Growing up, Vice City was my favourite Grand Theft Auto instalment and one of my favourite games at the time. It might not have had that gritty underworld feeling that Grand Theft Auto III brought to the table, but Vice City's 80s aura and colourful characters was a significant increase in personality and a welcome breath of fresh air. Don't get me wrong, Grand Theft Auto III was brilliant but in my opinion took itself a bit too seriously.
It's a bit odd to think it's been ten years since we were first introduced to the 1980s styled crime haven that is Vice City. Back in 2002 we were satisfied with taking control of Tommy Vercetti on our consoles and now thanks to powerful portable devices and Rockstar's dedication to porting its classics, we can now revisit Vice City on the go on iOS and Android. Being able to explore the beach-skirted sprawl of Vice City--a recreation of 80s Miami--jam packed with even more distractions and side missions than its predecessor. Purchasing nightclubs, performing stunt runs, engaging in high speed chases in golf carts...it was nothing if not eccentric and I loved every minute of it.
While the voices are the same as the original, you’ll likely notice that Vice City has gotten a little makeover since your last visit. While the graphics stil fall short of some of mobile’s benchmarks, the world is sharper and characters have more detail than the 2002 release on the Playstation 2. The glaring orange hues of the Vice City sunset seem more vibrant than ever on a portable screen, showing us just how far we’ve come in a decade.
Playing this version of Vice City is a little different: there’s no controller anymore. Vice City embraces the touch screen, opting to abandon gamepad support with full touch and tap controls. Thanks to some improvements from the controls first put in place by the Grand Theft Auto 3 iOS port, Vice City controls quite well. Wherever you place your thumb on the left side of the screen, you’ll create a virtual joystick to control movement. Buttons on the right side allow you to run, jump, attack, and get into a vehicle. Some of the buttons are too small by default, especially the one that allows you to activate taxi or ambulance missions. Things like your horn and camera angle, likely deemed to be unimportant, have very small, almost unnoticeable buttons. You can customize the size and location of all the controls in the settings to fit your personal preferences.
While the controls work well and respond well, the combat still isn't as good as it should be, especially as a port ten years later. An auto-lock feature while firing your gun is a welcome addition but melee combat is bad. I found myself missing melee attacks, hitting the wrong person entirely...there just really isn't an excuse for this.
You'll definitely die a lot during this experience--make sure to remember that this is in fact an older Grand Theft Auto title, and any Grand Theft Auto IV styled expectations should be thrown out the window, or face disappointment. You'll be arrested as much as you die, but the police in Vice City have always been surprisingly lenient, as long as you don't tap their car with yours.
It's worth battling through those initial tricky moments with the controls because, as a game, Vice City is still enormously entertaining. Great characters and great stage-setting never lose their lustre and, even ten years on, this is still Grand Theft Auto at its mischievous best.
With less than two months to go for Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar Games is looking to get you in the mood with discounts on its mobile offerings.
From now until 30th July, Max Payne, Grand Theft Auto Vice City: 10th Anniversary Edition, Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition, and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars are on sale. While Chinatown wars is available only on iOS, the others are also on Android.
Video games are like movies and music. There are some classics that we just can’t get enough of. While original Android games are fun when done right, droids are filled with ports of classic games from other systems. Whether from arcades, PC, or consoles, these video game translations allow you to bring the fun with you wherever you go. Just because you’re on a deserted island doesn’t mean you can’t get your Worms 2 fix as long as you’ve got your Android device with you. Here are Hardcore Droid’s picks for Best Android Ports Ever…
Android is still young, but in a short time we’ve seen its library grow from a handful of low-rent games to a thriving marketplace with some really impressive titles. Although there are games that raise the bar all the time, it’s a good time to look at the thousands of titles out there and single out the best of the best.1
I have just started gaming on Android. I like it quite a bit, but I can already tell I don't agree with either the list or a majority of Androids offerings. If Dead Trigger is truly the best FPS on Android then I never want to touch another FPS on the system ever again because it was horrible even whilst using my PS3 controller.
What's not to like about DT?
And its by no means the best FPS on android, not by a long shot.
Okay, maybe "horrible" was a tad too harsh. My initial thoughts were "this is good", but I just think the game got old fast. Great for showing off the device to friends, though.
It was designed with mobile gaming in mind, that it should provide bite sized levels perfect for a few rounds on the go. And the updates have enhanced it considerably.
The controls take a lot of getting used to and if the first thing you're playing requires twitch prowess it can be pretty frustrating. Luckily that's not my thing and there are a lot of bite-sized RPGs and strategy games which are great and do the trick if you are extremely busy and miss your games.
While the question of the best sometimes does lean towards personal opinion, considering that the FPS offerings on Android are a little shy and the fact that much of what's there in terms of shooters, right now, is a little lame, I'd definitely stand behind our guy's Dead Trigger pick. It's a solid mobile game, even if it does make me want to puke.
Some other good ones: Battleheart, Osmos HD, World of Goo, 9th Dawn, Zen Pinball, Anomaly: Warzone Earth, Super Stickman Golf, auralux, 10000000, Punch Quest, Plasma Sky, Knights of Pen and Paper, Gunslugs, Dungeon Raid, Rayman Jungle Run, Waking Mars, Universe Pandemic (or Plague Inc)
Not a big fan of many of the games on this list, they are mostly dumbed down console style games.
Love Knights of Pen and Paper and Anomaly. Did 9th Dawn ever get a story? I thought it looked and played wonderfully but was, the early iteration that I played, bereft of a story, had barely any quests. Kinda the kiss of death for a retro open-world RPG. It bothered me so much I contacted the dev and he told me that it would grow richer with updates. If they ever do plug a story into that game, I imagine it would be pretty good.
"It's worth battling through those initial tricky moments with the controls because, as a game, Vice City is still enormously entertaining. Great characters and great stage-setting never lose their lustre and, even ten years on, this is still Grand Theft Auto at its mischievous best."
San Andreas is better in every way.