By Matthew Battles
Getting my head around Friends being off the air for a decade, not to mention turning twenty-two, was hard enough but when another tenth anniversary special release was announced; Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, my head rolled!
It'd seemed like only yesterday that I was twelve, borrowing the game from a friend and watching out for my mum who would not have approved of such a violent game. I was hooked at once! Of course, I wasn't the only one riveted.
Getting my head around Friends being off the air for a decade, not to mention turning twenty-two, was hard enough but when another tenth anniversary special release was announced; Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, my head rolled!
It'd seemed like only yesterday that I was twelve, borrowing the game from a friend and watching out for my mum who would not have approved of such a violent game. I was hooked at once! Of course, I wasn't the only one riveted.
After spending fifteen years locked up, mobster Tommy Vercetti (voiced by the incomparable Ray Liotta) is back on the streets of Liberty City. To keep him out of the way, his boss, Sonny Forelli, sends him off to Florida's Vice City to get a piece of the action. Things go wrong when his first drug deal with brothers Victor and Lance Vance is ambushed by a mysterious team or strangers, leaving Victor and Tommy's companions dead and the money and drugs missing. Stranded in a strange city, Tommy has to learn the City's moves and make new associates fast in order to reclaim what was stolen, exact revenge on those responsible and take over the City's underworld before Forelli arrives demanding answers...
Set against an 80's Miami backdrop (with authentic music to boot!), Vice City had all the feel of a classic gangster movie, with characters you instantly bond with (retired Colonel Garcia Cortez and eccentric southern property developed Avery Carrington) and laugh at in equal measure (any scene with Diaz, Lance, Umberto or Tommy himself). Immersing you in an experience that had gamers (well, me at least) playing again and again.
Set against an 80's Miami backdrop (with authentic music to boot!), Vice City had all the feel of a classic gangster movie, with characters you instantly bond with (retired Colonel Garcia Cortez and eccentric southern property developed Avery Carrington) and laugh at in equal measure (any scene with Diaz, Lance, Umberto or Tommy himself). Immersing you in an experience that had gamers (well, me at least) playing again and again.
The fact that the game still plays well is a testament to just how ahead of its time Vice City was. It certainly played its part in cementing Rockstar North's position as a serious games maker and, to this day, having millions of devoted fans eagerly awaiting their latest release. Flash forward ten years and, while we wait impatiently for GTA V, Rockstar gives us the chance to re-capture the groundbreaking gaming experience that was Vice City - this time on the go!
Since the game, available on both the Apple and Android markets for just £1.99, no longer uses a controller, Rockstar have integrated intuitive touchscreen controls on the left and right side of the screen. The left side, just like in the old days, is devoted to movement. When on foot you're given a joypad-esque bubble wherever you put your thumb, mirroring the easy multidirectional control of Vice City's sequel GTA San Andreas.
In vehicles, the joystick becomes a static pair of left/right buttons. While carrying an SMG the buttons to perform a drive-by shooting will appear above the steering controls (with an additional forward-shooting control when on bikes beside the brake). It takes a little getting used to but it's easy enough to use once you're comfortable with it. The only drawback is that, when on a bike, it's impossible to do a wheelie or a stoppie!
Since the game, available on both the Apple and Android markets for just £1.99, no longer uses a controller, Rockstar have integrated intuitive touchscreen controls on the left and right side of the screen. The left side, just like in the old days, is devoted to movement. When on foot you're given a joypad-esque bubble wherever you put your thumb, mirroring the easy multidirectional control of Vice City's sequel GTA San Andreas.
In vehicles, the joystick becomes a static pair of left/right buttons. While carrying an SMG the buttons to perform a drive-by shooting will appear above the steering controls (with an additional forward-shooting control when on bikes beside the brake). It takes a little getting used to but it's easy enough to use once you're comfortable with it. The only drawback is that, when on a bike, it's impossible to do a wheelie or a stoppie!
As you may expect, the right side is devoted to running, jumping, punching, shooting and carjacking. All buttons are within easy reach of your thumbs and feel extremely natural to operate. When in a car, the accelerate and reverse buttons are next to each other with the handbrake and vehicle enter/exit buttons on top. The button to change camera view is a little hard to spot (as is the taxi, vigilante etc. trigger located below your map in the top left of the screen) as they're so tiny, but it's unlikely you'll miss them too much.
It would also appear that Rockstar have learned from their first anniversary release of GTA 3, which featured a much clunkier interface, and have made massive improvements in the input department. Best of all, nothing about the game has changed. It looks the same, sounds the same, and FEELS the same - right down to the slightly dyspraxic way old Mr. Vercetti runs and jumps. The only thing that is noticeably different is that all guns now feature an auto-aim, making the game slightly easier and that all properties now cost 50% less.
It would also appear that Rockstar have learned from their first anniversary release of GTA 3, which featured a much clunkier interface, and have made massive improvements in the input department. Best of all, nothing about the game has changed. It looks the same, sounds the same, and FEELS the same - right down to the slightly dyspraxic way old Mr. Vercetti runs and jumps. The only thing that is noticeably different is that all guns now feature an auto-aim, making the game slightly easier and that all properties now cost 50% less.
All-in-all Vice City mobile is a fantastic game; it just goes to show what these little gizmos are capable of! There's a lesson to be learned here; re-releasing old games on a new platform could produce huge revenue for games companies and an amazing source of nostalgia for gamers. I, for one, would love to play Pokémon Yellow on my iPhone - hint, hint Nintendo!
Personally, I wouldn't advise playing on a mobile as everything gets a little cramped, not to mention any device older than two years and they have a tendency to crash but, if you have new-ish equipment (and a spare gigabyte of data!) I’d recommend a trip back in time to anyone!
Now there's only one thing left for me to say, and it's directly to Rockstar; Grand Theft Auto San Andreas in 2014 on the iPad 6? Bring it on!
Personally, I wouldn't advise playing on a mobile as everything gets a little cramped, not to mention any device older than two years and they have a tendency to crash but, if you have new-ish equipment (and a spare gigabyte of data!) I’d recommend a trip back in time to anyone!
Now there's only one thing left for me to say, and it's directly to Rockstar; Grand Theft Auto San Andreas in 2014 on the iPad 6? Bring it on!
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