User Reviews
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 Best PSP game. Ever. |  4.7
0 comments |
by  Tom
from Manchester, , UK | Aug 1, 2007 |
Vice City Stories completely revolutionised GTA on the PSP. Ok, so it was one of only two GTA games on the PSP, but it still was one hell of a game to get on a tiny UMD. We returned to Vice City in 1984, two years before Mr Vercetti set to the streets, and we took on the role of Corporal Vic Vance, who joined the army as an honest man trying to help a problematic family, and one fault later he is doing whatever he can to survive.
The features of this game included the ability to swim, the ability to fly helicopters, checkpoints in R3 missions, empire mode and everything else you'd expect to see in a GTA game.
Story and missions:
Well, I have to say this is one of the most gripping storylines I've ever seen in a GTA game. It had me playing whenever I could to see what was going to happen next and I couldn't bare to put it down until I finally achieved 100%. This story is one where you can really feel for the main character, and without going into too much detail, I actually hated the people who stood in his way and tried to make his life hell. Ok, so some of the missions were frustrating as hell and had me playing them a good 15 times before I could do them, but still that's GTA for you.
Characters:
Well, I have to say that the characters in this were absolutely brilliant. As well as returning characters such as the infamous Lance Vance and Phil Cassidy (with two arms all the way through!), we see a whole range of new people, such as the LCS DJ Reni Wassulmaier who has had several sex changes and is always hilarious. This is definitely one of the better GTA lineups.
Features:
Well, apart from the stuff you'd expect from a PSP GTA, I was very happy to see the return of the helicopters and indeed a couple of planes. I also liked the all new empire feature at first, as it helped me make a nice sum of money, but in the end getting $70,000 every GTA day kinda ruined the challenge a bit. The idea of putting checkpoints in the R3 missions was an excellent idea as I always struggled with paramedic missions, and so it made a nice change to be able to stop and have a break every so often. Possibly the most important new feature was the ability to swim, which we have only seen once before in GTA, and I was very happy with the was it was implemented. The way the land differed from the original Vice City also helped me see how the place had developed between the two games.
Graphics:
The graphics in GTA games are never exactly brilliant, but that's good when you have a huge map and brilliant gameplay. Because we're talking about a PSP game, I personally think that the graphics are really good and definitely match up to (or come close to matching up to) those of PS2 GTAs. When you get hooked on the game, though, graphics really don't matter much.
Soundtrack:
The soundtrack on this game is definitely as good as it was on our first visit to Vice. The 80s tunes really make the game lively and the DJs are just as brilliant as ever. My personal favourite station is V-Rock where the metal, the bickering between Lazlow and Couzin Ed and the havoc you create in the game really go well together. If that's not your thing though, there are plenty of other stations to tune into, including VCPR where the hilarious public like to have their say on pressing issues, and Flash FM where you can find all sorts of 80s pop hits. The radio of Vice has stuff to suit everyone's tastes!
Summary:
This has got to be the best PSP game I have ever played. The gameplay is absolutely fantastic and I just couldn't put it down until I got 100%, and anyone who is a fan of this genre and indeed this series will probably tell you the same. A must buy! |
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| This is the best Grand Theft Auto yet. |  4.6
0 comments |
by  Kokoro
from , MI, | Jan 12, 2007 |
THE GOOD:
New Empire feature
You can stop gang attacks this time.
Good graphics
You can swim again.
Some cool missionsTHE BAD:
Some frustrating missions SUMMARY:
I bought this game about 3 weeks ago and I'm sure glad I did. Before this game, Vice City was my favorite GTA. And now, Vice City Stories is my new favorite GTA.
Gameplay: This improves the fighting system. You can now grab people and punch them. You can tackle them and punch them while they are down. You can even sneak up from behind and snap their necks! Here's something even more surprising: At the very start of the game, you're a Military soldier and you can even kill other Military soldiers without them fighting back! The others just run away like babies! How cool is that? They actually only shoot you if you get an wanted stars. And don't let the fact that this game takes place in the same city as VC make you think that this is just a remake. The missions are totally different. As with every other GTA game, it has it's frustrating missions. "Unfriendly Competition" is a perfect example of this. You can now also take over empire sites from other gangs and eventually, gangs you stop attacking you too. Gang attacks were so annoying in previous GTA games. I'm glad they fixed this here.
Graphics: They are definetly an improvement from Vice City. In Vice City, the graphics were messy and the colors were off, but it's not like that in this game. The graphics are even an improvement from San Andreas. Of course, the graphics could just look better because it's on a smaller screen.
Sound: Some of the gunshot sounds are kind of annoying. Their's one gun that has popping sounds. The large variety of music is still here. V-Rock station is my favorite. The overall music is better than the music found in Liberty City Stories.
Value: Why not just read everything I said earlier? Oh yeah, this game also has red balloons to pop instead of rampages from GTA3, Vice City and LCS. The rampages are still around. All of this counts toward 100%. With all of that, you'll be playing this game for a long time! Even after you get 100%, this game would still be fun to mess around with cops and stuff.
Overall: Are you a GTA fan? Get this game. Are you looking for an action game for your PSP? Get his game. Are you into free-roaming games? Get this game!
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| They do it again. |  4.2
3 comments |
by  Mnmfan
from Athlone, , Ireland | Nov 27, 2006 |
Yet again RockStar impresses many and pull another gem from their bag of gems with this PSP game.
You play Victor Vance. A soldier who gets kicked out of the army and put on the streets. In an attempt to make money to pay for his sick brothers hospital bills he starts getting involved with the wrong crowd and doing things he would otherwise never even think about doing.
GRAPHICS [3.9]
The first thing anyone notices about a game are the graphics. If you've ever played a GTA game you'd know what to expect. Due the sheer size of the game and the small size of the UMD the graphics suffer somewhat. Popups are frequent in VCS, even more then ever before. Expect to crash into an invisible wall or tree and then watch as it suddenly appears. This kind of thing happens quite often especially when driving a fast vehicle. It's not a major fault as you tend to get used to it and be cautious when driving fast however it is something that can get annoying when on a high speed chase during a mission.
The Cut-Scenes are nothing special either, but hey..it's GTA so who cares right?
GAMEPLAY [4.9]
This is where VCS exceeds. As with all GTA games the gameplay is tremendous. Controls have been cleverly designed for the PSP. All functions from it's PS2 predecessors have been included here. For example while driving the R button is handbrake and the L button is used to change view. Hold it then push the nub to the left/right or down to look in those direction. Press O at the same time to do a drive-by.
Changing stations is now the right and left directional buttons and on foot they are used to change weapon.
It would have been nice to able to change weapons while on the run, it is possible and I've done it many times but it's awkward as your thumb is pushing the nub forward while you try to press the directional button with your index finger. Not easy to do.
Looking behind you while on foot is simply a case of pressing both shoulder buttons at the same time.
REPLAY VALUE [5.0]
The average gamer might only get 20 hours of playing by completing the missions however if (like me) you like to get as much play out of the game as possible then you should try for 100%. This will add more then 30 hours gameplay and leave you satisfied.
There's also a Multiplayer feature where 2 PSPs can connect and play side by side in Vice City. I have yet to try it but it definitely adds to the replay value of the game.
SOUND & MUSIC[4.5]
It's the 80s so the brilliant songs on the radio stations make a welcome return. They include DMC, Phil Collins & Blondie.
R* seem to have thrown caution to the wind this time on the Radio Stations and decided to include some really vulgar commercials, language and skits.
The F-Word is used an awful lot especially on Fresh FM. If you're sensitive to foul language I suggest tuning to Emotion every time you get in a car.
Alhough even Emotion is no longer a save haven. As I already mentioned the Commercials can be a tad extreme to the sensitive ear. For example there's a commercial encouraging a little boy to smoke, another tells a little girl to look down the barrel of a gun and pull the trigger and then there's Little Lacy Surprise, a commercial advertising sexy lingerie for little girls. Not forgetting my personal favorite..a commercial for Chewing Gum, but I won't tell you what that's about. I'll let you hear it for yourself.
VCPR has gotten worse too. I don't mean in terms of bad language I just mean the content in general. The Time Traveller Skit is funny the first time but it goes on way too long and therefor it seems to be playing everytime you tune to VCPR.
The reason why this section gets a lower score then what I would have liked to give is not due to the Radio Content. In fact I welcome the F-Word and vulgar and risky commercials. I wish there was more.
It's because of the terrible glitch R* testers must've overlooked in their report. When driving at speed the radio freezes momentarily. It stops for about a second or 2 then carries on. At first I thought it was just a bad copy that I got or perhaps some scratches on the disc. However after browsing the forum I've come to realise that it occurs on every VCS game out there. It's not a scratch. It's a bug/glitch. That is simply unacceptable and therefor the score was effected. Otherwise I would've given it the maximum 5.
MISSIONS [4.0]
The early missions are nothing special however as you progress you'll start to see completely original and fun missions. They might not be extremely long or difficult but they will be fun.
Then of course there are the Side Missions and Extra stuff that you can do. VCS is packed with other missions that are not part of the main story. The Turismo races make a welcome return as do the PCJ races. It's just way to much to mention here but they will test you and keep you busy for a long time.
NEW STUFF [5.0]
We all like new things and VCS doesn't disappoint.
We finally get to fly on the PSP.
Yep, R* have included a ton of helicopters and planes for us to use. Some also come with there own set of extra missions such as the Paramedic Helcopter or the Hunter.
Another commonly talked about new addition is the JetSki.
Think of it as the PCJ for the water. It's fast, easy to control and makes the ocean a less boring place to be.
Speaking of the ocean we now have the ability to swim unlike in LCS. No more getting wasted after accidentally falling into the water. You can now just swim back to shore. In the beginning swimming is limited to a certain amount of time but if you complete Beach Patrol you can swim forever.
Perhaps less of a big deal to some but I sure love it is the New Map Feature. If you hold X on the Map Screen you can now toggle the collectables on and off.
It will show you exactly which collectables you've done so far (thankfully it doesn't show which you haven't done, that's for you to find on your own).
This means that if you're not sure whether or not you got a certain collectable you can look on the map screen. It saves time and is a very welcome addition.
Another welcome and usefull new feature is the ability to buy your weapons back after getting Wasted or Busted. This means no more loading the game after getting killed because you've lost that all important Rocket Launcher. For just $2000 you can buy your inventory back. Cool.
The last new thing that springs to mind are the Businesses.
Those who have played SA might be familiar to the concept. In SA it was Turf well in VCS it's Businesses.
There are 3 gangs who own many businesses throughout VC. You can wipe them out by attacking their business and claim it for yourself. Then you can start up your own business. Businesses include Prostitution, Loan Shark, Drugs, Robbery and a few more but I won't tell you them all. When you've started a business you can do missions for that type of business. Once you've completed them all your ranking in that business gets maxed out. This means that you'll earn more money on a daily bases.
It's a great addition and a wonderfull way to kill a few hours.
OVERALL [4.2]
VCS is excellent. It might not be an par with it's Big Brother Vice City on the PS2 but it's great fun nonetheless. Yes, it does suffer a bit from the odd glitch here and there but what game doesn't? Personally I was amazed at all the stuff they managed to cram onto the UMD.
If you have a PSP you should have VCS. It's as simple as that.
Giving this game a 5.0 would be unfair. The maximum score goes to a Perfect game and VCS is far form perfect.
My overall score is not an average of each sections score as there are other factors that contribute to the score then those mentioned in this review.
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4.50/5.0