Did a search for this question but couldn't find any threads. I guess this question would go out more to those who have played the console version...

With the upcoming release of the PC version of GTA: Vice City, I was wondering if Vice City is definitely much better and superior than GTA3? Pls provide reasons since I'm kind of on the fence on this and am wondering if it is really worth getting Vice City.

Thanks!!!

I haven't played much of either.. but VC seems to be the king.. except scary 80's music..

The combat controls (which I thought were absolutely horrid in GTA3) are fixed a bit in GTA:VC, but I didn't care for Vice City's overall mission design and structure. There was way too much driving for 10 minutes from this point to that point in the game, IMO. Just didn't feel very balanced compared to GTA3.

Also, I just liked Liberty City more for some reason. It felt like R* put more effort into making it feel alive and an interesting place.

GTA3 was better IMO also... Liberty was thought out better, but VC had a nice city as well, so that wasn't the biggest problem. VC seemed rushed out the door in terms of missions. It was very short in terms of main missions and then after you're done with that, all you have left to do are hundreds of checkpoint races against time. Most people will say VC is better I think, and it does have alot of things over GTA3 - motorcycles, more aircraft to fly, going inside some buildings, etc... However, the game as a whole didn't hold up for me as well due to story and mission problems along with the fact that there were more bugs than in GTA3. Within the first 5 minutes of playing Vice City, we watched 3 cop cars fall through a bridge.

Vice City was a pretty good attempt at a GTA game I didn't care for it nearly as much. I played a ton of GTA3 when I got it and really looked forward to the next game.

I got it as a gift and I played it for a bit. Didn't like the missions nearly as much. It just didn't seem nearly as fun. The sountrack was great as were the cars but even those improvements weren't enough for me.

The only reason I like Vice City better is because of the 80's music and the addition of the motorcycle... that was enough for me to make the decision.

I gotta agree with the opinions so far. Although Vice had many new additionsto the game such as motorcycles, more weapons, some new concept cars and the ability to be inside of building structures, Trigger's comment of "being rushed through the door" is certainly true. The game is much more buggy that GTA3. Many places in Vice you are able to get stuck and AI glitchesin driving and running as well. I also found the camera angles to be more annoying when trying to accomplish missions and less intuitive as well. GTA3 is solid in comparrison and I found the storyline to be much more fun. The side missions in Vice are just too abundant and repetative for my likings. I would have preferred more storyline missions. The bonuses for insane Stunts weren't nearly as rewarding.

Bottom line is this IMO. Get both, play both. They are both a lot of fun, but you'll be finding out things that you like and dislike about both onyour own. Play GTA3 first, then Vice City,. Despite the Pros and Cons we may give here, both are really alot of fun to play.

Liberty City in GTA3 was just more well-thought-out than Vice City. In Liberty City you have underground tunnels you can drive through to move thru sections of the city. You also have a train that takes you to different areas of the city. Liberty City just feels bigger than Vice City. It was a more immersive game experience. Missions were more fun too. GTA3 all the way!

The original all the way. Never finished Vice City and probably won't. I was just expecting much more from VC.

I like GTA3 better just for the simple fact that it never once froze up on me.

Vice City is much more extensive however. I like the motorcycles, scooters, different cars, hideouts, businesses, and especially the helicopters. I'm hoping we get to see more of this stuff in a "bug free" game when the next GTA game is released.

Better? No.
Worse? No.

Different like apples and oranges? Yes.

First, I didn't see any more "bugginess" with Vice City than I saw with GTA3 (and I finished both 100% -- and have t-shirt to prove it). They were both incredibly buggy, though the addition of the motorcycle and helicopter made it somewhat easier to trigger certain bugs. I wouldn't call that buggier though.

Vice City had much better music, a better (but still greatly flawed) targeting system, helicopters, better weapons, and motorcycles. Entering buildings was a nice touch, and I really enjoyed the vast selection of vehicles.

However, GTA3 had a much, much better storyline and missions. Vice City had way too many checkpoint missions, almost as if they just couldn't figure out what to do, so they just threw in some more checkpoint races. Getting 100% was much more painful in Vice City. Plus, I never felt like I really 'accomplished' anything in Vice City. In GTA3, you could really feel the city changing around the action you created. Vice City seemed much more static, and driving around in the early part of the game felt much the same as it did later in the game.

So, I guess it depends. I would probably play Vice City tonight if I was going to play one of the two -- I simply enjoy the motorcycles and helicopters too much. However, I am forced to admit that GTA3 is the more polished and complete game.

Here's what I recommend: play GTA3, and just get a 100% save game of Vice City from a friend. The fun in GTA3 is actually playing through the game, in Vice City, it's all the fun toys you collect along the way.

Thanks for all your opinions.

I just found out that Vice City (PC version) is coming out around May 14 and it is quite pricey. I'd most likely get it once the price drops (which is probably a year or so) since I still have to finish off GTA3.

By the way, to extend this thread a bit, has anyone played "Mafia"? I heard it's slightly better than GTA3.

Oh yeah, if GTA3 had motorcyles, helicopters, and the cool music, I 'd probably sell my copy of Vice City and never play it again.

I very much enjoyed Vice City from the different weapons they had to the cars and music each radio station provided the over all atmosphere was great. But then there was the bad side the missions became repetative and there was a lack of storyline and character development the game was becoming bland and I agree with the posts above mine that this game was rushed when made. It is my hope that when the make the next game the take the time to make a better well balanced game as well as a better storyline. Because the ending of Vice City really sucked.