[Spank-A-Thon]

Now I realise this is probably going to stir things up somewhat (so I'll don my flame-proof jacket now), but I have to say I am only merely satisfied with Vice City. For me there are some serious flaws.

I really liked GTA3, the atmosphere was great, music was fantastic and the concept was really cool - but VC just hasn't had the same impact for me.

My biggest criticism has to be with the graphics. While I realise there is a lot going on, the draw-distance is pathetic. There has been no visible improvement over GTA3.

Similarly, I find the jerkiness and blur effects when turning (be that driving or in first person mode) to be very off-putting. If it can scroll smoothly when moving forwards, why not when turning?

Finally, I find the gameplay quite repetitive. Drive here, shoot that, drive there, shoot that, ad infinitum. However, I must add that some of the missions are quite exciting such as the shootout from the helicopter - it's just a shame that the majority of missions become very 'samey'.

However, I think what they have done with the soundtrack is amazing! Not only is the sheer amount of licensed tracks impressive, but the chat and ad jingles surpass that of GTA3.

I know a lot of you guys out there really rate this game, but for me it's not the massive improvement I was looking for. To me it seems more like GTA2, i.e. more of the same, rather than an evolution of the series.

Don't get me wrong - it is a good game. I just don't think it's as groundbreaking or good as GTA3...

- S