous games had, and improving upon it. This includes a number of multi-tiered missions to complete, as well as items to collect and new vehicles to ride. Jet skis, anyone? Oh, and it also should be noted that Vic can swim now- a big plus considering how easily thugs drowned in previous GTA games.
The gameplay works pretty well most of the time, particularly with vehicular control and beating up thugs. However, the lock-on system can be rather twitchy at times, with a player being locked on one minute and then slipped off of in the middle of a heavy firefight. It's not a game killer by any means, but it's an annoyance that could have been fixed during the game's testing. The controls work rather well for the PSP otherwise, complete with precise analog movements and the same fun free-roaming gameplay. And who doesn't want to mindlessly bash some heads in once in a while?
The presentation is smooth, perhaps even smoother than Liberty City Stories. The visuals are razor sharp, showing off the seedy side of Miami with tall, towering buildings, a steady frame rate, and numerous camera angles to choose from. The sound is equally impressive, including a large 80's soundtrack with a variety of tunes (there goes "Easy Lover" again), awesome sound effects, and a voice cast with talent aplenty. And you thought Gary Busey would never have a place in a video game. C'mon, he's not THAT crazy...is he?
Along with being able to build yourself an empire in the single player mode of the game, there's also tons of hidden items to find and the ability to really go off on your own trail. Sure, there's a mission structure, but if you feel like just tooling around the city in a beat-up car, have at it. That's the glory of GTA nature, the freedom to do what you want despite being told at times that it just can't be done. It's the defiance that lies in the player that gives them the ultimate freedom. Good grief, I sound like Mel Gibson in Braveheart.
One huge aspect that shouldn't be overlooked, however, is the multiplayer. Find two or three friends with copies of the game and working PSP's and you're in for several treats. Players can engage in a series of games, including protecting non-playable characters, setting up bombs at enemies' houses while defending your own, racing around in vehicles (the jet ski RULES!), and full-blown versus action. This is something the console versions were sorely missing, hopefully something that will be remedied with next year's Grand Theft Auto IV. For now, Vice City Stories is where it's at, and the multiplayer works wonderfully.
Vice City Stories could have used some story clean-up and some tweaking to make the lock-on system work better for the user. As is, however, it's a good piece of 80's fun wrapped around an already solid engine. Rockstar knows this kind of game very well, and they continue to show it with each new release. The multiplayer options are a welcome surprise as well, giving players more reason to switch on the AdHoc and rule 80's Miami better than Scarface ever could. Ready for a life of crime? Vice City Stories is an easy choice. Gah, I said easy. There goes that damn song again.
