Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
By Susie Vee

PLATFORM: PS2

PUBLISHER: Rockstar

DEVELOPER: Rockstar

GENRE: Action

ESRB: Mature

SCORE:

The concept of the sequel has recceived a bad rap over the years, thanks largely to indifferent Hollywood studio execs and lazy screenwriters. After all, what’s wrong with getting a little more of something you love? It’s a good thing – at least in principle. But before you run out to rent Three Amigos 2, let’s remember the general state of movie sequeldom.

In the video game world, sequels have some minor advantages over their movie, book and TV bretheren. In the year or two (or more) it can take to put together a sequel to a popular game, technology invariably improves, and programmers have a chance to go back and correct mistakes made with the first game.

Sure there have been a ton of cheap cash-in sequels in the game industry. But let’s not forget the giant leap forward we’ve seen with every iteration of Quake, Unreal, Zelda or even Resident Evil.

After Grand Theft Auto III introduced that series to a wide range of new gamers, and became a breakout mainstream smash last year, we were all waiting to see what Rockstar would do next. At E3 2002, we got our first glimpse of the next game in the series. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City promised more 3D carjacking fun, this time set in a fictional ‘80s-era Florida city. With the pastel colors, sun-drenched beaches and retro soundtrack, it seemed perfectly timed to target the already growing Reagan-era nostalgia.

But in so short a time, how much could the game advance over GTA3? Would it just be the console equivalent of a PC expansion pack? After getting our hands on the final product, we can tell you that the basic gameplay mechanics and graphics are unchanged. Vice City is essentially the same game, with new locations, missions, weapons and characters.

That being said, the developers took a lot of the criticism of GTA3 to heart and improved several flaws from the earlier game. Most notably, the targeting system when you’re on foot has been improved (though it’s still not perfect), and there are many more indoor areas to explore.

Like GTA3, there’s a great cast that has the makings of an entire night of direct-to-cable thrillers. Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) lends his voice to the main character, mobster Tommy Vercetti. Other marginally boldface names include Tom Sizemore, Dennis Hopper, Burt Reynolds, Lee Majors, Gary Busey, Fairuza Balk and Miami Vice veteran Philip Michael Thomas. In short, Vice City gets an A+ for cool casting.

The plot is just as sketchy this time around. A drug deal goes bad, and you undertake a series of missions from various bosses while you attempt to earn cash and save your own ass. Money counts for a lot more, as you can now buy buildings too add to your steadily growing empire.

Vice City has garnered its share of negative publicity, much like its predecessor. Since it's an open-ended game, there’s a lot of anti-social behavior you can engage in. And despite what well-meaning supporters say about the possible consequences (police action, etc.), you’re mostly free to do as you wish with impunity.

Add to this the fact the most of the female characters are beach bimbos or mob moles, and you’ve got the makings of a game that has some potentially disturbing facets. If there’s one image in the mainstream media about this game, it’s that you can entice a hooker into your car, regain some health while fooling around with her, then whack her over the head to get your money back.

Maybe this would all feel a little less sleazy if there was a strong female protagonist. Or at least the option of choosing the character you want to play as. Playing a GTA game with a female main character would not only kick ass, but it would serve to dull charges of misogyny against the developers (and let’s be honest, there’s more than a little of that going on in the game).

No matter your doubts, within minutes of starting the game, you’ll be sucked into the world of Vice City. The game constantly throws new challenges at you, and never grows dull. If you get stuck on a mission, there are usually others to take on until you’re ready.

The PS2 is showing its age a bit, and Vice City does seem to tax the hardware. Load times are ridiculously long, and the graphics look a little blocky for modern tastes. Despite that, the city environment is huge and full of unique areas to explore. You can drive around for hours and still find new things to see and do.

One final element, while not exactly related to gameplay, goes a long way towards making Vice City such a special game. We loved GTA3’s radio, that allowed you to switch the background music at will between stations, but the songs didn't have enough variety or memorable features.

In Vice City, you get seven stations of top-licensed ‘80s hits to enjoy. You’ll find a fantastic mix of big hits, obscure gems and funny commercials. In fact, if you like the music, you can purchase a seven-CD box set of all the music featured in the game.

Overall, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a winner on almost every front. If you can handle the anti-social themes and the high bimbo factor, you’ll find yourself playing into the wee hours of the morning.