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[gamerforever]

The Vice City map was pretty bad and the soundtrack and acting saved the day, but it was the worst PS2 GTA from a gameplay standpoint.

Would love to get through the PSP City episodes sometime again!

 

[Amory]

I'm playing through Vice City on my phone and having a great time, despite the controls which can be extremely frustrating.

Definitely still worth a console playthrough. It's still my favorite GTA.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

But the best story and voice acting. Also the best soundtrack, the best era etc.

Did VC have a smaller map than GTA 3?

Yeah, VC's atmosphere really propels the game ahead of 3 and SA.

 

[walkmetothelake]

I had a great time playing through III on PC recently and plan on going through Vice City and San Andreas soon.

This was the first time I finished the story in any of the GTA titles. There was definitely a bit of difficulty that seems to be missing in (from what i've played) most of the more recent games in the series.

My only major complaint would be the gang members having x-ray vision and shooting you at all times. Not a fan of the free aim either but that could be switched.

 

[The Llama]

I'm one of the few who isn't really a VC fan. Don't like the map much and the 80's theme doesn't do anything for me since I was born in 90 haha. Still a good game, but my least favorite of the PS2 era games.

 

[hbkdx12]

Vice City craps all over San Andreas

Sure SA had a bigger world and some new novelty things to do. But Vice City's atmosphere, the setting, the soundtrack and the story were implemented far better. I never got bored going around Vice City, even after completing the story i'd hoon around and do many many awesome things (not just go around and see how long i would last with a maximum wanted level). Vice City is a game i still complete a few times a year (the only other game i have done this in recent years is Arkham Asylum). Whereas San Andreas left a bad taste in my mouth to the point where i completed it ONCE on the ps2, and never bothered to finish it the whole way through again until the leadup to GTA V's release last year (i did try several times over the years........... but when i got to the OG Lok introduction i would just get bored and quit). I also found the storyline far too predictable.

I know i'm always gonna be in the minority but i loved pretty much everything about Vice City compared to San Andreas. It took an era/atmosphere that i never cared about and made me take interest (in the same fashion that I never cared about westerns but RDR slightly changed that). San Andreas had too much micro managing and it's scope, in terms of the world itself and the story, were too big. Once you're forced out of Los Santos into San Fierro, my interest took a dip and by time you get to Las Venturras, my "I don't really give a shit meter" had been cranked all the way up. I would have been happy with a more focused narrative that kept you in los santos and that didn't stray too far from the gangsta mentality and really leaned into the boyz in the hood/menace II society vibe but i honestly believe if the game were just that, it wouldn't sell. Atleast not by typical GTA standards.

But everything about Vice City is just so on point to me. The atmosphere is right on the nose. The narrative is much tighter an focused. I also liked that it didn't do the typical video game thing of giving you the big mansion at the very end of the game. So rather than simply feeling like a boss at the end of the game, you start feeling like a boss half way through it. Seriously, just driving around town just to do a cash run and pick up money at the different shops i owned made me feel like a king. Like i had the whole city under my thumb. And the game lets you feel this way half way into it rather than at the very end. I really appreciated the great pacing.