Thoughts on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

vsp · 10-30-2002, 11:29 AM

The single most anticipated game of the year has arrived in the US. Naturally, I was at EB at 8 AM yesterday to pick up my copy...

WHAT'S NEW:

* Lots and lots of celebrity voice actors, including Ray Liotta (as Our Hero, Tommy Vercetti), Burt Reynolds, Faizura Balk, Lee Majors, Jenna Jameson, Dennis Hopper, Philip Michael Thomas, Gary Busey and more.

* Vice City (think Miami) is brightly lit, heavy on the neon and gratuitously flashy. When you play it, try going to the Display options menu and turning TRAILS = OFF to get a more "normal" look (as in, it'll look much more like GTA3 did than if you leave them on).

* Lots and lots of 80's music, which isn't as obnoxious as I feared it might be. I'll be avoiding some stations like the plague, but some of the others aren't bad, and the New Wave station was much better than I'd feared it would be. (Still no ska, though. Bastards.) TWO talk radio stations, and the usual mix of insane commercials.

* A new weapons-management system; you can carry one of each of four types of weapons at any given time (melee, handgun, submachine gun, rifle/big heavy bang-bang). If you pick up a new one, you essentially discard the old -- I've found no way to "drop your weapons in a safe place" for later retrieval. I suspect this may put a premium on hidden-package gathering, for weapon powerups at home base. This adds a little realism to the game, as your character won't be hauling around a massive arsenal that an elephant couldn't carry.

* Motorcycles! Lots of fun. They range from little mopeds and pizza-delivery bikes to big, heavy Hell's Angels choppers, with a few types in between. They're surprisingly durable, but you are not -- if you hit something while riding one (or something hits you), you go flying and take damage. Tommy's apparently never heard of a motorcycle helmet, and some of the more intricate falls are very painful. On the flip side, they provide great acceleration and handling, are perfect for quick escapes or weaving through tight places, and are lots of fun to crush when someone ELSE is riding them.

* A bail-out button; you don't have to wait for a vehicle to stop (or even land) before you can exit it. Handy when your vehicle is flying through the air, spinning and on fire... or for driving at high speed, bailing out and watching your car careen down the road like a bowling ball from hell. You take damage when you bail, more at high speeds, but it's often worth it.

* Enterable buildings! Your initial home base (a hotel) and many other buildings can be walked into and explored. You can shop in (or rob) stores, trek around the mall, or take on missions that have both indoor and outdoor components.

* A tweaked weapon-targeting system that's an improvement once you get the hang of it. There are more melee weapons this time around (including tool shops that sell screwdrivers, knives, meat cleavers and hammers), though it's still a clunky interface. The katana is nice, though...

* Meaner cops that can shoot out your tires (and even set up spike-strips at roadblocks to pop all four at once.) You can still drive with blown tires, but handling and speed drop, and the trail of sparks is impressive.

* Assets (companies, buildings, etc.) that you can buy. Some serve as surrogate hideouts, others as money-making investments, others as opportunities for additional missions. Money is harder to come by in this game, but there are tons of things to spend it on (unlike GTA3, where you ended up with unusable millions in the bank).

WHAT'S OLD

* The GTA3 engine -- pure, unadulterated crunchy adrenaline goodness. This is more of an update than a generational leap; the new features make it more than a simple mission-pack, but it's definitely familiar from the start to those who played GTA3. Not that that's a bad thing at all.

If you have a PS2, you need this game. If you don't have a PS2, you NEED a PS2, GTA3 and this game. Accept no substitutes.

headsplice · 11-05-2002, 03:04 PM

can you still baseball bat people without the cops coming? That just makes a game. If there's ever a game that would ever release my tensions, that's it. MMmmmmm....random violence.

10-30-2002, 11:29 AM	#1
vsp Syndrome of a Down Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: West Chester Posts: 1,367	Thoughts on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City The single most anticipated game of the year has arrived in the US. Naturally, I was at EB at 8 AM yesterday to pick up my copy... WHAT'S NEW: * Lots and lots of celebrity voice actors, including Ray Liotta (as Our Hero, Tommy Vercetti), Burt Reynolds, Faizura Balk, Lee Majors, Jenna Jameson, Dennis Hopper, Philip Michael Thomas, Gary Busey and more. * Vice City (think Miami) is brightly lit, heavy on the neon and gratuitously flashy. When you play it, try going to the Display options menu and turning TRAILS = OFF to get a more "normal" look (as in, it'll look much more like GTA3 did than if you leave them on). * Lots and lots of 80's music, which isn't as obnoxious as I feared it might be. I'll be avoiding some stations like the plague, but some of the others aren't bad, and the New Wave station was much better than I'd feared it would be. (Still no ska, though. Bastards.) TWO talk radio stations, and the usual mix of insane commercials. * A new weapons-management system; you can carry one of each of four types of weapons at any given time (melee, handgun, submachine gun, rifle/big heavy bang-bang). If you pick up a new one, you essentially discard the old -- I've found no way to "drop your weapons in a safe place" for later retrieval. I suspect this may put a premium on hidden-package gathering, for weapon powerups at home base. This adds a little realism to the game, as your character won't be hauling around a massive arsenal that an elephant couldn't carry. * Motorcycles! Lots of fun. They range from little mopeds and pizza-delivery bikes to big, heavy Hell's Angels choppers, with a few types in between. They're surprisingly durable, but you are not -- if you hit something while riding one (or something hits you), you go flying and take damage. Tommy's apparently never heard of a motorcycle helmet, and some of the more intricate falls are very painful. On the flip side, they provide great acceleration and handling, are perfect for quick escapes or weaving through tight places, and are lots of fun to crush when someone ELSE is riding them. * A bail-out button; you don't have to wait for a vehicle to stop (or even land) before you can exit it. Handy when your vehicle is flying through the air, spinning and on fire... or for driving at high speed, bailing out and watching your car careen down the road like a bowling ball from hell. You take damage when you bail, more at high speeds, but it's often worth it. * Enterable buildings! Your initial home base (a hotel) and many other buildings can be walked into and explored. You can shop in (or rob) stores, trek around the mall, or take on missions that have both indoor and outdoor components. * A tweaked weapon-targeting system that's an improvement once you get the hang of it. There are more melee weapons this time around (including tool shops that sell screwdrivers, knives, meat cleavers and hammers), though it's still a clunky interface. The katana is nice, though... * Meaner cops that can shoot out your tires (and even set up spike-strips at roadblocks to pop all four at once.) You can still drive with blown tires, but handling and speed drop, and the trail of sparks is impressive. * Assets (companies, buildings, etc.) that you can buy. Some serve as surrogate hideouts, others as money-making investments, others as opportunities for additional missions. Money is harder to come by in this game, but there are tons of things to spend it on (unlike GTA3, where you ended up with unusable millions in the bank). WHAT'S OLD * The GTA3 engine -- pure, unadulterated crunchy adrenaline goodness. This is more of an update than a generational leap; the new features make it more than a simple mission-pack, but it's definitely familiar from the start to those who played GTA3. Not that that's a bad thing at all. If you have a PS2, you need this game. If you don't have a PS2, you NEED a PS2, GTA3 and this game. Accept no substitutes.

11-05-2002, 03:04 PM	#2
headsplice Relaxed Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 676	can you still baseball bat people without the cops coming? That just makes a game. If there's ever a game that would ever release my tensions, that's it. MMmmmmm....random violence. __________________ Don't Panic

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