I picked this up when it was on sale for $2.50. I remember reading lists arguing what the best GTA game was, and to my surprise this was on the top of many lists, people saying GTA San Andreas was overrated and this was actually the best GTA game. To be honest before I looked up these lists I never heard of Vice City, true I never was much of a Grand Theft Auto fan but for some reason this sort of went over my head. I decided to finally check it out last month, I beat San Andreas last Fall and enjoyed that game, even if I'm not the biggest GTA fan. I was kind of skeptical because in all fairness I find GTA to get a bit repetitive and the aiming/combat can be frustrating and dated in the older games. However it plays very similar to San Andreas, only difference being its set in the 80s and the town is a bit smaller than San Andreas. Vice City improves a lot on GTA III which I just beat earlier this week, for one you can access a map on the pause screen, aiming is a lot easier and less frustrating, you can jump out of cars while driving and cars are more durable and handle better, and there is more story to this game, your character actually has a voice and is interesting. I found the whole atmosphere to be unique, it's essentially 80s Miami and has a very 80s feel to it, and the missions feel a lot more varied than GTA III, you now have the ability to fly in planes and buy your own places. There are a couple frustrating missions where you take on hordes of powerful enemies but I found most missions to be pretty straight forward and a lot less confusing than GTA III. My only real complaints about gameplay is aiming is still a bit clunky and you die pretty fast.
In terms of graphics its very solid, much better than GTA III and the city is very well designed. Voice acting is incredible, many famous voices are used for this. In terms of replay value, Vice City has decent value, once you beat the main missions, there are a couple of side missions and events. It still doesn't have what I'd consider to be a large amount of side content, but enough to get some replay value. Overall Vice City is one of those games you play for the atmosphere, the main story, and soundtrack, the gameplay is decent enough but I found it to be a bit dated, mainly the aiming system. Once you beat the game it's one you take out every few years but I wouldn't say its one that still is as captivating as it was when it first came out 10 years ago, but its a fun playthrough for a fan of these types of games.
Pros
Great Atmosphere
Great Soundtrack
Story Is Interesting And Funny
Cons
Aiming Can Be Difficult
Not Too Much Replay Value
Gameplay Feels a Bit Lacking