GTA is back on the PSP, but has it improved?

User Rating: 8.5 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories PSP
By gdmatt | Review Date:
Grand Theft Auto, that is what we're talking about, a game that shocked us all, a game that made history. Then you get the fact of it going portable and i don't mean Game Boy style, this is true GTA. Liberty City Stories was an awesome move for the PSP, the PSP itself sold like wildfire due to that game. At the time we all couldn't believe it and it was a Liberty City Stories phase for us kids and we all couldn't put our PSPs down. Then came the arrival of Vice City Stories, the next GTA on the PSP, some say Vice City ruined GTA, some say Vice City made GTA, but Vice City Stories is none the less a brilliant game. Imagine San Andreas cut down quite a bit and you slap that into your PSP, it is kind of like that but not exactly, it has a feel to it that makes you think "will a PSP GTA ever be as good as San Andreas?" But the things you can do in it are pretty good. If this came out after Vice City then we would all be gobsmacked, but since San Andreas has been out for some years it's sunk in that GTA feel now. So what is Vice City Stories like? It's a game that has a different approach, your a tall muscular black guy called Vic, you start off in the Army, your family is having it's ups and downs and your trying to get away from it all, aswell as try and get some money. Then as all Grand Theft Autos do, something happens and you get betrayed, then you get lead from one guy to the next doing missions. Yet they do vary, not all repetitive. It gradually shows you what the game has to offer, the fact you can swim, you can fly helicopters and planes, you can drive motorbikes, some that were in San Andreas, even the BMX is there for some muck abouts. Then you get the odd fun stuff like forklifts that actually go up and down, and bulldozers that tear through the traffic It does have many vehicles that are new. The weapons are kind of the same, yet some have changed due to being set before Liberty City Stories and Vice City. Hand combat is great, in my view it's better than San Andreas, you can pick them up by the scruff of the neck, take lighter and heavier punches and kicks, you can throw people onto the floor, pick them up and start beating the **** into them like you can in all the GTAs. You can even go from behind and crack some necks and do some head punches. Seems really cool for a new style of hand combat. To say the truth it isn't as amazing as you think, gets boring after a while. Which is where i come onto the downside of Vice City Stories. This game has a major let down that i really hate, game doesn't load in time if you are going to fast in a car, you try and hit a ramp for a unique stunt and a tree magically appears in your way and you come flying off your bike or turn your car into scrap. That gets annoying. Then theres the glitches, you fall through floors and when you try and get on a boat things can get a bit weird when one minute your on land then in water then actually on the boat. Needs work there though. Apart from that the game has a lot to offer, graphics kcik ass, compared to San Andreas there almost the same, just a little way to go. Sound is crisp, guns sound awesome, explosions are great and the music on the radio stations is dam good. Like San Andreas you have homeys on this one, yet your black and they're white. You ahve your own Empire buildings to run, like smuggling and prostitution. Then you have to be ready to travel from one side of the map to the other to get another gang to back off when they attack your building. Pretty cool to keep you going. Story is interesting too, lot more atmosphere and stuff to make you think that in Liberty City Stories. This game is great for fun though, waht ever the glitch GTA will always be great, just pure mayhem on the go, this time you have many more ways to kill those pedestrains on the sidewalk. Fun stuff and it is loaded with hidden stuff and secrets, so get looking dudes and enjoy the game! Presentation: 8.5
Graphics: 8.5
Sound: 9.0
Gameplay: 8.5
Lasting Appeal: 9.0
Overall: 8.5

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