Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories (PSP)
© Rockstar Games
Platform: PSP
ESRB: M
Genre: Action
Players: 1-4 (1 per PSP.)
Online: No
Developer: Rockstar Leeds / Rockstar North
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Suggested Retail: $49.99
Graphics: B+
Sound: A
Gameplay: A-
Replay: A
Fun Factor: A-
Buy it now!
"Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories"
By: CAPTAIN GORDON EDWARDDate: Friday, November 24, 2006
The eighties were never as good as they have been in any Grand Theft Auto game. Just as what Rockstar did in the past with the original game for the PS2 (Grand Theft 3), a remake for the PSP was created, with a few new features. Of course rather than going to the well once too often, they decided to try it out on their second game Grand Theft Auto Vice City, which has been repackaged as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. Of course, like the original it is a prequel but unlike the original remake Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories, you are no longer playing as the main character from the PS2 version, but rather a brand new person. Of course it retains the game’s open environments, non-linear gameplay, and world of options at your fingertips.
You play as Victor Vance, an African American 28 year old solider that has been kicked of the service. Alone in the world he is not, as a friend / boss joins him named Lance. In the beginning Lance shows you the ropes, and sets you on the path to become rich, though it is through his actions that forces you away from the army. During that time you will learn how to ride your very first bike, drive your first car, and even get your feet wet with swimming. All Victor really wants to do though is help his family, and if this is his shot, so be it. Unfortunately the character is only marginally interesting, and the storyline seems a little on the simple side.
Of course, it hardly matters who you play when it comes to a Grand Theft Auto game. What really matters is what you can do in the game, since it is very hard to make it to the end without getting your hands dirty. Plots will involve murder, drugs, violence, and most other things that are considered evil. Though if you ended up playing any Grand Theft Auto game, you would feel ripped off if you were not allowed to do any of these things. It helps act as a release for the diehard murderous thug in all of us. Yes, I am talking about my mother too.
Graphically the game is quite similar to the other PS2 versions, though a little worse on the PSP. The characters remain a little blocky, but it seems to be at the limits of what the PSP can handle as a system. Slightly sharper graphics are implemented over the Liberty City Stories, which makes it a little easier on the eyes, though it is quite nice in its own rights. Driving at high speeds certainly still gives you the feeling of speed and danger, which has been a staple of the series as well.
The game features slight improvements with the targeting system, where you will target threatening / opposing characters before you will target pedestrians. It works fairly well, though in close combat with firearms it can be a little difficult to hit the target. Hand-to-hand combat has been upgraded to include throws and grapples, so you can feel a bit like a wrestler. Furthering with wrestling, you can now stand at the top of enemies that are lying upon the ground. Nothing else quite shows just who is the alpha male, like standing over a defeated foe.
Quick Trip remains in the game where if you lose during mission by being busted or wasted, you will have the option of jumping into a taxi and going to where the mission started to try again. An improvement of being busted or wasted though is that while you lose your weapons, you now have the option of bribing those around you, like the police, to get your weapons back. Indeed it can be very expensive, depending on how much you lost, but it saves you considerable amount of time, rather than collecting thousands of bullets/guns all over again. Of course people can still reset the game if that were to happen.
The secret package option has returned, but with a little bit of a twist. Now you have to collect 99 red balloons, and if you understand that musical reference, you probably know what it is like to live in the eighties. Speaking of musical references, of course the radio stations are back, and just as entertaining as ever. They have a wide variety of songs, commentary and commercials to make it worthwhile to just stop and listen for a few hours. This has always been a staple of the game, and I am glad that it remains true in this game.
There was the option of taking over businesses and making money off of them. The game also allows you to personally manage them, which can take up a bit of your time early on. Each of them sets you up with daily payments, so it can be an easy way to generate extra cash without needing to complete missions. What is nice about it though is that you can either upgrade them by investing a bit of money, which increases the profitability, but also you may enter missions to increase the standing of the said business. Straight up, the more of these missions that you complete, the more they make it worth your while. Though the missions lack variety, they do instil the sense of accomplishment once you have completed all of the levels.
In the end, this is just another Grand Theft Auto game. It does not have all the features that were available in San Andreas, but it implements enough to have you coming back for more. If you are sick of the series by now, this one probably will not force you back into the fold. On a side note though I am sure Grand Theft Auto 4 will do that. Just like the original, this is one of the best games for the PSP. This game has vast improvements over the previous game, and if you loved it, you will love this one too. It also features a lot of multiplayer battle modes that increase the seemingly endless lifespan of the game. The only thing that I dislike in the game is that your health is measured by a bar, rather than by numbers. Short and sweet though, if you have a PSP and you want to be nice to yourself... buy this game. You will not regret it. All and all, Captain Gordon gives Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories an A-.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? CaptainGordonEdward@Gmail.com
