Vice City, 1984. Opportunity abounds in a city emerging from the swamps, its growth fueled by the violent power struggle in a lucrative drug trade. Construction is everywhere as a shining metropolis rises from foundations of crime and betrayal.
As a soldier, Vic Vance has always protected his dysfunctional family, his country, and himself. One bad decision later and that job is about to get much harder. Kicked out onto the streets of a city torn between glamor and gluttony, Vic is faced with a stark choice: build an empire or be crushed.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is the PlayStation Portable follow-up to Rockstar’s monumental handheld entry in the series, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. As in Liberty City Stories, this game ventures back to the location of the second PS2 game.
Rockstar returns to Vice City with a few new features and whole lot of fun. Find out all about it in this Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories video review.
To quote the video review: “With only one analog stick, there’s no character moving and camera adjusting. This, combined with the smaller screen, gives you a limited perspective when compared to its TV resolution counterpart. That and despite numerous complaints raised when Liberty City Stories came out, the lock-on targeting system is still broken when you’re fighting up close. Large groups of people can be mowed down with ease from a distance, but get within a few feet of your enemies and you’re one step closer to the emergency room.
So aiming can be a pain, climbing is impossible, and the single analog nub will most likely turn your left thumb into silly putty in matter of minutes, but none of that goes far enough to make the game anything but an absolute blast to play. Whether you’re on a rail-driven chase, a high-speed getaway, or a ballistic shoot-out, Grand Theft Auto continues to generate hours of free-roaming fun.
The latest GTA PSP adventure adds some gameplay features that were sorely missed in Liberty City, and new vehicles the series has never seen before. But the mediocre plot, and control limitations keep it from being the groundbreaking experience it always is on the bigger systems. But a decent GTA title is still a phenomenal game by comparison, making Vice City Stories one of the best purchasing decisions you can make for the PlayStation Portable.”
Story — 8.0
Design — 9.0
Gameplay — 9.1
Overall — 9.0