Don't expect mind-blowing innovation. Expect decent gameplay, but not mind blowing innovation.
User Rating: 8 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories PSP
It can be said that the GTA series is running low on innovative ideas and as of late, a lot of the tried and true conventions in the GTA series may just be its Achilles' heel. However, for die-hard fans of the series, Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories is a welcome addition to the story arc. In GTA VCS, players assume the role of Victor Vance, brother of Lance Vance. Now for those who have played GTA Vice City, you'll note that Victor Vance is a doomed character. Doomed how? Well, go play the game and you'll find out in the opening sequence. Technical improvements have gone into GTA VCS including greater draw distance, improved hand to hand combat. Both of which were lacking in GTA Liberty City Stories (LCS). Unfortunately, the targeting system is still infuriating and the PSP's controls don't do much to alleviate that frustration. My kingdom for a right analog nub and two more shoulder buttons! Still, the story line is intriguing, even if Victor's moral conflicts become played out within the first few missions. Victor is trying to help out his family, who are all sick. His mother is a drug addict, Lance is . . . an idiot, and his younger brother is an asthmatic. Victor, a former army corporal, takes on jobs dealing in drugs, protection, prostitution, etc. His intentions to help his family are noble, but his actions contradict his character. If Rockstar was attempting to present a tragic hero to the series, then Victor should have been given more depth to his character. He complained about the jobs he did, but he still did them. There really was no strong conflict of emotions on his part. Furthermore, he didn't really HAVE to do any of the missions that presented themselves as moral conflicts to his character. There was really nothing tangible and concrete that forced Vance into the situations he found himself in. If anything, it would have been better on Rockstar's part to simply make Vance a morally dubious character just like past characters in the series. With past characters, the player knew what their motivations were. They were anti-heroes through and through. Victor comes off as a guy who wants to be good, but doesn't try hard enough to get there. The missions are standard Grand Theft Auto fare. Everything from assassination, to chases, races, and of course everyone's favorite side missions such as taxi driving and vigilante missions. But what's new to the series (sort of, it's kind of borrowed from GTA San Andreas--ah, great game) is the ability to build a criminal empire. To build a criminal empire, all one needs to do is attack a rival gang's base of operations. First, destroy the vehicle parked outside, then kill the gang members as they swarm out at you in retaliation. Make your way into the compound and kill whoever is in there. Destroy all the merchandise you find. Once that is accomplished, make your way back outside and purchase the property. From there you can build and develop your base of operations. You can make it into a protection ring, brothel, etc. Specific missions will be tied into your criminal empire so don't think that simply taking over a rival gang's base and purchasing it will be the end of it. The more empire specific missions you complete, the higher your reputation, and the higher your pay out. But in true GTA fashion, rival gangs will periodically attack your base and you must defend it. This can get nerve racking because at times it seems like the swarm of gangs attacking your business never ends. EVENTUALLY, they retreat. The best way to deal with this is to take over ALL the businesses. That way, the gangs are completely out of commission. The voice acting in this game is superb as should be expected from Grand Theft Auto. Gary Busey reprises his role of Phil Cassidy. Philip Michael Thomas returns as Lance Vance. Danny Trejo returns as Umberto Robina and Luiz Guzman reprises his role as Ricardo Diaz. Vice City looks different in this game also. Much of the city is still under construction during this game so a lot of what you're accustomed to seeing in Vice City won't be there. And remember, Tommy is still in prison at the time that this game takes place so don't expect to see him.
The game is enjoyable with plenty of side missions to entertain you. Also, the game is significantly longer than Liberty City Stories, so you should be entertained for a while to come. If you have every game in the series and you want to know about Vice City before Tommy Vercetti, then get this game. If you're looking for complete innovation, look elsewhere. 
