The story will also incorporate more vehicular transitions. In previous GTA games, most times players only had to stick with a single vehicle to get things done. In VCS players will literally have to leave behind one vehicle for the next, as missions will take place on land, in the sea, and up in the air. In some cases, a mission may start in the water, with players having to tail someone for a distance, and may then end up on solid ground. With a geographical switch at hand, players will go from riding waves to grinding rubber on concrete. Just as easily, though, players may find themselves chasing someone to an airfield, where the chase will go from the streets to the skies, with players taking control of an aircraft.
Looking good in 1984
One of the obvious additions to Vice City Stories over LCS, is the inclusion of water and air vehicles. From riding a jet ski, a speedboat, or a cabin cruiser, to flying a bi-plane, sea-copter, or a police helicopter, there’s many vehicles players will have at their disposal in VCS. Many of the air and sea vehicles have already made appearances in the original console versions of Vice City and San Andreas. However, Rockstar has taken the liberty to add in a couple of extra vehicle variations that didn’t appear in the console counterparts. The standard cache of automobiles is still intact, though. From the fictionally named sports cars, like the Banshee and Cheetah, to pick-up trucks, vans, station wagons, motorcycles, and various helicopters and airplanes; they all make the cut in VCS.
Rockstar has also taken time out to improve the visuals in Vice City Stories -- drastically. So much so, certain vehicle models and environmental objects have been given a boost in polygons, which is undeniably noticeable. Texture quality has also been targeted by the development team, as textures almost look better than the PS2 version of Vice City. For instance, some of the textures on the guns and some of the buildings look very nice -- and are extremely detailed -- which is far from what players are used to in previous installments. And while Liberty City Stories received a lot of praise for its draw-distance, the draw-distance in VCS has been vastly enhanced over that of LCS. Depending on where players are standing, it’s almost possible to step out of a vehicle and see from one end of the island to the next. Handheld owners are almost guaranteed not to be disappointed with the graphical qualities of Vice City Stories.
Bonus rides
Not that I can imagine many GTA fans complaining about the lacking bonus content in any GTA game, but Rockstar has let it be known that Vice City Stories will contain a boat-load of bonus features. Side-missions have been set up in absolute abundance, giving gamers tons of structured missions outside the main story. The game will also house a plethora of stunts, jumps, and bumps for players who can’t get enough of taking to the air. Also, there’s tons of hidden items, clothes, and goodies to uncover that should keep PSP owners busy for hours.
Rockstar has also added a more convenient lock-on targeting feature when shooting on-foot, although the option to aim manually is still there. Hopefully, the shooting will be fixed up, because in comparison to previous GTA games, that aspect was lacking considerably (even in the original games) once the shooting started outside a vehicle. Still, the drive-by segments look great and seem to handle like most of the other games in the series. Also, it seems the helicopters have been tweaked to suit the playing mechanics of the PSP. A multiplayer mode has also been announced, but the details are finely kept secrets by the boys and girls at Rockstar... but we can tell already that there is an improvement and additions to multiplayer game modes when compared to the multiplayer feature in LCS. Overall, though, this game looks like a vast improvement over Liberty City Stories, and will more than likely sell millions of copies, come its October 30th release. Be sure to stay tuned in with VGCore.com for more details and information on GTA: Vice City Stories.
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