Only a year after the smash hit GTA 3, GTA Vice City was released. While it might have been interesting to see what the game would have evolved into given more time, Vice City took the basic framework of GTA 3 and made it better. So much better.

This time around we’re sent back to the 80′s. Everything in this game REEKS 80′s and it’s absolutely fantastic. All the cars, clothes, music, and anything else you could think of are all period appropriate and create an atmosphere that not many games have. Also, GTA 3 had plenty of music, but now Vice City has a whole lot more of it. There are close to twice as many radio stations and there’s something for everybody; from Latino to Rock, it’s all there. I was always annoyed of the fact that GTA 3 never had a rock station, a bizarre thing to exclude.

The graphics have also had noticeable touch-ups. Environments are a lot more colorful and vibrant. GTA 3 was gorgeous but it was usually so grey you’d think you were in England, and not New York-inspired Liberty City.

Also, instead of your nameless voiceless character from GTA 3, you now have a deep (somewhat psychotic), multi-faceted character named Tommy Vercetti, an ex-hitman who ends up having ambitions of taking over all of Vice City. To this day, he’s probably my favorite character in the entire GTA series because of his ruthless, violent nature, his fear of crazy old ladies who run ice cream factories (for those who’ve played the game already), and his affinity for childhood memories. His entire personality is a personification of all things GTA: chaos, violence, and quirky dark humor.

I won’t gripe too much about the targeting system of weapons because it’s mostly the same as in GTA 3, except this time it’s a little less frustrating because you can switch targets more easily. It’s still a pain in the ass, but it gets the job done. This game is also the first in the series to have a crouch button. You can’t move while crouching, but at least you’re given a spartan, infinitesimal cover system. It might save your hide in some cases, but most of the time it’s best to just keep moving. The health system seems just a little more forgiving then before. It takes quite a few bullets to take you down, but you can’t get cocky either.

Getting into a situation like the one above will not end well. Enemies can quickly overwhelm you and no amount of forgiveness on the game’s part will help you.

In Vice City, you’ll have about three times as many guns as you did in GTA 3. Instead of having your standards: Baseball Bat, Pistol, SMG, Shotty, Assault Rifle, Sniper Rifle, Rocket Launcher, and explosives, all these weapons are turned into weapon classes with 3 variations, each one more powerful than the next. The exception would be Melee weapons, where there are many more, including baseball bats, knives, meat clevers, screw drivers, hammers, chain saws, and probably a few more that I can’t remember. Your arsenal is huge.

The game is also just as massive as the previous game, if not more so, and will take 50-70 hours to beat if you complete everything without rushing. That’ll be a solid month or two for most people. Once you’re finished the game, you’ll feel a massive accomplishment, even if you cheated to complete some of the harder missions. One notable mission has you racing against Hilary, your getaway driver for a heist. I swear, this is quite possibly one of the hardest missions I’ve ever played in a game, or at least, it pissed me off the most. I had to use the “Cars Fly” cheat so that when Hilary reached a certain speed, he would fly away uncontrollably and I’d head to the finish line without breaking a sweat.

I honestly think Vice City is my favorite game in the series. In terms of storyline, and an unforgettable protagonist, this game could have been made into a feature film. It’s just that good. Difficulty was, in my opinion, a LITTLE bit more manageable than previous GTAs, but especially near the end of the game, even hardcore video gamers will struggle. One mission comes to mind immediately, where you had to attack an army convoy. You’ll never forget how frustrated you were. But that’s the thing. Nothing about this game is forgettable. It’s top-notch, brilliant, and in my humble opinion, the best GTA to come out for that generation. An easy 9.5 for a game that should be in everyone’s collection.

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