Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 10th Anniversary Edition (iOS) Review

A review of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 10th Anniversary Edition on iOS and Android which compares and contrasts the game to GTA III's mobile outing and critically examines how the 80s setting of GTA: Vice City may alienate those who didn't live through that era. 6/10

[Skate-AK]

" The problem, of course, is that I wasn’t around during the 1980s, and so I simply have no pleasant memories of it which the game could evoke the nostalgic recollection of. In point of fact, I wasn’t even born until the 90s, and I haven’t had cause to retroactively dote upon the eighties, so without any affection for that era, this game, which is so centrally formed around portraying it, just loses so much in translation."

I wasn't born in the 40's but played LA Noire. I didnt think someone would not want to play the game just cause they were not born in the time period.

[IC-1101]

I thought the exact same thing. I was born in 86 but am definitely a "90s" kid, so I don't know what the reviewer is on about, because Vice City is my favourite game of all time.

[BattleAxe]

Kids these days....

[RedDevils]

kid doing review.... sight*

[FinchDenton]

'Kid' that wrote the review here.

I'm genuinely curious: why is my inability to relate, in any way, to the game's setting, which is a massive part of the game, an invalid reason for me, personally, to not be able to enjoy it fully?

I have no problem playing and enjoying games which take place in a time period other than the one I've lived through, but the time which a game is set in is not always intrinsically central to that game. Ask someone what the first things that comes to mind are when you say 'Splinter Cell' or 'Metal Gear Solid' and I bet you they say ten or fifteen different things for each without mentioning the time period which those games are set in. However, do the same thing for 'GTA: Vice City' and nine times out of ten I bet they'll say "The 80s" first of all. There's a reason for that. The 80s is a central component and central character in the game.

I still enjoyed playing the game, and I said in the review that the gameplay is undoubtedly fun. Yet the game is ten years old and very much dated, and I also couldn't relate to a major part of the game. So, with this in mind, why is 6/10 thusly an unreasonable score for me to give it?

[BryanBegins]

Because it's a bogus reason. As the others have said, you don't have to be able to "relate" or whatever you say to a time period to enjoy a game set during this period. This is just ridiculous. I guess you can't enjoy a WWII movie then? Cause you know, you aren't a veteran...

On top of that, you do realize it's a setting that is highly unrealistic, right? Miami in the 80's wasn't like that. The Miami of Vice City is more like a caricature, a big extrapolation of the real thing, mostly based on movies. I didn't experience the 80's or wasn't even in North America at that time, but I could still relate or understand the setting set by Rockstar. Have you never seen Scarface or a show like Miami Vice?

At the end, you are entittle to your opinion of course, but I share the opinion of others here about your review: it was just a bad one.

[FinchDenton]

I didn't say that the game's 80s setting meant I could not enjoy the game, and, in fact, I said in the very first line of the last paragraph of my reply "I still enjoyed playing the game". I did enjoy playing the game. The gameplay was undoubtedly fun. Yet a game is more than gameplay, and each of a game's components can be critiqued on its own, and whilst I enjoyed the gameplay and, to some extent, the storytelling, I did not much care for the 80s setting (among other things).

My whole point was that I had fun playing the game, but the 80s setting alienated me and tangibly lessened the amount of enjoyment I was able to have. The 80s setting was not the only thing which soured me on the game, but it was one of the major things which did. I liked the game in some ways and I didn't like it in other ways. I'm sorry that this innocuous opinion is so abhorrent to you.

[ThatEnglishDude]

Might as well have said 'I can't enjoy games that don't take place in modern day'

What a failure of a review.

[GadgetGooch]

This guy is truly SPECIAL!!!!

[nevin1]

@SkateAk

" The problem, of course, is that I wasn’t around during the 1980s, and so I simply have no pleasant memories of it which the game could evoke the nostalgic recollection of. In point of fact, I wasn’t even born until the 90s, and I haven’t had cause to retroactively dote upon the eighties, so without any affection for that era, this game, which is so centrally formed around portraying it, just loses so much in translation."

lol, I wonder what he thinks World War 2 shooters and "Thats 70's Show"

[kingPoS]

Hurry up R*!! Bring that 4.0 DTS goodness to ps3

My amp is READY!

[Shaide]

I totally get what this reviewer is saying, and it totally makes sense! See, I didn't grow up in the 1800, nor was I even born in the 1800s, which is why I don't like Red Dead Redemption. Same applies to LA Noir(Same situation, different Time). It's also why I haven't even given the Mass Effect games a chance, because I haven't been born yet! After all, how can I relate to a game, if it takes place ina time period that I haven't experienced? That's just crazy talk! Next they will begin making games that take place during WWII or something!