Vice City took one of the greatest open world games and made it better in almost every conceivable way.
Vice City saw you take on the role of Tommy Vercetti who has recently been sent to Vice City after being released from prison to set up some drug contacts there. He is double crossed on a deal and then cue the tale of revenge. It's a damn good one too, some elements are a little predictable but overall I loved it I was so engaged you really felt like this was a decadent world spiralling out of control.
As with all iterations of this game, there is the standard 3 Areas/Islands although it differs in that it there are two main islands that form a bulk of the land mass and an additional 3 smaller islands. The city was a joy to explore, as always it's difficult to explore every nook and cranny but every time I play this game I find something new and I am amazed and surprised almost every time I pop this game in.
The mission variety is top notch, from street races, bank heists, to blowing up boats with toy planes and chauffeuring a hair metal band around in a Limo that's set to blow up. It's all there and it's all fun and incredibly varied. That's not to mention the number of ways you can perform certain missions, sure there is always the 'standard way' but the real trick is in thinking outside the box and finishing the mission in a completely out there way.
Of course this is just story missions, there are also businesses to purchase which then allow you to perform side missions, complete the side missions and your business earns you a certain amount of cash each day. These side missions are also varied; you can spend time watching a stripper, deliver flyers for a porn film out of a plane, and deliver drugs hidden in Ice Cream, while avoiding the cops.
You can then add to this Fire Fighting, Ambulance, Vigalante missions, Races, hidden packages, stadium events, and random acts of violence are all here and extend play further than the main story. I mean who doesn't like picking up a rocket launcher and unleashing mayhem on the unsuspecting civilians. This game is fun whether you are working on finishing the story or just wandering around causing chaos.
Graphically, as I mentioned above, this game is not as pretty as it once was but at the time it really did wow me, the day and night cycles were amazing and the weather did a perfect job of putting you into a tropical environment. There was not much better than standing on the beach and watching the sun rise or set as pedestrians wander about you.
There is a wide variety of vehicles to mess around with including aeroplanes and all of them feel unique and have different speeds, handling and all that, as with all other GTA's it has the problem of the car you are currently driving appearing all over the place, it's not a big deal but it does ruin the feeling you are in a living breathing city at times. The pedestrians are similar in that they always look like they are wandering aimlessly, and repeat far too often, although this has still yet to be perfected even in the current gen of consoles.
Another minor gripe is that the police feel like they are there to stop you and you alone, they come at you hard and fast and at times it can be overwhelming when you have 3 cars crashing you around.
The soundtrack is arguably the strongest aspect of the game, which is saying something. The music fits the time and the city perfectly, nothing feels out of place whether you are rocking out to Twisted Sister (accompanied by Lazlow), Chilling with Frankie Goes to Hollywood or listening to the hilarious chat radio, there is something for everyone's tastes and it fits so well.
The in game audio is not quite a proficient, the cars all sound a little tinny and the pedestrians repeat the same phrases ad nauseum. The voice acting for all the main cast is spot on and they really give you a feeling you are there talking about matters with characters of depth (although some are brilliant in their shallowness).
Vice City is a game that will take you back to the 80's in a good way. It may not look as good as it did all those years ago but there is no shortage of things to do, and more importantly it doesn't sacrifice the fun. If you are looking for one of the best games last gen, you don't need to look much further than this.