Grand Theft Auto gets another slice of it's pie in the form of Vice City. It's not Grand
Theft Auto 4, but more of a different feel and look of the blockbuster GTA3. Vice City
takes place in city that resembles much of Miami in the 80s. Fast cars, fast women, and
narcotics abound. It's all worthy of joining the ranks of the original plus with a few
additions makes this another enjoyable game to play.
Graphics
This is probably where all the hub-bub is all about. Does this game look almost identical
to GTA3? Well in some respects yes and some no. The look of GTA3 is by all means gone. There aren't
anymore old buildings where everything seems dark. Yeah, Liberty City was rather depressing, with it's
dingy look, but that gave the game it's gritty feel. Vice City is a more vibrant GTA. The colors
are all over the place with the 80s retro look making this game much brighter. The character models
seemed to have been smoothed out a bit, but they still look as blocky. The cars haven't changed much, but
they do feature tires being blown out, and the new shooting through the windshield aspect which is a big
plus. The draw-in is hardly noticeable. It only pops up when you're flying the helicopter looking at the view.
To me, maybe it's my eyes, but the glare from the sun totally blinds me for some reason. Maybe I should be
wearing sunglasses while playing this game. Overall, the graphics are better than GTA3, but not by much.
Sound
Sounds remain fairly the same compared to GTA3. The car sounds are there, the traffic, the
pedestrians yelling at you for running into them, the punches, the swearing. It's all back in 80s
fashion. Even the music in the car radio's is in the 80s. You'll hear tracks like "Billie Jean" from
Micheal Jackson, to that I just died in your arms tonight song. Don't ask me who it is.
Gameplay
Yikes. So many things improved this time around that fans of GTA3 were clamoring for. And
then some. First of all the city is huge. You can run around doing God knows what in this
town. The missions are varied throughout making you not doing the same thing over and over
again. A neat feature is the ability to buy buildings once you get enough money. And they
even earn money for you everyday. It's a shame that you can't visit every room in say a condo.
This new feature makes you feel like you really own the town. The main thing that fans of
GTA3 wanted was to fly helicopters. They were there, but they just couldn't fly them. Well, they're
here now and man are they fun to fly. Flying through the entire city is a dream come true. The developers
just didn't put helicopters in there, but they also put planes! There's even a seaplane that
you can access, giving you freedom in the air and the sea. Rockstar North also added a ground vehicle and
gives the game more flexibility. Riding the motorcycle has never been more fun. Doing tricks
on this puppy is a dream and just riding around is pure joy. Forget the tank, the motorcycle
is the place to be.
Overall
A great addition to the Grand Theft Auto universe. What's next? 70s? 60s? Whatever
they come up next, I'm playing it guaranteed. This is a fun series that never let's up and
probably won't as long as more innovations are abound. Maybe finally entering those empty
buildings? Who knows? Just don't miss out on this game.
--Alvin
Graphics: 9.1
Sound: 9.4
Gameplay: 9.8
Satisfaction: 9.2
Overall: 9.4
