5 reasons why GTA Vice City Stories is better than GTA Liberty City Stories

In the GTA community, two spin-offs constantly take the spotlight whenever there is a discussion regarding the most underrated GT game. The two titles are GTA Vice City Stories (VCS) and GTA Liberty City Stories (LCS).

Both games have a dedicated cult following in the community, with fans loving the many unique aspects that these games introduced. However, when comparing these two games, it is safe to say that GTA VCS has the upper hand.

To support this argument, this article will provide five reasons why GTA VCS is a better spin-off than GTA LCS.

GTA Vice City Stories is way better than GTA Liberty City in story, gameplay, characters, etc

1) Setting

Grand Theft Auto VCS introduces a bigger version of Vice City, which is way more vibrant and detailed and contains more things to explore than its previous incarnation in Grand Theft Auto Vice City.

The city is also way better than Grand Theft Auto LCS's setting in terms of technical aspects, with greater draw distance and realistic lighting emanating from various neon signs.

Many players even consider Grand Theft Auto VCS's setting far superior to the original iteration of Vice City. Thus, it is safe to say that Grand Theft Auto VCS is the best when it comes to settings.

Moreover, Grand Theft Auto LCS introduced players to a version of Liberty City that was undoubtedly better than Grand Theft Auto 3 but was soon overshadowed by Grand Theft Auto 4. In this regard, the Grand Theft Auto VCS' setting is still more memorable.

2) Soundtrack

Grand Theft Auto VCS has a fantastic 80s synthpop soundtrack that many players will find way more appealing than Grand Theft Auto LCS's good but chaotic song choices.

There is also an intense sense of nostalgia in all of the songs players can listen to when playing Grand Theft Auto VCS, making it even better to play.

Players will also notice that most of the songs and bands, such as Judas Priest, Blondie, and Phil Collins, in Grand Theft Auto VCS are a huge part of the 80s popular culture. Thus, most players will feel way more when the game is presented.

3) More in-game activities and features

Grand Theft Auto VCS has way more side activities and features than Grand Theft Auto LCS, as the latter is more of a linear game. Grand Theft Auto VCS even introduced a new side mission that required players to swim.

In this mission, "Beach Patrol," players had to act as lifeguards to save people from drowning. This was astounding because neither Grand Theft Auto LCS nor the original Vice City allowed players to swim.

Moreover, Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories also has a territory system in which players can take over a certain gang's area and start a business there.

This territory system feature was truly ahead of its time and made the game more dynamic and fun to play, especially compared to Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories.

4) Deeper combat system

Grand Theft Auto VCS has a much more expansive hand-to-hand combat system which is way more intricate than what Grand Theft Auto LCS presents to players.

This quality is unique to Grand Theft Auto VCS, even compared to other series games. Abilities like grappling or slamming NPCs down are still not present in many of the recent Grand Theft Auto titles.

Thus, Grand Theft Auto VCS provides players with way more options to get creative when it comes to fighting, unlike Grand Theft Auto LCS.

5) Narrative

Grand Theft Auto VCS takes place two years before the events of Grand Theft Auto Vice City and tells the story of Lance Victor. The narrative is almost a character study and gives players a glimpse into how Vice City was before Tommy Vercetti's appearance.

This makes the game better than Grand Theft Auto LCS, as the story is way more engaging and filled with thrilling scenes, twists, and surprises that are fun to watch.

It also has some of the best story missions like "High Wire" and "Light My Pyre." These types of story missions were lacking in Grand Theft Auto LCS.