"Grand Theft Auto III" was released last year and was met with a mixture of controversy and praise. The game's violence made headlines, prompting warnings from news programs, articles and other media. On the other hand, gamers and most of the video game industry were impressed and amazed. Finally, here was a game that allowed total freedom. No longer were gamers forced to travel down narrow paths in an attempt to complete missions. Yes, certainly, the missions were available at any time, often at different places within "III"'s huge city, but you didn't have to do them. You could take a police car and hunt down some of Liberty City's other criminals or take a taxi and try to get some fares. Sure, the graphics weren't that remarkable, but the addition of things like day/night cycling and exceptional car physics made for thrilling gameplay. Although some games boast fast and furious driving, "GTA III" really was the only game where I felt truly as if I was flying down a steep hill at 80 mph.

"Grand Theft Auto: Vice City", the highly anticipated follow-up to "III", continues the kind of free-flow gameplay that "III" offered, while building upon it in several regards. Rockstar Games (also responsible for "Max Payne" and other well-produced video games) has not simply made an "extended" version or an "update". That could have probably been an easy task and a sure-fire way towards profit. Instead, they have made the game remarkably more cinematic and immersive, not to mention a great deal more vast.

The player is Tommy Vercetti (voiced wonderfully by Ray Liotta, who hits the needed tone perfectly), who has just done a fifteen-year term in jail. As a reward for time spent, he gets shipped down to 1980's Vice City (read: Miami) to run operations there. Unfortunately, it's not long before a drug deal goes totally, utterly bad, leaving Tommy with no money or drugs and one very angry crime boss.

It's up to Tommy to track down both the money and drugs before its too late. Vice City gradually introduces a legion of perfectly imagined (and well-voiced, by the likes of William Fichtner, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper, Tom Sizemore, Luis Guzman, Gary Busey and Danny Trejo) characters to interact with. Rockstar's also achieved that perfect gangster-film feel, where, although some of the characters may say they're on your side, chances are, they aren't.

"Vice City" is, as previously mentioned, much bigger than "GTA III"'s Liberty City, not to mention much brighter and more colorful. While the additional size is certainly a terrific addition to gameplay, I'd also very highly recommend taking out the included map and spending a few hours simply driving or walking around this new city. With the addition of more buildings to walk into and more important points to visit, it's good to know where everything is. Even after quite a few hours of gameplay, I was still getting a bit turned around when attempting to seek out a certain place. As with the previous game, there are additional, major areas that are unlocked after a number of missions are completed. Some of the new interior spaces include a mall and additional shops, not to mention a few multi-level parking garages. There's also quite a few back alleys.

Many of the same smaller features of "GTA III" are still present here. There are a series of "jumps" hidden throughout the city, which allow the gamer to zip cars into the air, which results in an "insane stunt bonus". In the case of one remarkable moment, I escaped police chase by driving to the top of a parking garage and then speeding across its top level, flying through the air and landing on the top of the building across the street. Although I was a little disapointed that the police didn't give chase up the garage, these new areas did provide some nifty opportunities. I was also surprised to see that, when I broke up a chase between another criminal and a police officer by attacking the criminal, I got a $50 bonus.

As for the police, aside from some disapointing aspects (such as the previously noted inability for the cars to give chase up the garages), they are as determined to catch you as ever before, if not more determined. And, as before, the greater your "wanted level" becomes, the bigger the force (the return of the SWAT vans and the new arrival of some unmarked cars) that will try and stop you. Police can also blow out your tires this time around (although you can take out their tires, too.) Overall, police chases are even more adrenaline-fueled this time around.

As for vehicles, more - and more varied - cars are present here and all of them handle differently. Still, no matter what car you pick, the driving in this game still feels as thrilling as the speedy driving in the prior game (and, this time around, you can dive out of vehicles while in motion, even if they're flying through the air). In addition, there are a series of motorcycles (although you do get hurt if you crash), boats and even some airborne transit available in various areas of the game.

Although I won't go into spoiling missions by describing them in much detail, I was impressed that the missions seemed bigger and more creative here. While it was a little frustrating to have to start off lengthy missions again from the beginning, there's a little taxi that often appears to take you back to the start point of the mission (although for a reasonable fee). You can also purchase various properties throughout Vice City once you get enough money from the missions or elsewhere.

Yes, "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" is violent and definitely M-rated, but, as with "GTA: III", Rockstar has realized the kind of breakthrough gaming experience that players wanted, allowing the player to choose the path they want to take in the midst of a major city.


Gameplay:

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Gameplay is generally improved over "GTA III". Attacks/targeting (you'll find many of the same weapons as before, including several new ones) is tweaked and a bit easier/smoother (you can also duck), while general controls (such as driving) are also easy. A few camera concerns occasionally popped up, but I really had no major issues with the game's controls.


Graphics:

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The graphics of "Vice City" are a considerable improvement over "GTA III", but aren't quite flawless. Where the dark and rather grim streets of "III"'s Liberty City had atmosphere and grim tone, Rockstar's beautifully rendered Vice City manages to be sun-drenched and attractive, yet suggest a dark side. The brighter appearance also is paired with a greater level of detail and clarity. Colors are crisp and well-saturated, especially the glow of all the neon. Car models are more well-rendered, with nice detail and character models are a bit more defined. The cut scenes are more smoothly animated and the distance of vision in front of the character is impressive. The 80's look is nicely captured, too.

The faults are rather minor. Some of the details (trees, some stores) are rather flat and primitive looking in comparison to the rest of the game. There are also some instances where I almost wished for a rainy day because the sun seemed so strong at a few points that I nearly lost control of the car I was driving because I had trouble seeing. The game's framerate also gets a little bit rough during the most intense action, although I didn't find that this effected gameplay that much.


Audio:

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The sound effects of "Vice City" often sound similar to the sound effects (weapons, explosions) of "GTA III". They're fine, if not terribly exceptional. Where the sound of "GTA: Vice City" succeeds is both the voice acting (which is nearly perfect) and the soundtrack. While the idea of 80's music may scare off some people, Rockstar has included some of the best - and catchiest - tunes of the time period (for more, see the soundtrack press release, which I've included below.) The music (which there's a lot more of) is the perfect accompaniment to crusing around the city. There's also the return of the talk radio stations, which have some incredibly funny and witty moments that match the kind of sharp humor the station on "III" offered.


Conclusion:

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"Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" is a considerable improvement upon the already impressive "GTA III", providing a bigger city, better graphics, more freedom and more to do - my review just offers a basic overview. Rockstar has created a remarkable next chapter in a series that many - including myself - probably thought couldn't get this much better. A definite recommendation for adult gamers.