5 major issues with GTA Vice City

Modified Apr 08, 2021 22:35 GMT

Even a great game like GTA Vice City has its fair share of issues.

GTA Vice City is a legendary game that deserves a lot of the praise it's gotten over the years. Whether it's its nostalgic location, memorable characters, or a satisfying gameplay experience from beginning to the end, GTA Vice City has left its mark on gamers around the world. That said, there are some critics of GTA Vice City who love to point out the various issues the game has to highlight how it's not a perfect game.

This article isn't intended to needlessly hate the game. In truth, GTA Vice City is a fantastic game worth replaying from time to time. Even so, it's important to highlight the issues a game like GTA Vice City has to maintain how its advantages can overcome its disadvantages. If one were to only blindly support it, it would discredit its legacy.

Five major issues with GTA Vice City

#5 - A little too much inspiration from Scarface

It's fine for a video game to draw inspiration from a popular movie, but GTA Vice City does take it a step too far. It isn't just one scene or a few moments from Scarface that inspired GTA Vice City. There are over a dozen easily identifiable aspects of GTA Vice City that take inspiration from Scarface.

Of course, it should be noted that GTA Vice City isn't only inspired by Scarface, but it is by far and away the most prevalent source of inspiration. Whether it's a minor Easter egg like Apartment 3C or the Mr. Vercetti suit looking like a suit worn in Scarface, some fans could argue that GTA Vice City seems unoriginal at times.

#4 - Haitian and Cuban representation

Representing real-life groups of people is a tricky subject for most video games to tackle. Unfortunately for GTA Vice City, their representation of Haitians and Cubans is wildly controversial. These two groups get killed a lot in the events of GTA Vice City.

Normally, gangs in a GTA gang do die a lot. However, since they're a real-life group of people and not just a fictional gang, it is understandable as to why some gamers feel like this aspect of GTA Vice City aged like milk. This controversial moment has led to censorship in the past, so it's easy to see why some people take it as a major issue.

#3 - Outdated controls

This major issue is more relevant for the original PS2 version of GTA Vice City as opposed to the PC version. The latter version has much better aiming, not to mention compatibility with mods makes it seem easier to get into. Unfortunately, that also means that the PS2 one is the inferior version of GTA Vice City.

Even the definitive version of GTA Vice City still has a more old-school feel as far as controls go. Fans of GTA 5 might not enjoy GTA Vice City because of how much more traditional the latter game is. There is no swimming, no hiding behind cover, seldom customization options, and so on and so forth. Not all fans find fault in GTA Vice City's control scheme, but it is still a point of discussion for critics.

#2 - Outdated graphics

GTA Vice City is an old game reminiscent of the PS2 era. While the colorful setting is pleasing in terms of presentation, the overall graphics are still mediocre. For some gamers, graphics aren't a major focal point. For others, it's a major issue that they will address when dismissing a game. There are mods to alleviate this issue, but that doesn't change the fact that the base game looks outdated.

Some common examples of how outdated GTA Vice City can feel is that people's fingers are stuck together, a lot of faces don't move when talking, and how basic a lot of the in-game textures are. Stuff like this makes trying to make a profit off of the Pole Position Club seem like lackluster content. That's not to mention how simple a lot of the game's animations are either.

#1 - Virtually no endgame

Once a player beats GTA Vice City, there isn't much to do. There are some side missions to do, but it won't take a player that long to complete. As far as replayability goes, GTA Vice City doesn't have much once a player beats the game (as in, continuing off from a finished game). They can do some vehicle-based missions or randomly kill pedestrians, but that's about it.

Compared to a game like GTA 5, GTA Vice City doesn't have much endgame content. The former game could take a casual gamer hundreds of hours to complete, but it's unlikely to take as long for them to beat GTA Vice City. Getting all stunt jumps and hidden packages might help pad the time, but that's something that can be finished before doing the final mission.

Note: This article reflects the writer’s personal views.

Edited by Nikhil Vinod