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fun game that should be much better

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I don't know if the point-to-point timed missions just translate poorly to the PC version of GTA VC, but I found myself repeatedly playing through not fun elements of this thing that the programmers set as bars to opening up more options in the city. (The RC helicopter mission, boring to begin with, is virtually impossible on PC.)

I enjoy a lot about this game, but the virtually exact port of the PS2 version to PC should have been tweaked a bit.

Awesome Game! But it has some flaws. (Four and a half stars)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is by FAR my favorite game that I have EVER played. Next to like Halo 2 but anyway. This game is even more awesome if you have plenty of cheats. You can get a ton of different weapons from brass knuckles of RPGs and miniguns(my two favorite guns). I'm only 12 but this is still a great game. You can buy a lot of different properties which I reccomend because then you have more places where you can save which is good if, like me, you are trying to sneak in as much time as you can. BUT, WHY CAN'T TOMMY SWIM?!?!?!?!That's what pisses me off about this game! All of this water and I cant swim in any of it unless I'm walking and it is less than 2 feet deep!! And all these stupid checkpoint missions. Like "Checkpiont Charlie" at the Boatyard. If you miss one of the jumps by the docks its completely over! There is no way to save your self. And I wish that you could save while in a mission. Like right before you go to kill Lance the trader and Sonny. Truly it's a great game even though it is a little lengthy and has some bad missions.

Vice City Still Rocks and Tommy Vercetti Still Cool in 2005!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a mature game, definitely not for kids.

You are Tommy Vercetti, fiercely, good-looking guy, just released from Liberty City prison after 15 years. You were in the slammer because instead of making a deal with the D.A. for a lighter sentence, you chose not to squeal on your mob bosses. In return, the mob (located up north in Liberty City) "gifted" you with a suitcase full of cash so you can start a business of your own down south, in Vice City. Truth was, the mob's wary of you and wanted you as far away from them as possible. They planned to bump you off once you succeeded in Vice City and take over your business.

So much for mob loyalty.

You get a suitcase chuck-full of cash from Sonny Forelli, your boss with instructions to make a drug deal in some Vice City dockyard. And so you go down south a small-time bad guy, with no money of your own, no guns, and no goons.

You went to the docks to complete the deal, but as you know in Murphy's Law, if something can screw up, somebody will screw it up! And screw up it did! In the docks, all hell broke loose as the SWAT ambushed and killed some of the dealers and you barely escaped with your life. But the bigger problem was that you lost the drugs and money, Sonny Forelli's money! Sonny was naturally livid with anger and after threatening you, he promised to give you a break for old time's sake (he won't kill you yet) provided you get his money back. There's a corpse hanging by a meat hook in his room as he told you this over the phone.

This is where the introductory video cut-scenes stops and where the fun really starts! You get to control Tommy now as you make money by doing various missons described elsewhere in other reviews. At first you thought you were just getting money to pay Sonny at the same time making a name for yourself as a psychotic killer and drug dealer. Then you wised up. In the final showdown with Sonny Forelli you will learn his true intentions. But don;t be in a hurry to finish the main storyline. There's lots to do besides and these other side missions will kind of lose their thrill if you already reached the end of the main story. (Yep, the game will not end with the final showdown. The game would still be open!)

CONS:
1. At times the PC version isn't so helpful in giving you tips to control vehicles. One notorious example was the "Demolition Man" mission where you get to fly a remote controlled chopper. It took me a long time to finish it because the game hints never said that you can move the chooper using keys 9 and 6! Like the other reviewer, I only learned about it in the Net.

2. Likewise, the mission "Dildo Dodo" involved flying a sea plane which at first I couldn't take off because the game hints didn't say I could control the pitch with keys 9 and 6!

3. Too short, hehehe. This game is so exciting that I found the main stryline missions too short. They should add more!

PROS:
1. Freedom. It's amazing how the developers of this game provided the player with enormous freedom to do as he pleases. Go on the storyline mission and advance into the game's main plot. Forget storyline mission and go on a rampage instead. Forget rampage and go on street races (six of them); forget street races go on vehicle stunts. Be a good boy and do vigilante and ambulance missions. Or see how fast you can take passengers in taxi missions. And so on and so forth...!

2. You get to race vehicles, fly a sea plane and six choppers including the Hunter, Vice City's equivalent of the Apache attack helicopter!

3. Motorcycle and 4-wheel car stunts.

4. Absolutely hilarious spoofs in the radio!

5. The violence you will be doing in this game is just so ridiculous, it's so entertaining!

6. The game runs on older, very modest PC systems specs without any problem. Not once did the game hang my P3, 900Mhz pc with 128MB video and 512MB SDRAM.

7. Cinematic view! Press V several times and watch your chopper fly from various camera angles! So cool!

8. Your main character Tommy Vercetti is perhaps the coolest bad guy around. From the dialogues in the cut scenes you'll learn he's a smart leader, kind to his friends and brutal to his enemies. He is never rattled by his enemies, nor scared by Sonny's constant threats. He thinks and keeps his word. He dotes on the women, like when he offered Mercedes a role in an adult film which the latter accepted as long as its cheap and sleazy, heheh.

This game's a keeper. Two, three years later, I know I will still enjoy this game!

Smash and grab, baby

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'm having a ball playing this game. I've kind of been away from computer games for a few years--just too busy to play. Recently, I bought Halo, and then bought a few more games. GTA: Vice City is one of the new bunch. And I'm very glad I got it.

It's not perfect, no. A couple of missions, like the infamous Demolition Man, are teeth-grindingly bad--there should be a way to just accept failure on non-crucial missions, not get any reward for it, and just move on to the next mission, but I found that if I avoided completing Demolition Man long enough, eventually I ran up against a brick wall and couldn't progress, so I had to go back and do it. Since I'm playing an a notebook PC with no keypad and no joystick, I actually had to go out and buy a cheap gamepad just to complete that one mission! Pretty annoying.

But other than that, I love the game. It's a great way to get rid of a long day's frustration. And I love loading up my favorite 80s tunes into the "MP3" station so that they'll play while I drive around town, with just a little hiss of static like a real car radio. So in spite of some less-than-perfect moments, I still give it 5 stars.

By the way, this game will run fine on a 1.4G, 256MB Centrino notebook (which has a 64MB "virtual video card" that steals memory from the main RAM)--a bit slow loading, and the graphics are probably not at their best, but it runs with no real problems.

A positively fun time

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 06, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Not too bad for a Scarface parody either....

Anywho, I'll start off this review like I started off the one for GTA3. GTA Vice is extremely violent. It is rated M for Mature. MATURE! That means that you should not let your 13 year-old kid play this.

The next section is food for thought in terms of parents and game selection. If you aren't getting this for a kid under 17, just don't worry about this.

I've been giving this a lot of thought, and it seems as though parents are letting their ignorance allow their kids to be exposed to these things. First off, it is Rockstar Games' right to free speech to enable Tommy Vercetti (the main character) to blow the bejesus out of anyone and everything with a rocket launcher. It is also an organization's right to free speech to say whatever hateful, bigoted dialogue that they want to, wherever they want to. Now, cultured and decent parents make an effort to keep their kids from hearing these hateful messages, so why don't parents make an effort to keep their kids from hearing Rockstar Games' message of sex, violence, and destruction? Because it comes in the formatat of a videogame? Technonolgy for the young? I think that philosophy is a load of garbage. Parents, honestly. If you really care to protect your kids from violent messages, you will go the distance to research the games that they are talking about. GRAND THEFT AUTO. Listen to the title. The title of the game is a crime. Doesn't that spark your interest?

Ok, the review. This game, like its predicessor GTA3, was very violent, but at the same time it still executed a decent storyline and had plenty of variation with weapons and wheels. You can get motorcycles in this game which is really cool, and the unique vehicles selection is much greater and much more accessable. Boats are very easy to get along with choppers.

I have to protest the story since it does parody Scarface. But Scarface was a tragedy, unlike this story that had a very happy ending. Yet, at the same time I must give it some brownie points, since unlike with GTA3, there is some sense of accmoplishment that comes with the end of the story. Vice City is yours. This was a very very bipolar game.

Graphically i was very unimpressed. It looked a lot better than GTA3, but this is the PS2 we're talking about here. Vice City is a second generation game and should have had much better graphics. The setting was certainly nice and bright, however a little graphical effort would have greatly enhanced the spirit of the game.

Tommy Vercetti wasn't nearly as cool as Alex.

But why am I comparing the two games so much? Vice City was unique in its own right. It got 5 stars for a reason. It was a really good game. The targeting system was flawed, however there were some great improvements. The driving is SOOOOOOOO SMOOOOOOOOTH. Like butter. It's almost scandalous. And the environments are so much less claustrophobic than the previous games. It makes sense though since Vice City is a joyous beach scene. I'm comparing again...

Anyway, the revamped gameplay that is Grand Theft Auto was very well represented in this great rendition. This game does desrve 5 stars for the simple reason that it is fun. The free-roaming nature of the game that is GTA is certainly in no way played out. Ok, last comparison. If GTA3 was Freaky Good, then Vice City qualifies as a slightly less Super Good. Both ratings get 5 stars. Vice City was very good, and if you liked GTA3, you will probably like this game too. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who will say they like Vice City more than GTA3, but this is just a matter of preference. The differences were suttle, but the game is still very great.

Keep in mind, this game is violent. But it's a good time. Kids shouldn't play it, but if you are of age, it will be well worth the many hours of game play.

5 Stars

Happy gaming!

A Deeply Flawed Masterpeice

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 12
Date: January 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have a love-hate relationship with this game - parts of it I love, parts I absolutely detest with a loathing so deep I am afraid it will turn me to the dark side. The gameplay is great and the graphics are only bounded by the specs of your machine.

The game is enormous. You could spend weeks playing this instead of going to work (or school) and still only see half of it. This leads me to my biggest complaint - no quicksaves and no saving during missions. I understand that games are only fun if you meet some resistance and overcome failures, but this game goes way beyond ridiculous. If you fail a mission (whether you die or are captured by the police), you lose all inventory items you have gathered. So before repeating the mission, you will most likely have to go find weapons again, then return to the point where the mission started (cabs are used to speed things up somewhat, but not much). Then you have to go back to the same person and get the same assignmenet again (though you can skip most of these cutscenes), then drive wherever they sent you before (usually using the exact same route), then hopefully complete the mission. NOTE TO ROCKSTAR: This sort of repition is not fun in any way, shape or form. It's annoying and almost ruins this great game. Right before I tackle a nest of angry Haitians, I should be able to F5 it (quicksave) and then go in guns blaring, having fun and learning the tricks of the mission. Instead, I am constantly afraid that I will be punished with excessively long driving times if I screw up. And many of the missions will take you a few times through. This game could have been my favorite of all time, but the save scheme is atrocious and outdated. Some developers do this to make a game seem longer, but this game is already freakin' huge. I highly recommend looking up some cheats on the internet, unless you really enjoy running errands and driving over the same routes again and again. If someone ever writes a program that allows quicksaves in this game, I will worship them as the god they truly are (or will become in writing the program).

Rockstar - why? Why must you dish out these petty, childish torments in a game (supposedly) for adults? We are big people, let us save the game when we want.

That's enough venting on that point, but I have a couple others. Why are you "Busted" because a cop pulls you out of a car? Shouldn't that be when the fight starts? But if you're out of the car a split second earlier, the police can't bust you. Only if you're dragged out of a stopped or slow-moving car can cops bust you. Huh? You end up getting busted at the most random times in ways that rarely make sense.

Finally, the game's targeting system is still awful. Either you fire randomly in front of yourself, with the camera swinging all over the place, or you hold down buttons to auto-target people or things and seem to have little to do with the gunfight other than mashing the fire button.

And then, of course, the complaint everyone has - Why can't anyone in this town swim? Are they living on a sea of battery acid? Bullet to the head = slight problem. Water deeper than three feet = instant death. Maybe I should try to find a water pistol somewhere in Vice City.

It's sun-drenched 1980s Miami. What're you waiting for?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: October 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Ok, so Tommy can't swim. And sometimes cars will vanish if you turn your back on them for a second. So what? If you analyzed Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" you could probably find stuff to complain about there too. The point is that this game is possibly the crowning achievement of the relatively brief history of computer gaming, right up there with 1997's Total Annihilation.

Vice City has everything: a huge "fun factor," a great soundtrack, a wide variety of vehicles to carjack, planes, helicopters, boats, a great sense of humor, excellent voice acting, a beautifully imagined 1980's Miami "feel," and an almost unlimited number of things to do: you can undertake the missions you receive from various members of the underworld; you can participate in dirtbike races; you can grab a helicopter or sportbike and just ride around the city; you can be a vigilante, ambulance driver, fireman, or pizza delivery boy to earn cash; you can buy businesses and collect revenue; you can just mug people on the street for money; you can collect money by finding "insane stunt" opportunities around the city... this is the most open-ended game I've ever seen.

The genius of the game is in the details. The more you play Vice City, the more you realize how lovingly crafted it is. It's the synergy between the various gameplay elements that makes this game far more than the sum of its parts. You're a Liberty City (aka New York) thug named Tommy Vercetti, perfectly voiced by Ray Liotta, who ends up in Vice City (Miami) and slowly builds his criminal empire. But the plot here isn't central; it's just an excuse for some of the most fun-filled gameplay ever conceived. Not every mission is brilliant (the remote-controlled helicopter mission, for example, doesn't fit the "feel" of the game and becomes tedious quickly), but why quibble? You probably don't want your kids playing this, but otherwise you have no excuse not to get this game if you haven't yet, especially at this price.

The most fun you'll have legally for twenty bucks.

Great Game - Not For Kids

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: March 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This controversial game is probably the most fun you will ever have with a pc game. I have been playing it every now and then for the last couple of months and I am having a great time. The dialogue and cut scenes are hilarious. I like this game so much I bought the first one also. I find that if I do not have much time to game then I can pop this in and play for 30 minutes and be satisfied. Car jacking someone off of a motorcycle and speeding down the street is a lot of fun. I have found myself just exploring the city on the motorcycle.

PROS
Simple controls.
The environment is awesome (the sun sets and rises, rain, etc).
Missions do not have to be done.

CONS
I personally do not like killing cops and in this game you have to kill a lot of cops.
Graphics are dated (but still good).
No multiplayer (if I could set up a server where me and my friends could drive around and terrorize the citizens that would be very cool).

I highly suggest purchasing this game. It is for the mature gamer. I would not let my kid play it.

Best game - Funny, Action Packed, Easy to learn, and long!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: February 27, 2003
Author: Amazon User

First, it's easy to get started. No steep learning curve here! The missions start out slow to get you acquainted, and pick up steam as you move on. Plenty of missions means that the game isn't over after a weekend of playing. It's funny, entertaining, and the best game available hands down.

A very good sequel (4 1/2 stars)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: June 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Vice City is an excellent follow-up to the classic GTA3. It gets right many of the things that made GTA3 a great game and even improves on several things. The game offers another fairly large area to explore with the added attraction of tropical scenary. Like GTA3, there are a wide variety of missions to complete and an interesting cast of characters. Vice City feels alive and has dynamic day-and-night cycles. There is always something to get into and you can do many things in whatever order you prefer.

In particular, the new features include buildings that you can actually enter, a greater number of places to save the game, more good voice acting, a wide selection of good (and not so good) 1980s music, more clothing options, and a few more weapons (like chainsaws and helicopter guns). You can buy your own businesses which can turn a profit, and you can fly helicopters, in addition to driving cars and boats. Overall, Vice City is an improvement of GTA3, though GTA3 had a better storyline and fresher feel.

The problems I encountered in Vice City were minor, but still annoying. The save-game system is my biggest complaint. You should be able to save the game at least once in the middle of some of the tougher missions. The story and missions were much like some of those in GTA3; however, they didn't seem as tied together as the ones in GTA3. Finally, while the new mode of transportation (flying) is on the surface a welcome addition, I found helicopters to be very difficult to fly and land, at least with a gamepad. Also, the problem of getting out of a boat without falling in the water and drowning is as bad as it was in GTA3.

Still, these are all minor gripes. Vice City, like GTA3, is a great achievement in computer gaming. It's worth the price of admission (but still for mature audiences only).

Rating: 4.5 stars

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