The month of November is the best for games every year, and this year is no exception. With a ton of new games in my collection, I'll slowly start bringing out Reviews of some of the best out on the market, beginning with this game. This PS2 sequel to the smash hit Grand Theft Auto III has the setting of the 1980's
TV show Miami Vice. I don't expect anyone who reads this to actually have even heard of Miami Vice, given
that some of you have told me that you don't know what football is. However, fans of that show have noticed
very obvious references to it in the game, from the name of the game to the buildings to the cars to the
weather to the characters to the music. Even if you don't know what I'm talking about, the other great thing about this game is that it's designed just like Grand Theft Auto III. The biggest question mark from this game was this: could Rockstar come up with a smash sequel, or would this follow the usual trend of poor sequels?
This game is reviewed on a 0-4 star
scale. Yes, it is also rated "M" for Mature, like the original, so buyer
beware. There are too many reasons
for me to list why it has that rating, but I'll say this: if you get sick
when you see blood, don't even look at this game, and don't use a sword
on someone else.
Graphics: ***
The graphics, while not overly impressive, are adequate enough to make everything look real. I am quite impressed with the airport and the stadium. I wasn't too thrilled with the paper-thin clothes and other stuff in the mall, which just doesn't look right. But, if you look at the complexity of the buildings and the broken glass, explosions, and smoke, it looks real. The shadows and lighting is real. I can't say it looks as real as some sports games, but I won't complain.
Sound: ***1/2
The radio station has lots of music
and funny talkshows on it, which I like. I'm personally a fan of the
Spanish radio station and all the Spanish
music (similar to how I liked stealing cars with classical music blasting
in the last game). The people's voices again sound real, with accents as
well. My only complaint would be that the game doesn't have too much of
the 80's music, which would have made this game seem even more like Miami
Vice.
Difficulty: *
Even without using cheat codes, doing
everything in this game is quite easy. You can find lots of weapons
hidden in places, and you can always
save up money and buy weapons. The cars won't explode as easily as they
did in Grand Theft Auto III, which is nice for many reasons. If you use
cheat codes, this game becomes
flat-out too easy, though a lot more
fun.
Characters: **1/2
Compared with the last game, the characters
in this game are a lot more interesting. They have their own
strange personalities, and they'll
either be patient with you or be angry with you. While they aren't very
significant in this game, certainly
they're at least a little more interesting than I thought they would be.
Controls: ***1/2
The controls are quite adequate for this game, and I'm happy about that. They're pretty easy to remember and there's usually no reason to push two buttons at once, but with more buttons on the Dual Shock PS2 controller than most other controllers, that's usually expected. The only thing I don't like is that if you run down stairs, you'll lose health, and you can't control very easily how fast you're running. But that's very, very minor, and it's nothing to throw a fit over.
Camera: *
I am quite upset with the camera in this game. At times, the screen will spin if your character is standing next to a wall; at other times, you'll have a hard time shooting your gun due to not being able to see exactly where the gun is shooting. Sometimes, you'll be looking right at the character's face, and your sense of direction will be totally messed up. You'll also usually have a hard time when trying to jump over something. However, most of the time, the camera view won't mean a thing to the gameplay, and it's fortunate that this category turned out being very minor.
Vehicles: ****
The selection of cars, trucks, and other vehicles is very great in this game. Late in the game you'll be able to use helicopters and boats, but at the beginning, you'll already have a great collection of big busses, motorcycles, big rigs, race cars, airport baggage cars, fire engines, ambulances, golf carts, the classic all-powerful tank, and my favorite, a huge truck with a ramp on its back called the Packer. Of course, you also have your vans, station wagons, and other pathetic vehicles as well. It's a great deal of fun to play around with these cars, as they will make the driving experience in this game worthwhile.
Story: **1/2
There's more of a story this time than
last time, and the missions are a lot more fun. Since there's no code
for unlimited money, and there are
things to use your money on, you'll want to be completing these missions
in order to build up your cash supply.
If you don't, it's going to be very difficult, because minor things like
taxis and killing won't give you much money at all. So, there actually
is a reason to follow the story in this game, and it's better of a story
than last time.
Level: ***1/2
Yet again, one huge level consisting of two connected islands is big enough and contains enough action and excitement. There is stuff like malls, an airport, an air base, a stadium, a beach, a seaport, clubs, parking garages, and much more. It is even more fun in this game because you can now enter buildings, unlike the last game. If this game had one more island to it, it would be absolutely awesome in this category. That's not to say it isn't good already.
Gameplay While Not in Car: ****
With the addition of more weapons like
a chainsaw and a machine gun, as well as now being able to enter buildings,
the walking and running and shooting gameplay is now simply unmatched.
The old game never
let you enter anywhere, but in this
game you can go into two malls (one of which is my favorite place to
enter), an airport, a stadium, many
stores, hotels, clubs, and many other places. If you couldn't enter buildings,
I think this game would not have lived up to the expectations that the
previous game gave it. However, since buildings can be entered, it can't
get any better than this... or can it?
Gameplay While in Car: ****
If last game's rating was 4 stars, then this game can't get any less than that. With new cars like motorcycles that let you go faster, as well as bigger cars that can easily smash other things, the driving experience in this ame can't be matched. Trying to escape from the police is a lot of fun, as well as when you steal a car in the indoor mall at night, when there are tons of gangsters and policemen everywhere, all causing this to be a very dangerous joyride. I can't imagine how this could get any better, but then again, I couldn't imagine it getting any better than the previous game.
Replayability: ***1/2
With indoor places, there is more to do than in the last game. Sure, this place is limited, and small enough that you'll eventually see everything in it, but it will take a while. Plus, buildings will get built from the ground up, meaning that the landscape will change. This game goes on and on and on, and I love it.
Fun Factor!: ****
Of course. I don't think it's a surprise to you that the fun factor is four stars, especially after how I've gone on and on about this game. The fun factor is always the number one factor in enjoying a game or not, and when a game is this fun, how can I resist giving out all four stars?
OVERALL: ****
Again, a PS2 Grand Theft Auto game gets
the perfect rating. This one's better than Grand Theft Auto 3, to
be sure, but it doesn't take anything away from the excellent experience
of that game (which I switch back
and forth with this one in my PS2).
This game is fun, it's replayable, the graphics are good, the sound is
great, the cars are excellent, the
on-foot experience is better, the driving experience is awesome, and
there's not much to complain about
except for the camera, at times. If you don't mind the "M" rating,
then I suggest buying this one. It's
another purchase you won't regret.
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