Page 4

Carl Lewis Cops

As with GTA III, much of the fun here occurs outside of the proper missions. Completing set goals can be satisfying, but not as thrilling as going on a crime spree and trying to evade the cops until you get to a Pay and Spray. Some fine-tuning makes fighting the law more enjoyable this time out, too. Rockstar has made the cops slower on foot, so you can run away when gunfights get a little too hairy. This is a big improvement over GTA III, where the cops had Carl Lewis-like speed and would often end a chase before it really began by putting a few rounds into your back. You can also evade the coppers in a wider variety of vehicles, including small helicopters and a number of boats.

The perils of jaywalking

The perils of walking

Some folks just deserve to die

Car and motorcycle tires can be blown out now, lending a new dimension to chases. Get two or more stars and patrolmen will throw down those studded belts that shred tires. Firefights around cars almost always end up with at least one tire being shot out. Of course, trying to steer with one or more flats is nearly impossible, as you careen all over the road. Thankfully, you can dive out of a moving vehicle now. This comes in handy when tires are blown, or a vehicle starts to smoke, warning you of its impending explosion. This ability is also handy in certain missions, or as a fun pastime for sadists who want to roll jacked cars into the drink, along with their screaming passengers.

While on these merry killing sprees, you’re apt to run into some of the game’s hidden objectives. There are checkpoint races, such as PCJ Playground, where you’re given two minutes to hit 24 icons atop a PCJ racing motorcycle. A hundred hidden packages are strewn all over town. Visit the stadium in the evenings and you can race stock cars or get into a demolition derby. Unique stunts let you check out aerial views of the city as you fly off ramps and across rooftops. Rampages challenge you to kill a set number of gang members or vehicles with a specific weapons within a time limit. You’ll be discovering new things about GTA: Vice City long after finishing the core missions.

Bikini Babes and Blutos

Another reason you’ll want to keep playing after Tommy Vercetti’s risen to power is the setting. Rockstar has done an incredible job of bringing Vice City to life. Unlike the concrete canyons of Liberty City in GTA III, GTA: Vice City features a southern sprawl that has a lot of character. Maybe it’s just the difference between urban New York and tropical Miami, but this town has real atmosphere. There are a lot of bridges, a lot of beaches, and the oceanfront strip even has neon signs that light up the pavement at night.

Sometimes you get stuck with a Faggio

Sometimes you get stuck with a beater

But you do get cool clothes

Different neighborhoods have completely different personalities. Haitian and Cuban districts are barrios filled with shacks and rundown stores. Downtown is sterile and all but deserted at night. Warehouses line the dockyards. Starfish Island is the gated home of Vice City’s elite. Pedestrians complete the look. Bikini-clad rollerskaters and fat tourists can be found in Ocean Beach, while power-suit shoppers populate the mall and beefy Blutos wander the industrial zones. Vehicles also vary depending on the neighborhood and time of day. You’ll get snazzy sports cars in the best neighborhoods during the day, and beaters in the slums. At night, the streets practically roll up, unless you’re near the docks, where trucks roll 24-7.