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The eighties are back... Rockstar had changed the world of video games with Grand Theft Auto III twelve months ago with freedom, dark, irreverent humor, the ability to run over people at will, go to war with the mafia or the police, drive an ambulance, or even a police car and murder the worst criminals. You could do it all and more. That was the magic behind GTAIII, and going into VC Rockstar and Rockstar North, formerly DMA design, knew the stakes were high, and they knew that they had to get it right, and what they did was bombard the public with new pictures and new, better-looking graphics. Apparently, that was just the tip of the iceberg. There was so much more to this game that we didn't know about. Rockstar was leaving our mouths watering when they knew that they were just leaving the real stuff for us to behold, which is why they never showed any pictures of the actual gameplay. They wanted you to imagine it and experience and even try to live it, if that is even possible. Now, we go deeper into Florida's newest hellhole, Vice City.
The story is more defined and it has better motives than the last time, which was over a drug called SPANK, and sometimes the motives were not clear. This time, the Forellis in Liberty City want to make a move into Vice City, which has turned into a gold mine in the 1980's, and the Forellis want a piece of it. They send their undercover guy, Tommy Vercetti, into the world of Vice City to help them dominate and oust the Mexicans, the locals, the Cubans, and the Colombians out of this city so they can dominate everything illegitimate. Sure enough, he gets there, and he is double-crossed and betrayed. Now, he has lost 20 grams of cocaine, which is worth a lot of money. He needs to get it back, and he needs to dominate this city. With the help of a shady lawyer who couldn't even intimidate a child (its true. He actually does say that). He is out to get his vengeance and put the Forellis on top, no matter what it takes and no matter how many people he has to kill. This is far better motivation for a story and the fact that the main character actually speaks only helps it even more. This isn't the best story, granted, but none of the great games have had the best stories. This one matches the mood of the 1980's nicely.
The graphics are much cleaner, more defined, and they are filled with glamour and bright lights, which is similar to what Miami is, even though a little flavor of Atlantic City and Vegas was thrown in to give it a more glitzy feel. The lip-synching is deeply impressive and the characters look less static. The outfits also have the SE 1980's look and there are some outfits that are downright hilarious. There is also little pop-up, and you can tell that Rockstar North did their homework this time.
The controls are much better this time around, and handling a motorcycle is tough, but that is good because it is actually accurate. Firing weapons is less of a hassle, too. If you have a criminal in the crowds, and you aim. Your pistol will look on to Mr. Bad Guy. Cool, huh?
The music is absolutely perfect. There are seventy bands including groups like Iron Maiden, Michael Jackson (remember him?), Lionel Richie, Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, and Judas Priest. The list is endless. This is the best compilation ever of music and it never gets old. The talk shows are also the same and they have plenty of irreverent humor ready to hit you. The commericals are generally the same way, but you have to have some knowledge of the 1980's to get an idea of what in the hell they are talking about sometimes, but that adds to the flavor. The voice-overs is a long list, but here's the important thing... Ray Liotta is Tommy Vercetti, which is an inspired choice and he fits the role like a glove. Lawrence Taylor, Jenna Jameson (ex-porn star) and Dennis Hopper also add their experience to a well-rounded group. I'll let you figure out the rest. There are a couple of surprises in there.
Overall, VC has more to do, more to experience, and a much bigger city for you to explore on your wild drinking binges with friends and creating stunts that would get the people on Jackass killed if they tried it. This is not a perfect game. The two minor, but forgivable flaws I found are the targeting system is not quite perfect, and the load times can be a slight pain, but you might not notice.
This is, wihtout question, the best and most ambitious game of the year, and it is also one that everyone should play before Lieberman gets his old throat to Congress. I have played 2,600 games in my fourteen-year career as a gamer, and this is, without question, one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. -- Chris Vavra, PGNx Media
---- Oct 30, 2002
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