So we went down to Best Buy this morning. The game came out yesterday, but 1) Best Buy had a $5 off coupon in the October EGM, and 2) Best Buy decided to be different and not stock the game until today.
There was a brief moment of fear, amazement, and disgust when we found a big, fat empty spot on the PS2 game shelf where the game should have been. It was followed by a prolonged moment of happiness and relief when we were directed to a table 30 feet away piled high with games, the centerpiece of which was GTA: Vice City.
Technically, it’s KKBattousai’s game, as he paid for it, but, well, he ain’t home, and I am.
I’m gonna go play now. See y’all in about, oh, a month or two.
Dah! i’m waiting to buy, for i am only 82% done with GTA3, due to only owning it for 2 months and spending a few weeks not doing missions and instead depopulating the city.
C’mon, fill us in! Are the motorcycles fun? How are the hand to hand melee weapons? Is the radio funny as ever? How are the graphics? What are the interiors like?
The controls are the same. The graphics are good, but there’s a lot of neon on buildings. The entire thing radiates the 1980s, from the music to the cars to the clothes. And indeed, the soundtrack rocks: Cutting Crew, Michael Jackson, Foreigner, and that group that did ‘99 Luftballoons’. Also, Lazlow and Fernando are back, and the radio stations so far are pretty funny.
Motorcycles and mopeds are fun. They’re sensitive and respond really well, and I have to admit, it’s really fun to drive really fast, bang into something, and go flying off.
There are new weapons. Right now, KKB is using a hammer to bash a car up. In addition to Ammu-Nation, there’s a shop called Bunch Of Tools where you can purchase screwdrivers (and a chain saw, I think) for further mayhem.
The game takes place on two main and one smaller island. I think the second island is blocked off right now. Of course, if you played GTA3 this is nothing unusual.
I hope it gets ported to the PC quickly. Until then, I shall jones for it.
Carefully.
Oh, all right, stop throwing things.
First, unlock all three islands (so you can get your wanted level high enough for them).
Secondly, make sure you get enough secret packages to load up your hangouts with weaponry–this isn’t strictly necessary, but is handy, as it makes failed attempts easy to restock from.
You’ll do fine with a whole lot of M16 ammo, and rockets won’t hurt. Your hideout on the second island is a dandy place.
Attract some attention round the place. Cap some cops, blow up some vehicles. Soon, helicopters come. The hideout alley is good because where your weapon powerups appear is under an overhang–which if you stand right, you’ll be able to see the helicopters but they can’t shoot you. M16 them to death. Watch your wanted level skyrocket. Max it out.
Now comes the tricky part. Jog a bit up that ramp out of the alley to the street. You want to sort of jog in and out, with the aim of attracting a tank to follow you–occassionally, one of those trucks will ruin the whole effect.
If you time things correctly, a tank will get itself turned around and trundle right down into your hideout, and stop. Soldiers will hop out–kill them fast, or they’ll do the same to you. When those guys are dead, hop into the tank, and you can carefully get it into your garage if there’s no vehicle in there. Squeeze on out past it, run into the elevator to save. Now, just die or reload that same game (or make use of those police bribes by doing lots of cop side-missions) and get the long arm of the law off your back.
Enjoy your new tank. I’d suggest not keeping it, but trundling it down to the docks area on the first island, there for a very specific and special crane that likes emergency vehicles. You’ll see why if you feed it all of them.
The above tactic also works well for collecting FBI enforcer cars–useful primarily for that crane-feeding thing.
Riding the motorcycle around and finding ramps to jump off is the funnest thing ever.
Lessee. What else…
There are hidden packages in this game as well. Instead of a little white bundle, though, it’s a green and yellow parrot statue.
You don’t have a garage. Or at least I don’t yet, and I’m about 6 missions into the game.
Your character has a name, and he talks a lot. When you carjack someone, for example, he’ll say “Get out of the way, moron!” Latest one: “Oh, come on, you look like you need to walk!”
Prostitutes still get into cars with you, but as KKB says, “They don’t seem so willing to f*** you anymore.” Unfortunately, they still take your money, and beating them up doesn’t seem to get you back what you lose.
I’m only a couple of hours into the game, but I’m enjoying every minute!
The whole thing absolutely reeks of the 80’s. Even the Rockstar logo and the opening credits. I half expected to see Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald pop into the screen during the intro. (I can’t wait 'till I’m old enough to feel ways about things. - name that quote!)
The motorcycles are great. There’s nothing like whipping through a series of alleys at full speed and ramping off of a fire escape.
The missions are also very well done. I’ve played probably 6 or 7 missions, and they’re all extremely different from one another.
Several improvements have been made to increase the realism (that being a relative term of course, it is still a video game). You can shoot out the tires of cars passing by. If you’re feeling a bit more grim, you can blow driver’s heads off while they’re sitting in traffic. This game certainly earned it’s “M” rating.
I noticed another little touch o’ realism when I was trying to run a car off the road. I pinned the other vehicle against a wall, and was preparing to get out and wail on him a bit. Suddenly, he slammed it in to reverse, turned away from my roadblock, and blew past me!
The radio is just awesome. Lots of stations, and lots of variety on all of them. I don’t think I’ve heard a song repeated yet. Oh, and don’t flip it when the commercials come on, unlike in real life, in Vice City the commercials are the best part.
Sometime in the next few weeks, I want to go see Jackass then play this game for the rest of the day, just so I can see what my outlook on life is in the morning.
In the middle island there is a highrise building near donald love, and right next to the building with the breakthrough windows and the computeres that show scenes from GTA2. After you have unlocked island 3, go on that building to the first level up, and get on top of the ramp where the steps are, and start playing beltway sniper, until cops and ambulances show up, then nail the vehicles with the M-16, until the helicoptors arrive. M-16 or rocket the copters (you can hide in the stairwell from their guns) and you wanted level will begin to shoot up to six. then, wait untilyou can see tanks and OL Barricks driving up and smashing things. the tanks will line the outside of the building, and as more and more arrive (expediated by you killing more things), go to the bottom floor but stay in the fence. some tanks by the enterance to the building will have the soldiers come out and try to kill you. run around part of the building and go back into the stairs, then come back out. some of the soldiers will have disappeared. Others that remain are quickly dispatched by placeing a gernade right against the fence on your side, the blast radius will kill the soldiers. then sprint out of the fence, head toward the tank, get in, and speed to your hideout to get reduce the wanted level. Then just take the tank to the loading dock. Hopefully you have all the other emergency vehicles collected already, and now you can grab a tank whenever you want.
My big problem is flying the Dodo.
