Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Rockstar Games
PSP
Can’t get enough “Miami Vice” reruns? Cherish
your “˜Members Only’ jacket? Rockstar has got you
covered.
“Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories” is the latest
entry to the popular GTA franchise and the second to land on the
PSP game station.
Players take on the role of Vic Vance in this 1984-set prequel
to “Vice City.”
Joining the military to support his dysfunctional family, Vic
soon finds himself unceremoniously booted out and mired in all
manner of shady criminal pursuits.
Rockstar’s flimsy attempt at a morally conflicted
protagonist fails miserably and results in a less than enthralling
story line, which is salvaged only by solid voice work and the
trademark lowbrow humor of the series.
Fortunately, most players will be too busy starting gang wars
while rocking out to ’80s power ballads to notice the
flaws.
“Vice City Stories” offers marked improvements over
the last PSP installment, making the game better suited for the
portable platform.
If arrested or killed, weapons can be reclaimed for a nominal
fee rather than forcing players to waste time scrounging.
Checkpoints have been added to the more lengthy side missions.
Should the player fail a mission, Trip Skip jumps right into
action.
The faster pace of the game lets players pick up their PSP when
they have a free moment on the bus and jump into the action without
unnecessary delays.
In addition to these tweaks, “Vice City Stories”
improves on the go-anywhere, do-anything game play by adding
swimming, planes and helicopters. Each is executed surprisingly
well, given the limited control scheme of the PSP.
However, the most dramatic addition is, by far, the feature
allowing players to build empires.
Properties are scattered around town to be purchased or forcibly
taken over. Each can be dedicated to a criminal enterprise (ranging
from prostitution to drugs) and improved for a price. As the empire
grows, so do incoming revenue and the ire of rival gangs.
Yet, even though players can recruit gang members, rove with a
gun-toting entourage, and dutifully protect an empire, the new
mechanic doesn’t quite hit the mark. Maintaining an empire
can be tedious.
Nevertheless, “Vice City Stories” succeeds in spite
of its flaws.
With huge cities to explore, story missions, side missions,
empire building and an impressive ’80s sound track with over
100 hit songs from the period, there’s a great deal of game
play to be found in this portable package.
But most important of all: Phil Collins makes a cameo. Does it
get more ’80s than that?