Breaking ‘da Law

GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY STORIES (PS2 – Originally Released March 5th, 2007)

Hate on me all you like, but when I originally sat down and played the PC version of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, I got bored. Quite quickly as a matter of fact. It might have had something to do with the fact that my old PC acquired some viruses that were only able to be purged by means of formatting the hard drive, thus losing my save file, forcing me to start all over again. This isn’t usually an issue with Grand Theft Auto games, as they have a tendency to allow for continuous freeform gameplay, with little to no restrictions — outside of “shark” infested waters of course, which lends itself to being less boring than a standard linear experience. Regardless, I ended up hating the main “protagonist” with the decisions that he makes throughout the course of the game, despite being a murderous lunatic who likes to steal cars to beat up on hapless victims. To be perfectly honest, I preferred pre-GTA IV Liberty City over the lush beaches of Vice, as I quickly ended up getting bored with the environment. I also had a ton of fun with San Andreas, so I’m not exactly adverse to going into the past with the Grand Theft Auto games. Vice City just didn’t do it for me.

Fast forward several years, and here I am, reviewing the game that takes place just before Tommy Vercetti takes over the town that is Vice City. Stories puts the player into the shoes of an ex-marine by the name of Victor Vance, who happens to be Lance Vance’s older brother. Vic gets shoehorned into completing a few questionably ethical errands by his superior officer in an effort to earn a little bit of extra cash, and ends up getting caught and receives a dishonorable discharge. We are instantly presented with a vendetta against this particular character who essentially harasses us until the very end, and of course the driving force to the entirety of the narrative. A pretty straight forward premise, especially for GTA. Vic is likeable enough, and makes the story experience all that more enjoyable, but that isn’t what Grand Theft Auto is about. It’s about the gameplay.

The game plays similarly to the original misadventure, albeit with some much appreciated, though minor changes, introduced from San Andreas. Gameplay is as smooth as a port of a Playstation Portable game can be. Some slight framerate hitches here and there, but nothing gamebreaking. The game certainly benefits with the use of the second analogue stick, which obviously is not a thing in the PSP version, though where the controls really take a hit is the lock-on system. Probably the single most frustrating part of the experience, when surrounded by a multitude of enemies who have deadly accuracy, the lock-on system decides to lock onto the guy furthest away from you, not any of the enemies that are bearing down on you with lead. I have experienced many a Wasted screen simply because the lock-on mechanism would not work correctly for me. Perhaps if there was a cover system, but this is way before any of that was introduced in the HD universe, so you are forced to stand out in the open and take hits hoping that the lock on system won’t decide to latch onto the one guy behind you that is running away. There’s also a tendency for enemies to be too close to you to fire. Yeah, that’s fair, the game prevents you from firing while your opponent beats up on you. That aside, character control isn’t terrible, though jumping certainly could be improved. Thank God there isn’t platforming in this game.

The overall controls of the 3D GTA Universe is this; competent. Really that’s all it comes down to. GTA does not make a good racing game because the car physics really hamper that kind of experience. Plus having a faster car means going with one that can catch fire a whole lot sooner than a vehicle that doesn’t accelerate as fast. Driving controls are competent, and fare better as a transportation means. While on foot, there is weapon control. Stand still, lock onto target, fire while negotiating without a cover system with an inconsistent lock on system. If you decide to go with hand to hand combat, prepare to have your posterior handed back to you, especially if the opponent carries. COMPETENT.

Another addition to the game comes in the form of business and property management. Fleshed out more than the rent gathering from Vice City, Stories provides the player with the option of acquiring income through business takeover. The player is then given a choice of six different business options, from repossessing services to the drug trade, and is tasked with maxing out the reputation for each business type. Though derivative, if completed, these side missions essentially break the economy of the game because one only needs to max out each of the six mission business types, rather than maxing out each of the thirty properties available to the player. Once this is accomplished, simply wait the duration of a day and night cycle to have a profitable paycheck deposited into your “account.” I can tell you with all properties maxed out to the largest business size, I ended the game with just under $5 million dollars!

So the concluding question is this, why do we play Grand Theft Auto? Certainly not the outstanding control system. Certainly not the graphics, which even for their time, are not all that great. The graphics hold up enough with a COMPETENT engine, but they don’t impress. Even if this is a port of a PSP title, the 3D Universe still shares similar visual traits, with neither of the titles excelling in the visual department, regardless of their age. I can tell you I certainly don’t play GTA for the “controversial” MATURE content. Yeah, it’s there. I’m an adult, I can handle it, and I wouldn’t want any children I may have in the future to hear what comes out of the speakers when I play these games, but that doesn’t draw me to the series. The story is certainly not a selling point either.

So why do I play Grand Theft Auto? Simply put; regardless of all its flaws, GTA and subsequently Vice City Stories is fun. I love having the freedom that other games (used to) fail to give. The story is cool, but I’m here for the sandbox, and I’m here to play. My pottymouthed friends will come around and try to ruin my day, but in the end of it all, I am having fun.

Vice City was fun to return to. I still have some really positive nostalgic memories that stem from the original game, and the boredom that I had, did not present itself either. So I conclude with this: It’s debatable whether or not it’s a better game than Vice City on PC or PS2, but Vice City Stories is a great and truly fun experience.