GTA Vice City vs GTA Vice City Stories: Soundtrack comparison

When GTA Vice City was released in 2002, the 80s were just two decades away. As a result, the soundtrack served as a nostalgia factor for gamers who grew up in that era.

GTA Vice City Stories, which came out in 2006, returned to the same era and contained an equally exciting soundtrack. When these two games are compared, the soundtrack is usually left out. This article, however, is solely concerned with music and seeks to determine whether they are vastly different or remarkably similar.

Note: This article reflects the writer's opinions.

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Radio stations and their songs in GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories compared

When players remember GTA Vice City, the first thing that comes to mind is the iconic soundtrack. It successfully captured the essence of the 80s and brought forth a nostalgic feeling. Another game from the series that returned to the same era was GTA Vice City Stories.

It takes place in the same location as the prequel and introduces several new features. The soundtrack, although entirely new, feels like an extension of its predecessor and is such, altogether compatible with the game.

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Radio stations and genre differences

Here is the list of radio stations in GTA Vice City, along with the genres of music they play:

• Wildstyle - Oldschool Hip Hop, Electro.
• Flash FM - Pop, Synthpop, Rock.
• K-Chat - Celebrity talk station.
• Fever 105 - Disco, Soul, Funk, R&B.
• V-Rock - Hard Rock, Heavy Metal.
• VCPR - Public talk station.
• Radio Espantoso - Latin Jazz, Mambo, Son, Salsa, Latin Funk.
• Emotion 98.3 - Soft Pop, Power Ballads, Soft Rock.
• Wave 103 - New Wave, Synthpop, Post-Punk.
• MP3 Player/Tape Deck - Custom music player.

Meanwhile, here are all the radio stations and the genre of music they play in GTA Vice City Stories:

• Flash FM - Pop, Synthpop, Pop Rock.
• V-Rock - Hard Rock, Heavy metal.
• Paradise FM - Post-Disco, Disco, Jazz-Funk.
• VCPR - Public talk station.
• VCFL - Soul, Funk, Disco, Jazz, Quiet Storm, R&B.
• Wave 103 - New Wave, Synthpop, Gothic Rock.
• Fresh FM - Oldschool Hip Hop, Electro.
• Radio Espantoso - Latin Jazz, Salsa, Cuban Son, Cha-cha-chá.
• Emotion 98.3 - Power Ballads, Soft Rock.

The custom radio station is missing from Vice City Stories, although it was also not present in the PS2 version of Vice City. Radio stations like Flash FM, V-Rock, Wave 103, Radio Espantoso, and Emotion 98.3 did not undergo many changes between the games.

Meanwhile, Wildstyle became Fresh FM, and Fever 105 was replaced with Paradise FM in Vice City Stories. K-Chat was removed entirely and replaced with VCFL, another radio station similar to Paradise FM.

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Which game managed to have the better soundtrack?

Fans are almost tied when voting on this question (Image via GTAForums)

The above screenshot proves that it is not easy to compare these two games based on the soundtrack. Fans are pretty divided when choosing one game over the other based on these criteria. Vice City has had some more popular hits such as Billie Jean, Out of Touch, Peace Sells, and more. As a result, players remember the soundtrack of Vice City more than that of Vice City Stories.

This isn't to say that the soundtrack for Vice City Stories was poor. The public talk station was removed to make room for more music in the game, which resulted in a much more diverse soundtrack. This is also evident in other stations, which have the feel of actual radio stations rather than playlists.

Vice City Stories manages to capture the feel of the 80s by presenting a diverse range of songs from distinct genres.