Brilliant game design. One of the greatest games of all time.
The plot is something straight out of a crime-epic, the characters are so well acted, making way for some big names in Hollywood, and the city which you inhabit (based on Miami) is vibrant and brilliantly designed.
Tommy Vercetti, played by Ray Liotta, a member of the mafia in Liberty City, is sent to Vice City to see how well the mob could cash in on the drug-frenzied 80's. However, his first deal leaves him with no money and no drugs. As a person in a place you've never been before, you have to work your way up starting with little contacts and influence. Now you know how Mr. Montana felt when he first arrived in the US, and you must undertake the menial jobs before gaining any power.
Since GTA: III, Vice City takes things up a notch with the introduction of bikes, helicopters and planes, something people missed in the previous instalment. The air vehicles add a whole new dimension on gameplay and make it easier to get around. Bikes are so much fun to ride in, and allow shooting over the handlebars, making you one lethal SOB. In addition, there are many new weapons at your disposal, including the minigun, colt .45, M4, and a variety of close combat weapons.
The main difference between this game and the last is its setting. Vice City takes place in the late 1980's, a decade of greed, drugs, sex and disco-pop. The radio stations play what is probably the best soundtrack to any game period, seeing tunes from Michael Jackson, Iron Maiden, Gary Numan, Blondie, Run DMC, Bryan Adams, Oliver Cheatham and Kool and the Gang. The presenters are brilliant, with the welcome return of Lazlo (now on the rock station) and a new talk station that has some of the funniest moments in gaming broadcast into whatever vehicle you are in control of.
The main story lasts longer than GTA: III and sees the development of extensive sub-plots in which you may be carrying out assassinations, hijacking, robbery or arson. All of these create relationships with other characters in the game. Yet you are not forced down these roads to complete the story and that makes the experience feel so unrestricted and non-linear.
Vice City is one of the greatest games ever released, winning almost all game-of-the-year and best soundtrack awards of 2002. This is a must-have for all gamers on all platforms.