Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Preview

Rockstar Games (along with Rockstar North) is currently one of the most prestigious names in the gaming world, and it's all due to Grand Theft Auto. The first two games in the series haven't built their success on visuals alone, instead relying on an original gameplay concept, which became massively popular and ultimately was a good starting point for the approaching sequels. Grand Theft Auto 3 (PS2, Xbox, and PC) and GTA: Vice City (already available on the PS2) have both become legendary accomplishments, bringing in record earnings throughout the globe, and it was only a matter of time until both games would go cross-platform. Six months have passed since GTA: Vice City launched on the PS2, during which time the upsurge in the PC gaming community went sky high. In the course of those six months, Rockstar Games was attentively at work on a PC port, tweaking it and fine-tuning it to create a worthy successor to the PS2 version. Now we're finally going to delve deeper into the picture and check out some of the new features of this highly anticipated title. To those of you who wish to reminisce on the previous game, I refer you to our full GTA 3 review. If you already know what the previous game was famous for, then just sit back, relax, and have a glance at what awaits you in the sequel.

I’m telling you it’s a chopper! Now, hop on!

I thought I told you morons not to wear the same shirts while we’re on the job.

Perhaps we should clarify one burning issue that's probably on your minds. GTA: Vice City is not a sequel or an expansion pack to GTA 3, but neither is it a completely stand alone project. To set things straight, I'll give you a sample of the story, which takes place 15 years prior to the events of GTA 3. We're talking about the kitschy and multicolored decade known as the '80s. The whole tale takes place in a city that looks like it was ripped from Miami Vice (hence the title, Vice City). You enter the scene as a rather unlawful character, named Tommy Vercetti. After doing some porridge in Liberty City, Tommy was instructed to go down south in order to clench a drug deal. Suddenly, fate stepped in, the deal goes wrong, and our hero is left penniless and without "the goods," plus he now has to shake away the cops and prove his innocence. So, the game could be characterized as a prequel. Coincidentally, this story will get a rather imposing scope of top-notch actors to voice all the characters. The main characters, Tommy Vercetti was voiced by the well-known and talented actor Ray Liotta (Good Fellas), who's also accompanied by Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos, The Matrix), Lawrence Taylor (former NY Giants player), Burt Reynolds, Gary Busey, and... believe it or not, Jenna Jameson herself! With such a brilliant cast, you can rest assured that the game won't be lacking a decent plot and expert voice acting.

"So, tell me VADAR, why should I waste my time with the PC port when I already have the PS2 version?" Well, my fellow AT reader, if this question is indeed on your mind, then you should now that there's a number of reasons why Vice City must be on your shopping list once it hits the stores. For a kickoff, the PC technology offers the developers a chance to perk up the visuals, which can certainly be regarded as one of the most important improvements in the game. Similar to the GTA 3 PC port, Vice City will be free of those rough PS2 texture patterns. In addition to that, you now have the option of sprucing things up with resolution changes (an aspect that's sorely missed in all console games). Thanks to this innovation, objects, characters, and the environment in general, will appear sharper and more detailed...

Recently, Rockstar Games unveiled that the PC port is going to feature numerous graphical enhancements. One might think that since the original GTA3 port wasn't enhanced, there are no radical changes to this version either - but wait! There is a solid amount of new graphic detail that is exclusive to the PC version. Vice City will be working under an newly enhanced version of the GTA 3 engine. The inclusion of innovative vehicles such as the helicopter and the boat, have called for some major engine tweakage. Once you're airborne, you can easily notice the technological advantages of the PC - for instance, dense traffic can be seen from a great distance. The designing team also took the time to enrich the surroundings in the form of a new environment mapping, which ensures highly detailed sections throughout the city. The locations in Vice City are now furnished with features like birds, bugs, and a greater number of cars on the roads. In addition to that, the game includes day and night cycles - this is a most praiseworthy innovation that demonstrates effective lighting improvements. The list goes on with water areas that have been supplemented with richer aquatic life. On top of that, PC owners may look forward to seeing better explosions, as well as more realistic reflections that can be observed both on street surfaces and water areas. If that's not enough, all the vehicles were modeled with more details and all the structures are a lot more complex than on the PS2 (or so the developers say). Somewhat of an amusing detail is the snazzy new skin system, thanks to which the artists made over 100 unique models that wander through the streets. The action doesn't stop here. If you so desire, you can create your own face and incorporate it on the main game character's skin. Neat, huh? The makers of GTA: Vice City also claim to have used a very useful element of the Direct 9. This new component, called DirectX Texture Compression, was supposedly employed as an effective way of decompressing complex textures. According to their own statement, the developers' intention was to trim down the necessary disc space for the game - to be exact, 600 MB's.

Okay, let us stop for a moment here and recall back to the PC conversion of GTA 3. Quite similar to the promises for Vice City, GTA 3 was supposed to have been enhanced, graphically. But when the game was released, (Correct me if I'm wrong) other than the outstanding gameplay (which was also present in the PS2 version), the game did not feature any radical visual improvements other than the fact that you could switch to higher resolutions. Sometimes, it seems to me that these "visual improvements," which some publishers continually keep yapping about, never add up to the desired effect. Bearing in mind the recently released media and screenshots from the game, and after witnessing how the game looks on the PS2, we simply cannot realistically believe that (graphics-wise) anything has truly changed. But - the levels are huge and they give you the freedom to explore, roam the streets freely, drive cars, or do just about anything you wish, capturing the look and feel of a bustling city that enthralled audiences worldwide. But alas, nothing can be observed so far that indicates any tangible visual enhancements. Before you get that why-the-hell-are-you-tarnishing-the-best-game-ever look on your face, I stress that we're talking about an improved PC version, which is supposed to distance itself from the, regrettably, restricted graphic potentials of the PlaySation 2 console. Believe me, there's nothing I'd like better than to see a totally beefed up PC port of a fabulous console game, but I hope you won't shoot me for being just a little skeptic.

No one around... Miami Vice must be on!

Those fellas on the stage look suspiciously kinky.

This is the life!

Graphics aren't the only facet that is expected to bring out an improvement over the console version. The game will also grant users to incorporate their own MP3 files into the game, playing them on the car radio as they rush through the busy streets of Vice City. Well, I have to hand it to the developers for thinking of this one. It was always a very fun and charming aspect of the game (ever since the idea was first conjured up in GTA 3). If any of you actually had any doubts about why the GTA games are so popular, then maybe these novelties will help you understand. Out of the ordinary ideas appear to have been something of a problem for game developers throughout the years. But, Vice City will bring a lot more than that.

The very heart of GTA 3 was always at its imaginative and highly addictive gameplay. Assassinating, looting, intimidating, were all part of the concept. The bottom line, however, was the ability to enter any vehicle on the street, claim it for your own, and use it to achieve your goals in the game (something one may often desire to do on an every-day basis). Preserving such a spirit this time around, the developers have once again made it possible for players to seize vehicles and drive to a designated area... or wherever the hell they want. By the way, those of you who are obsessed with generating a bundle of cash, should be happy to know that this game will allow you to climb across rooftops and enter just about any structure in the city, buy it, and just start reeling in the dough. Another way to earn greenbacks is by hijacking a pizza-delivery truck and start making a living by distributing pizzas all over town! And exactly how does one come about to earn cash peacefully in such a violent city? Hey, No worries! Rockstar has thrown in a more than satisfying array of weapons and items that players can utilize throughout their ventures. To begin with, you'll have access to a substantial amount of firepower, but what's even more important is that you can, shall we say, "improvise" along the way and snatch stuff like golf clubs, brass knuckles, hammers, and chainsaws. Quite a lethal little selection, wouldn't you say? Furthermore, the beauty of Vice City is that the variety of vessels and cars was augmented to an unbelievable degree. Apart from regular cars, convertibles, and sedans, you can now hop onto motorcycles or even a helicopter (which I'm sure all of you find most tempting). All of these babies will be a lot easier to control than before. Yep, yet again we behold the mouse and keyboard combination as the indisputable champion of intuitive control mechanisms. The PS2 has many pleasing variations of the gamepad, but none of which can stand up to the likes of the mouse and keyboard system (Ed. - Amen!).

Thanks to the intuitive controls, handling vehicles is a cinch. The reasons for controls enhancements were more than obvious. It is an imperative step up since the action in Vice City practically never stops. Behind each street corner lies a new challenge. The team at Rockstar has extended the boundaries of the in-game realism to the point where players can perform almost anything imaginable. For example, if you wish to lay your paws on a car that happens to be on the move, you can shoot out the tires and watch the vehicle lose its balance - quite a nice upgrade to the physics. Since enhanced physics are on the spotlight, we should also mention that all kinds of stunts are possible as you drive. When Tommy sits on a chopper (motorcycle) he can shoot in front of him (which makes some missions a lot easier) and he can even practice wheelies when he has the spare time. Also, taking a sharp turn will make Tommy stretch out his foot in an attempt to balance the bike. Anyways, flexible physics were obviously an essential change since throughout most of the game you get to operate an impressive variety of vessels - sedans, bikes, helicopters, and boats. That should be quite enough to hold the interest of any gamer.

Rockstar also promises to deliver a re-adjusted AI that gives cops, pedestrians, and other non-player characters, the ability to react more realistically, both to the environment and your actions. Each passerby, on foot or in a car, was endowed with an improved pathfinding behavior pattern, which means every time you obstruct someone's route they will automatically go around you (or start running if they see you're packin'). Street clashes and cop chases are, therefore, a lot more true-to-life. The police, in addition to setting up road blocks, now gets to use spike strips in order to air out your tires and slow you down. Overall, Rockstar is carefully working to push the limits of in-game realism as we know it.

Atmosphere wise, the designing team plans to fulfill their ambitions to create a world similar to what we've seen in Brian De Palma's Scarface, and other movies such as Purple Rain, Xanadu, and Less than Zero. If fact, together with the support of all those renowned Hollywood names and with cut-scenes that merge into a splendid 120 minute movie, GTA: Vice City will truly possess all the essential qualities of an overwhelming movie experience. The whole ride through Vice City was also laced with several controversial, that is to say, "grown-up" elements; a truly valiant effort fully supported here at Action Trip. We are always on the look out for projects that are destined to expand the borders of gaming by adding a little "adult content." All in all, you can expect one helluva ride!

That's about all the goodies we have for now folks. In the end, all of you know the score - you have to hang on for another month, during which time this M-rated delight is bound to arrive to your local retailer. And remember, stay virtuous!