# How is Vice City Stories? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 17, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vice-city-stories/500015 "2009-06-17T01:20:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vice-city-stories/500015/1 "2009-06-17T01:20:02Z")
I loved GTA: Vice City, but I haven’t played Vice City Stories. Actually, I don’t know anything about it, and I’ve only known of its existence for a little while. I’ve got a few questions: Does it have the same map as Vice City, or is it a new area? Does it use any of the same songs from Vice City, or does it have all different music? How is the gameplay? Does Tommy appear at all? Overall, is it worth playing? ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vice-city-stories/500015/2 "2009-06-17T01:52:28Z")
I haven’t played this one but according to Wiki, it’s set before Vice City so Tommy wouldn’t be appearing; he’s still in jail. Apparently, Phil Cassidy, Ricardo Diaz, Lance Vance and Umberto Robina appear though. The map looks identical although technically you get twice as much map because your character can now swim. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vice-city-stories/500015/3 "2009-06-17T01:56:46Z")
Swimming is a plus. I always hated it when Tommy stepped into a couple feet of water and instantly drowned. ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vice-city-stories/500015/4 "2009-06-17T11:48:43Z")
> [@Justin\_Credible](#): > > Swimming is a plus. I always hated it when Tommy stepped into a couple feet of water and instantly drowned. I felt the same way in Assassin’s Creed. Altair can fend off huge groups of city guards and leap amazing distances without so much as even a minor sprain or tendonitis, but watch out should he even touch a bit of water. And naturally, there’s a TV trope page about it: [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuperDrowningSkills](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuperDrowningSkills) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vice-city-stories/500015/5 "2009-06-17T14:11:51Z")
Liberty City Stories used exactly the same map as GTA3, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vice-city-stories/500015/6 "2009-06-18T12:11:30Z")
Vice City Stories is okay - the Phil Collins cameo is quite funny (though it goes against my instincts to _protect_ him from gunfire). A lot of the game is about taking over criminal properties and having them turn a profit, while leaving them in danger of being overrun by opposing gangs - so it’s a bit like the gangland turf aspects of San Andreas. The story isn’t as amusing as the original Vice City, but it’s worth a play, I’d say.