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

GTA Vice City Stories
A comparison between GTA Vice City Stories and GTA 5 (Images via GTA Wiki)

GTA Vice City Stories is arguably one of the most underrated games in the series. The main reason could be that it was limited to the PlayStation gaming systems only. Rockstar Games first launched it on the PlayStation Portable and later ported it to the PS2 and PS3. Still, many veteran players are fond of the title and frequently compare the gameplay with GTA 5.

Grand Theft Auto 5 is the current MVP in Rockstar Games’ basket. However, the studio cut down many notable features that were popular in the older titles. This article lists five reasons that technically make GTA Vice City Stories better than GTA 5.

Note: This article is subjective and only reflects the writer’s opinion.


Five things that make GTA Vice City Stories better than GTA 5

1) Attachment to the protagonist

Victor Vance from GTA Vice City Stories (Image via GTA Wiki)
Victor Vance from GTA Vice City Stories (Image via GTA Wiki)

The main Grand Theft Auto characters always influence players’ minds, and Victor Vance from GTA Vice City Stories is also no exception. Many players often state that they could connect to Victor more than the GTA 5 protagonists.

One of the main reasons could be that the 2013 title has three characters that you need to jump back and forth. But, Vice City Stories has only one. Therefore, you can connect to Victor more than the others.


2) Emotional moments

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GTA Vice City Stories has many moments that can make you emotional for Victor Vance. The game has some of the best missions in the Grand Theft Auto series that perfectly reflect pain and sorrow. Victor was a guy who wanted to help his sick brother, but eventually had to lose his girlfriend because of fate.

On the other hand, GTA 5 lacks this emotional depth. The death of Johnny Klebitz and Trevor meeting his mother are the only two de facto emotional moments in the game.


3) Empire building

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Empire building is a complex and long process that increases the replayability factor of GTA Vice City Stories. It is like owning businesses in Grand Theft Auto Online but with a few different exciting steps. The process requires you to fight certain gangs and capture their businesses. After that, you can upgrade those businesses for your profit.

While this feature was introduced in a game released in 2006, it feels weird to think that the businesses in GTA 5 do not have them. The current game allows you to buy businesses and wait for the weekly profits. Although the managers call you for operational help, they are random and can be avoided.


4) Radio stations

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This could be a debatable topic, but the OG players often consider the radio of GTA Vice City Stories better than the radio stations in GTA 5. The main reason is that Vice City Stories has music from the 80s that can instantly trigger the nostalgia factor.

GTA 5 also has some of the best music from the early 2000s, but, a significant majority of the player base likes to groove to classic rock and 80s pop music rather than modern rock and pop songs.


5) Combat mechanism

An artwork from GTA Vice City Stories (Image via Rockstar Games)
An artwork from GTA Vice City Stories (Image via Rockstar Games)

While there are many interesting little details in GTA 5, the combat mechanism, especially hand-to-hand fighting, is certainly not the one. Rockstar Games downgraded the combat mechanism in the 2013 title and used only a few prerecorded moves. The only new move you can notice is that the characters sometimes slap the opponent.

On the other hand, Vice City Stories has one of the best fistfight mechanisms. Victor Vance is a military personal, and he can melee fight in various styles, including grabbing and choking.


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Edited by Ashmita Bhatt
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