Well, I’ve gotten it. The game is awesome.
But, in a streak of bad luck, my PS2 broke the same day I got it. Have to get it replaced (luckily I had a warranty). Won’t get to play the game till a couple weeks from now. Argh.
I guess they had to. In GTA 3 Lazlo said he got kicked off the rock station.
Marc
[possible minor spoilers]
I find in this situation you’re sometimes better off sprinting away from the scene. If you’ve only got 1 or 2 stars then you should be able to shake off the cops. Car-jack a nearby vehicle and burn rubber back to your hotel. Make sure not to run over any cops or you’ll immediately earn yourself some more stars. Run to your room and change your clothes to lose the stars. If you can make it inside the door of the hotel then you should be ok!
I’ve not been playing it long, but I’ve already discovered that if you make 10 successful taxi drop-offs then you get a $500 bonus. I’m finding new ways to earn a buck every day! This is definately the best game I have bought so far.
Do the fire truck missions instead - you can make $4-$5k at a stretch pretty easily.
One of the most fun ways to earn a buck is the good citizen bonus. You ever notice that the cops are sometimes chasing guys (usually gang members) down the street? Beat 'em up and you’ll get $50 for your trouble. And when the message fades, hit 'em again. It works even if they’re dead, strangely enough.
Word of advice, though, if you shoot 'em in the back, you just get wanted. Life just ain’t fair.
I’m trying hard to get my vigilante rating up. So far, I’ve been able to get to level 7. I heard that you get some armor bonus if you can get to 12.
I have been stashing police vehicles in my garages, to switch out quickly when mine starts smokin’. Having the undercover sportscar is good, but it’s tough to get. I found a “free” FBI car in downtown that’s good to hop into, but not always there.
But, when you get 3 or more stars, it’s pretty much a mad dash for survival.
Anybody have some other tactics?
I haven’t even seen any fire trucks yet, KKBattousai. I’m going to look out for them next time I play.
If you find the construction site, got right to the top level (the bike is best for this). Walk out all the way to the end of the red beam for something interesting.
I try to avoid getting stars if possible. I once got up to 5 or 6 stars - I had SWAT teams and helicoptors on my tail. They ran me down like a dog and filled me with lead!
I’m currently on the “riot” mission. I started the riot using the hammer, shot dead the security gaurds, but then got wasted by the mob as I was trying to smash up the trucks. 
I just beat it 100% today, after 37 hours of playing time.
Here’s what happens when you get 100%:
You get 200 health and 200 armor. Power-ups increase it to that amount.
You get infinite ammo.
Your cars are now twice as strong.
You get bodyguards at the mansion that you can have follow you around. They even get in your car.
You get an outfit in your office at the mansion. It’s a shirt that says “I completed Vice City and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.”
Awesome, ElwoodCuse!
There is a fire truck in Downtown, on the other island. It’s on the fold-out map.
WRT the riot mission, I couldn’t do it with the weapons I had. They were too wimpy. I had to run over to Ammu-nation and pick up an Uzi and armor. I picked a fast but sturdy car and smashed my way in to the destination point. Running people over was enough to get the riot started. Once inside the fence, I shot up one of the two vans that were next to each other. When one blew, it took the other with it. I then got in the single truck across the way, drove out of the place, and bashed it again and again against the wall right outside until it exploded.
You see a fire truck on the demolition mission when you have to destroy the building with a radio-controlled helicopter.
I’m a fair way into it so far, but I’m stuck on the timed speedboat mission (the first mission for the Cubans). I just can’t get round the course fast enough - very frustrating.
I do like the motorbikes, and the scooters, and being able to fire forwards. Although I’ve done the gunship mission (“Phnom Penh '86”) I still haven’t found a helicopter to play with yet.
You see how there are four boats? Well, the mission is much more difficult if you follow the guys who go to the left. Follow the guy’s on the right, it’s a bit faster.
pat
ps:
I have more thoughts about the game. I am loving every minute of it. I really want to get to level 12 in Vigilante and Ambulance missions soon. The ONLY thing I couldn’t do in the last game was level 12 in Ambulance missions. I am still trying, but it’s tough! (That’s without cheats and what not. I could easily do it, if I kept rebuilding my ambulance. :))
No no no - not that mission - the one where the Cubans challenge you to hit all of the markers on a speedboat stunt course.
Oops. Sorry about that.
Hmm. That was a tough one. I don’t really have any advice. Just, turning is easier when going slower, and you lose most of your time on the missing the ramp. So, set yourself up for the ramps, and go fast for the non jumps. Not too fast, kind of tap teh button to keep a good speed.
Also, you can tell if the next marker is going to be a jumping marker by it’s shape. It will be a triangle facing up if it is higher than you.
My advice was even wrong for the mission that I was thinking about. Switch right and left in my last message, I always get those wrong. 50/50 you would think I could do better.
Good luck! Sorry about the screwup.
pat
the paramedic missions was an unholy whore to get done, the first time i got to the last level, moron patient number 9 runs into my stopped ambulance and dies!!! i had to quit for the night to keep from tossing the PS2 out the window. I beat it the next day, though. The map helps plan groups easier. I can’t get past level 6 on vigilante, and level 12 on firetruck always ends with me having 20 seconds to put out the fires on the cars and the morons who run away. i waste too much time trying to chase them down (and i aim for them first before hitting the next cars, but some still get away). Pizza delivery was well worth the time, and was pretty easy (only took me twice to get it done, and only because some jerk ran me over from behind the first time i tried and knocked me through a building, so i had to run around the block to get back on the bike. the first cuban mission may stump me forever, i can’t race worth crap, especially in boats. In GTA3, i had to wait until i had a tank to beat the burro’s race mission, by running over the opponents, then driving the tank throught the racetrack (beats randomly exploding when the mofia catches sight of me!!)
Anyone know if the bouncy beach ball game does anything? i can’t seem to get higher than 6.
I found the radio controlled planes yesterday. You have to fly one of them through a series of checkpoints in the air. They are quite hard to fly, so I haven’t completed the course yet. Anyone know what the reward is for completing this, or have any tips?
Thanks to AudreyK for the tips on the “riot” mission - I’ve cracked it now. Now its chainsaw time!
Try doing the fire missions at the airport. I got my first 10 at the airport, and the last two at the docks. Some people even put themselves out by jumping in the water!
The beach ball doesn’t do anything, it just appears in your stats.
I managed level 13 on the vigilante missions. The key, for me, was being able to switch cars quickly, and having a load of MP5 ammo to start.
You need to try to make kills without taking much damage.
The best tactic is to pull alongside the bad guy, and pour the submachine gun into his car, while “gently” nudging him off the road. With a little luck, he’ll hit a tree/post/building and you won’t. Pull away from the scene, and do a quick 90 deg handbrake turn. If they’re getting out of the car, hose em down, otherwise keep pouring it into the car till it blows.
I had several cop cars in garages when I started out, including a SWAT van and a cop Cheetah. This makes it quick and easy to switch. Use of the FBI Washington near the Rock City in downtown is also a real good idea. I got lucky once and picked up the cop Cheetah during a heated battle. Your auto dealer pay 'n spray will paint that car to remove your stars (I don’t know if the other pay 'n sprays will touch it, however).
Once I got past level 7 or so, I seemed to have a bunch of time on the clock (6-8 minutes or more). Use that time to get a fresh car and more ammo, even if you don’t think you’ll need it.
Gawd I love this game. I found you can do burnout figure 8s on the motorcycles by gunning the engine and holding the brake while turning. Also, if you pull back and wheelie while going headlong into a Infernus, you can ramp off them.
Anyone notice who Candy Suxxx is voiced by? Good gravy it shows too. I guess the girl is good for one thing still.
I am having trouble with the Ice Cream mission…how many do I need to freaking deliver?
Woo, finally got past the speedboat stunt course. Turned the volume off, had a cup of tea and cruised through with 20 seconds to spare. Unbelievable. I found the helicopter too - not the gunship, unfortunately, because those damn drug dealers need some death from above. Still, I have the minigun, and that keeps me happy in the shopping malls.
I’ve passed the main storyline, but I’m still only 53% complete. Took me several tries to pass “Checkpoint Charlie”, and I spent forever looking for a few of the cars for Sunshine Autos. “Keep your friends closer…” also had me swearing pretty loudly.
A few questions: How long do you have to hold a wheelie before it registers? What is a stoppie? And what does “number of drug deals made” mean in the statistics (it’s not the ice cream)?
TigoleBitties: You need to make 50 sales without leaving the vehicle to pass the Ice Cream mission.
Crusoe: You can obtain a helicopter armed with missiles once you finish the main storyline.
IIRC, it’s a wheelie where the front wheel stays on the ground and the back wheel rises. Go too far and you’ll splat face first to the pavement.