Although I did mention that, in terms of games in the Grand Theft Auto series, I was the most curious about what Grand Theft Auto IV was going to be like, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was the game in the franchise that I was the most eager to try out, as watching Dunkey's video on it back in middle school and then constantly rewatching it since then made it look like an absolute blast to play. Don't get me wrong, I was definitely looking forward to playing through Grand Theft Auto III for the first time, but Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was the one from the double pack that I was actually excited about, as it looked so much more stylish and cool than its predecessor. It's hard to talk about Grand Theft Auto: Vice City without just gushing about it, because despite its flaws, this is not only leagues better than Grand Theft Auto III, but it's also the best game in the series.
Whenever people mention this game, they always bring up just how strong its atmosphere is, and I'd honestly say that this is the game's greatest strength. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a sunshine-soaked time capsule of the 1980s in all its coked-up, hedonistic glory, and despite the dated (although charmingly janky) graphics, the pastel color palette and neon-drenched streets made this game an absolute joy to look at. Not only is it fun to wreak havoc and mess around in this sandbox, but simply driving around in a sports car and listening to the game's incredible soundtrack while taking the vistas in is fun in its own right, and the less restrictive design of the open world here made me want to explore every nook and cranny much more than Grand Theft Auto III did, which also applies to the returning minigames and collectibles. Speaking of which, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City has one of the best soundtracks in any video game, as they managed to get tons of emblematic 80s songs into one great package. On top of being an immensely atmospheric experience, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is also a lot of fun to play, as it fixed a lot of its predecessor's shortcomings while also building on top of what it did well. While the targeting system still isn't the best, it's still much better than the horrendous aiming from Grand Theft Auto III, and the wider selection of weapons also makes up for that. Not only are the cars in this game actually durable, but there's also a much higher presence of sports cars here than in any other game in the franchise, which fits the setting perfectly while also making getting from point A to point B less of a hassle.
Among other things, the writing here is also much better than in Grand Theft Auto III, as it not only features an immensely entertaining and likable protagonist in the form of the short-tempered Tommy Vercetti played by the late, great Ray Liotta, but the characters that he interacts with throughout the Scarface-inspired plot are much more memorable. Unlike the last game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City also gives you an actual reason to spend your money, as Tommy Vercetti has to buy several assets and businesses to build his criminal empire. Like the last game, the missions in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City are much less restrictive in their design, but the inclusion of vehicles like helicopters and seaplanes opened up tons of possibilities in terms of approaching objectives, and that led to a lot of eureka moments during my playthrough that made me feel like a genius whenever they went well. Despite how awesome of a game this was for me, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City isn't perfect, as it features a handful of missions that are unnecessarily frustrating. This especially applies to the game's final mission, because while it only took me about an hour to actually beat it, the tedium of having to repeat everything over and over again made the whole process feel way longer. Even with this in mind, I'm able to look past all of that and appreciate just how incredible of an experience Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was for me and how fun it was to play, and not only is it my favorite Grand Theft Auto game, but it's also one of the best games that Rockstar has ever made.
Whenever people mention this game, they always bring up just how strong its atmosphere is, and I'd honestly say that this is the game's greatest strength. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a sunshine-soaked time capsule of the 1980s in all its coked-up, hedonistic glory, and despite the dated (although charmingly janky) graphics, the pastel color palette and neon-drenched streets made this game an absolute joy to look at. Not only is it fun to wreak havoc and mess around in this sandbox, but simply driving around in a sports car and listening to the game's incredible soundtrack while taking the vistas in is fun in its own right, and the less restrictive design of the open world here made me want to explore every nook and cranny much more than Grand Theft Auto III did, which also applies to the returning minigames and collectibles. Speaking of which, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City has one of the best soundtracks in any video game, as they managed to get tons of emblematic 80s songs into one great package. On top of being an immensely atmospheric experience, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is also a lot of fun to play, as it fixed a lot of its predecessor's shortcomings while also building on top of what it did well. While the targeting system still isn't the best, it's still much better than the horrendous aiming from Grand Theft Auto III, and the wider selection of weapons also makes up for that. Not only are the cars in this game actually durable, but there's also a much higher presence of sports cars here than in any other game in the franchise, which fits the setting perfectly while also making getting from point A to point B less of a hassle.
Among other things, the writing here is also much better than in Grand Theft Auto III, as it not only features an immensely entertaining and likable protagonist in the form of the short-tempered Tommy Vercetti played by the late, great Ray Liotta, but the characters that he interacts with throughout the Scarface-inspired plot are much more memorable. Unlike the last game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City also gives you an actual reason to spend your money, as Tommy Vercetti has to buy several assets and businesses to build his criminal empire. Like the last game, the missions in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City are much less restrictive in their design, but the inclusion of vehicles like helicopters and seaplanes opened up tons of possibilities in terms of approaching objectives, and that led to a lot of eureka moments during my playthrough that made me feel like a genius whenever they went well. Despite how awesome of a game this was for me, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City isn't perfect, as it features a handful of missions that are unnecessarily frustrating. This especially applies to the game's final mission, because while it only took me about an hour to actually beat it, the tedium of having to repeat everything over and over again made the whole process feel way longer. Even with this in mind, I'm able to look past all of that and appreciate just how incredible of an experience Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was for me and how fun it was to play, and not only is it my favorite Grand Theft Auto game, but it's also one of the best games that Rockstar has ever made.