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Ammunition. Pay ‘n’ Spray. Rampages. Hidden Packages. If any
of these terms mean anything to you, I would have to say you
probably own this title already instead of waiting for more
reviews such as this one to tell you Two Thumbs Up. Yes,
Rockstar Games has done it again with this latest installment
of their Grand Theft Auto series termed Vice City. As Liberty
City resembled New York City in GTA3, here we get Vice City,
which is modeled after Miami, and in the 1980s no less. So
yeah, references to this game being a cross between Miami Vice
and Scarface are pretty well on.
Your character is Tommy Vercetti who finds
himself just out of jail after 15 years in the clink. Looking
for a way back into the mob, Vercetti lands a job flying down
to Vice City with some |
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companions to complete a simple drug deal. Things go awry when his
entire company winds up dead, his money has been taken, and
there’s no coke to show for any of the trouble. Knowing the
Mob up north will not be happy with how the deal went down,
Vercetti decides to stay down south and remain in Vice City.
That is where you come in as it’s up to you to make some money
and find some contacts in this town in order to work your way
up the ladder of prominence and be your own boss using your
Yankee know-how and smarts.
MISSIONS
In the vicinity of 60 missions to get through, Vice City
considerably ups the ante here. That number would include the
main storyline missions along with side missions, but not
including odd job missions. As you progress through the main
storyline missions, more and more side missions will open up
giving you many more options as to which direction you would
like to go in. There is still a linear way about things, but
it’s now set up with a bit more variety. I was afraid with
this game the missions may feel stale after GTA3, but quite
the contrary as they are quite elaborate and inventive at
times. They are fun and challenging without being impossible
to beat. Odd jobs such as Taxi Driver, Vigilante, Fire truck
and Paramedic are all back while adding to this mix the
ability to deliver pizzas as well as ice cream. There are
different street races you can enter, RC missions, chopper
checkpoint missions, assassination missions and even a
shooting range for target practice. Also returning is the
import/export garages which takes the form here as the
Sunshine Autos Car Showroom, where you’ll have to find and
jack vehicles off the preset list and deliver them in top
condition. And if that’s all not enough, there are arena
missions, which take place on a rotating nightly basis at the
downtown stadium anytime you wish to enter. In other words,
plenty of work to keep you busy.
VEHICLES
Yes, I know, Grand Theft Auto would not be Grand Theft Auto
without the vehicles and let me tell you there are plenty of
rides to jack around this town. Vice City has approximately 70
more vehicles than its predecessor GTA3 had, while including
many of the old familiar vehicles. There is a great assortment
to choose from. Two of the best new features of this game has
to do with this category. The new ability to drive motorcycles
as well as fly helicopters high atop the city really adds new
dimensions. Drive-bys are instantly more interesting on a
cycle or moped with the capability to shoot straight out in
front while driving. Feel free to pop wheelies as well.
Rockstar did not sell these two new means of transportation
short at all either, including a range of bikes and chopper
styles to be had. This can also be said for the line of boats
in this game also, as there are quite a few new styles to
choose from. The boats handle much better and feel more
realistic on the water than the ones in GTA3. As you may have
figured out in the Mission segment mentioning you can deliver
ice cream, fan favorite Mr. Whoopee is indeed back. Even golf
carts can be taken off the golf course for joyride pleasure.
One other cool added feature is the ability to bail out of any
moving vehicle. With so many cool vehicles at your disposal,
each with their own pros and cons, you won’t be disappointed.
Make use of all the stunt ramps around the city. One ride I
will recommend is the Voodoo with its crazy-mad hydraulics.
Fun stuff for sure!
WEAPONS
The weapon department received a new makeover. Where GTA3
featured 12 or so weapons, Vice City now has around 40
different weapons to employ. Gone is the ability to carry
every single weapon out there at one time. Instead, there are
nine weapon ‘slots.’ Each one of these slots is designed to
hold a certain category of weapon. For instance, slot # 6 is
designated as the Uzi slot, yet there are four different types
of Uzi’s ranging in styles, so it’ll be up to you to choose
whichever Uzi you may want to have for that slot at different
points in the game. Many of the new weapons come in the form
of the melee weapon which includes the bat from GTA3 and takes
it a step further by including such weapons as a golf club, a
machete, a ninja sword, various tools, and even a chainsaw.
With 10 possible melee weapons to decide from for that one
slot, it can be tough figuring out which one you want. The
slots are as follows. Slot 1: Fists, which includes your brass
knuckles. Slot 2: Melee weapons. Slot 3: Projectiles including
grenades, Molotov’s and teargas. Slot 4: Pistols. Slot 5:
Shotguns. Slot 6: Uzi’s. Slot 7: Assault rifles. Slot 8: Big
Guns. Slot 9: Snipers. With all that, there are so many
strategic ways to go about completing missions now. With the
right combination of weapons in hand, certain missions that
play real tough can quickly turn into a piece of cake.
CHARACTERS
Vice City has many interesting characters Tommy Vercetti will
come across in his travels. With that initial drug deal, a
lawyer for the mob up north, Ken Rosenberg, is down there to
pick you up at the airport. When things turn for the worst,
it’s up to you and Ken to try and sort things out. Luckily Ken
knows a big-wig contact who is having a party on his private
yacht where many associates will be carousing, giving you the
chance to show your face and get in with some of these local
crime bosses. From that point, you’ll start working for some
crazy sons-of-bitches and finally get a chance to shine and
show what you are made of. All of the characters are well
thought out and each has their own agenda in the city.
Carrying out jobs for them will quickly elevate your status,
as well as bring in that much needed cash flow. Rockstar was
able to recruit some big Hollywood names to lend their voices
to each of these characters giving depth to each personality.
A few of these Hollywood names would include movie stars
Dennis Hopper and Burt Reynolds, Phillip Michael Thomas from
Miami Vice fame, New York football Giants hall of famer
Lawrence Taylor, porn star Jenna Jameson, and even the
infamous Miss Cleo. Movie star Ray Liotta, allowing our guy to
finally speak, voices our main character, Tommy Vercetti.
These dimensions along with the longer and more involved cut
scenes really do a great job of bringing these characters to
life.
MUSIC
With a backdrop of the 1980s, the music needed to fit just
right into that time frame and does it ever. There are 9 radio
stations throughout Vice City to get your groove on to.
Whatever your cup of tea is, you should be able to find
something you like. Are you into Heavy Metal? Turn that dial
to VRock hosted by up and coming DJ Lazlow. Yes, that same
Lazlow, but only back in the day here. Maybe pop songs are
your passion? Flash FM has all your #1 hits getting played
over and over and over to death. You enjoy it on tha
funk/soul/groove tip? Well, smoothly slide on over to Fever
105 and allow Oliver ‘Ladykiller’ Biscuit to supply those
heavy grooves for ya. OK, so you are a rap fan, move that dial
on over to Wildstyle radio hosted by underground legend DJ
Mister Magic. Oh, you are more the emotional type? Let DJ
Fernando Martinez break your heart with some sappy tunes on
Emotion 98.3. Prefer Latin Jazz sounds? Go check out Radio
Espantoso. There is even a new wave station showcasing that
brand new synthesizer pop sound. A couple of talk radio
stations round out this mix. Embedded throughout all these
different stations are some of the biggest songs of the 80’s.
Yep, Rockstar also recruited many acts allowing their
memorable songs to be featured in this game. Ranging from
Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ to Quiet Riot’s ‘Cum On Feel
the Noise’ and Flock of Seagull’s ‘I Ran’ to REO Speedwagon’s
‘Keep On Loving You’, the songs included in this soundtrack
are incredible. Over 9 full hours of music this time around
compared to GTA3’s 3 and ½. You may even find yourself helping
a popular rock band out if you decide to accept their
employment offers.
PROPERTIES
One of the biggest alterations with this game from the
previous installment is the potential to purchase property. At
the beginning of the game, you are given a save house property
where certain power-ups are awarded and serves as a place to
save your place in the game. After that, there are 7 other
save house properties available for purchase once you set
aside some money in your account. They range from a tiny
scummy shack only costing $1,000 all the way up to a luxurious
condo building which includes 3 two car garages, your
power-ups, a police bribe and your very own helipad with
personal helicopter, all for $14,000. The condo is big-time
head and shoulders above the rest for all the benefits you
receive. On top of your save house properties, there are also
what is called asset property which is property available for
purchase which will generate money for you. The catch is it’s
not as easy as it sounds. Asset properties are not available
for purchase right from the start of the game. You’ll have to
work your way up to that point by completing some missions.
And even then, there are stipulations. Once an asset property
is purchased, most will not immediately start generating
revenue for you. Usually purchasing these asset properties
will open up an entire new string of missions you’ll need to
complete before that cash starts rolling in. These properties
come in the form of a boatyard, an ice cream factory, a cab
company, a car showroom, a counterfeiting printing business, a
hardcore porn film studio, a hopping nightclub, and a strip
club. All generate different amounts of cash daily and all are
there for whenever you decide you have the time to invest in
these endeavors. This ability to purchase property with your
own hard-earned cash is one of the best upgrades Vice City has
over Liberty City. By the end, you’ll really feel like you own
the city and for very good reason.
GAMEPLAY & GRAPHICS
Players familiar with GTA3’s controls will find little
difference here. Almost everything works exactly the same. The
targeting system with some weapons has been upgraded to lock
onto your closest enemy making shooting on foot a bit easier.
Graphics also closely resemble GTA3 as not much has changed
there either. The minor graphic problems GTA3 had are still a
bit of a problem here, but not enough to take anything away
from the game.
MORE NEW FEATURES
The total terrain to explore in Vice City is more than double
the size of Liberty City, which means it can take quite a bit
of time to get from one place to another. Most of these times,
you’ll find yourself getting sidetracked with something else
you see or think of. It’s very easy to get offline and start
doing crazy things. It’s basically two huge islands with a few
smaller islands in between. And to correct what some people
initially thought, players do not have total access from the
start of the game. You’ll hear hurricane warnings, which
closes all bridges until you get to a certain point in the
game to open them up. Buildings are more accessible now with
quite a few places you can enter, including malls with shops.
Your character can change his clothing attire throughout the
game, as there are 10 different outfits from which to choose
from. This change of clothes will also reduce 1 and 2 star
wanted levels. Heck, you can even pose as a cop if you’d like.
A cool feature is tires can now be shot out individually
greatly decreasing driving control. Cops and gangs will use
this new tool making missions a tad bumpier. Your character
can now crouch down to make use of cover in gunfights. You can
also rob shops. Strangely these stores are open 24/7 with one
person working behind the counter whose main function is to be
held up at gunpoint and robbed. Hey, why not, right? Shoot the
clerk, grab your cash and make your getaway quick, as the cops
will be coming for you very soon. Cops respond much quicker in
Vice City than in Liberty City, yet you’ll fly under the radar
of gang activity more in this one as gangs are much more
focused on other rival gangs and even the cops themselves.
There are a few gangs you can choose to side with and help out
too. You will end up obtaining a cell phone, which allows your
associates to always be able to contact you. From this cell
phone, you’ll also receive instructions to carry out certain
secret assassinations. And one other added feature, which was
a good idea but never lives up to doing much for you, is when
during a mission you get busted or wasted, a taxi cab will
show up at either the hospital or police station to whisk you
right back to the place you caught that mission from. A great
idea, yes, but the problem with that is if wasted or busted,
you lose all your weapons and armor, so yeah you can start
that same mission very quick, but why would you want to
without weapons and armor? So this taxi ends up being next to
useless most of the time. Had it brought you to an Ammunation
first at least before continuing on, maybe that would have
been another story. Hey, not everything can work out.
Grand Theft Auto Vice City somehow manages to top GTA3 much to
fans’ delight. People who grew bored with GTA3 may feel bored
with this as well since it’s much of the same gameplay and
mannerisms. But hardcore fans who never grew tired of this
game will be salivating with all new places to explore, all
new missions to conquer, new people to meet, new cars to
drive, new weapons to fire, classic music to listen to and
cool new features which make things that much more
interesting. If you don’t own this already, what are you
waiting for? There is an entire virtual city here waiting for
you to test its limits. 4.5 Planets!
Shamples Rating:
4.5 out of 5 Planets
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