5 reasons why GTA Vice City Stories deserves more appreciation

When it comes to criminally underrated GTA titles, GTA Vice City Stories deserves far more appreciation.

Some reasons are simpler than others when it comes to why GTA Vice City Stories is so underappreciated. Unfortunately for Rockstar, this game was one of the weaker titles in terms of sales, which inevitably meant that it has ended up as one of GTA's least appreciated games.

That said, there are many reasons for players to enjoy GTA Vice City Stories today. Some players just love the '80s atmosphere, while others love the return to Vice City (being the last ever game featured in Vice City, sadly).

It's ultimately a game that does many things right, yet gets overshadowed by the numerous other great titles within the series.

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Five reasons why GTA Vice City Stories is great

#5 - It added onto the lore of Vice City

Victor Vance is able to show off a new side to Lance Vance in this game (Image via Keyword Basket)

One of the main benefits of prequels is that they can add in some missing gaps that the previous game couldn't address. The character most affected by this change was Victor Vance, who went from a minor character who was killed off at the start of GTA Vice City to the main protagonist of GTA Vice City Stories.

In the former game, his sole purpose in his death was to motivate Lance Vance to take revenge against Ricardo Diaz, allying himself with Tommy in the process. In GTA Vice City Stories, players can see how influential Victor was to Lance's life, especially since the latter got himself into a lot of unnecessary trouble.

It's also interesting to see the various gangs come and go in the two years between the two games.

#4 - Smoother gameplay than GTA Vice City

Victor, running from some bikers (Image via rohanbragame)

GTA Vice City is a classic game that many fans still love to this day. However, GTA Vice City Stories greatly improves upon it from a gameplay standpoint. Its controls are less clunky, which in turn makes some missions less frustrating.

GTA Vice City Stories also added some new combat features, allowing Victor to grab NPCs, and either throw them forward or snap their neck (depending on the direction they're grabbed). Predictably, this means that there are also more minor features added to spice up general gameplay.

One feature fans might fondly remember is swimming, which finally allows players to swim in Vice City.

#3 - Still has a great '80s aesthetic

It is Vice City, after all (Image via Rockstar Games)

If players love Vice City for its '80s aesthetic and charm, then it is only fair to assume they would love GTA Vice City Stories for a similar reason. Both games take place on a near-identical map, feature similar characters, and have a top-notch musical soundtrack full of popular '80s songs.

Songs like Pat Benatar's "We Belong" and Scorpion's "Rock You Like a Hurricane" are just some examples of the kind of music present in this game. Given that many fans praise GTA Vice City for its soundtrack, it's disappointing that so many of these fans have overlooked GTA Vice City Stories.

#2 - Not a GTA Vice City copycat

Armando Mendez is a memorable character exclusive to GTA Vice City Stories (Image via Rockstar Games)

One problem some prequels have is that they rely too heavily on the original game in order to work. While GTA Vice City Stories does add a lot to the original game's lore, players are not required to play the earlier title, nor will they feel like they're playing a game overly similar to GTA Vice City.

The storyline is the main difference between the two games, as GTA Vice City Stories' overall plot isn't influenced by Scarface. It's instead grounded in a more sensible and original plotline. Predictably, this means that GTA Vice City Stories has a lot of original characters that help make the game stand out from its predecessor.

For some fans, it's nice to have an original plotline that is distinctly the game's own story and not just a reference to some popular movies.

#1 - Maintains that iconic GTA style

Victor operating a boat (Image via gtavicecitystories-fr.net)

Many underappreciated GTA games tend to be seen that way for the sole fact that they're not like most modern GTA games. For example, GTA Chinatown Wars, while a great game, deviates from the 3D style fans were accustomed to for many years. Likewise, older classics like GTA 2 never developed the iconic GTA traits GTA fans know and love today.

GTA Vice City Stories is more akin to the classic 3D GTA games players know and love. However, it isn't as gimmicky as GTA San Andreas, which is a plus for some players who weren't a fan of certain features.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the opinion of the writer.