Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Another brutal, unabashedly adult game.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that the content of this game is consistent with previous entries in the series -- brutal violence, smarmy sexuality, drug use, and bad language are all in full effect. Players will be involved in contract killings, gang wars, torture, and drive-by shootings, and are encouraged to kill people, and ethnic caricatures abound. Despite the game's amazing depth and detail, the developers have made another unabashedly adult game that revels in explicit content. It is only for mature players.

  • Typical of the series: violence is the answer to every problem, ethnic caricatures abound, and crime pays.
  • Contract killings, gang wars, torture, drive-by shootings, and a body count measure (including number of cops killed).
  • Just a sample: houses of prostitution are part of your criminal empire and a sexually ravenous, androgynous character constantly propositions you.
  • No restraint is shown here -- prepare for a flurry of F-bombs, a slew of S-words, and assorted variations on the word "ass."
  • Part of the GTA series.
  • Episode featuring homemade liquor pales in comparison to the drug content. Cocaine is central to the plot and characters are depicted snorting the drug.

What's it about?

GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY STORIES takes place prior to the events of its console predecessor, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Players control Vic Vance, brother of a leading character from the earlier game, who enlists in the military to provide his family with some financial stability. But when his corrupt commanding officer forces him to run drug errands, Vic is kicked out of the Army and pursues a life of crime to help his family. Along the way, Vic meets a wild array of characters who populate a dark world of drug dealing, extortion, prostitution, and robbery, to name a few pastimes.


Is it any good?

 

The second GTA for the Sony handheld delivers almost everything you'd expect from a console game -- comparable graphics, a sprawling game world, intuitive controls, memorable characters with top-notch voice acting, and a vast array of unlockable extras. The missions and Mini games are the perfect length for quick gaming sessions, extending the game's replay value almost to infinity. Ten multiplayer challenges give you ample opportunity to compete against your friends.

While building your empire is fun, fending off the steady onslaught of attackers becomes tiresome, distracting from the rest of the game. But as with other GTA entries, the shocking content is really what is on display here. Unless you're OK with dropping your kid into a seedy virtual backwater, the PSP's trip to Vice City is an adults-only affair.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about the complex ethnic and racial world depicted. Does the revelation that white supremacist bikers are gay somehow mock their hateful ideology? Is the coarsely named "Cholo" gang a lazy use of a Latino stereotype or a reflection of street crime reality? Does the main character's noble motives somehow soften his antisocial acts? Why do you think the GTA series is so popular?


This review was written by Aaron Lazenby
Parent of 15 year old
October 12, 2009
 
mild for gta
sex references, violence, blood, strong language, drugs

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Adult
July 8, 2009
 
It's GTA. There's going to be graphic violence, sex, profanity and drug content. Most kids know the difference between games and real life. I played games like this when i was younger, it all depends on the kid.

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 16 years old
November 29, 2008
 
My Opinion
I love this game so much but I can understand why kids shouldn't play it. But if you kid is stupid to the point the he'll try to steal a car or kill people or the to have sex with a prostitute then don't get that game for your child. Overall, I think this game sould not be played be little kids. It should only be played by responsable kids 13 and over and then the teens 17 or older.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Good but violent! Adults only!
It's a very good game, but the violence is off the hook! Adults only!

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Teen, 17 years old
July 27, 2009
 
dont let your kids play this or they'll end up like my brother!!!
my brother got crazy on this game. and he learned some cussing words in the game too. he started going to school secretly bringing a weapon and killed everyone at his school. so my mom had to throw it away...dont let your kids play this or they'll end up like my brother!!!

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 14 years old
May 28, 2009
 
Irritating!
This game is really irritating! I agree with everyone who hates it! I mean,see it has everything bad in it. This will make people interested in robbery and bad stuff .....things which include in the game

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 
....
This games maybe has a lot of violence,but, there are no prostitutes.!!!And kids can play it too!!!!

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Parent of 6 year old
September 29, 2009
 
good for 2 year olds!
my kid plays it all the time, he acts as if he never played it before, he's perfect

Flag as inappropriate 
Parent of 7, 15, and 21 year old
January 19, 2009
 
Middle-Violent
the only problem I had was the violence.The game goes from gang war to drive bys and more.Once you learn the theme it gets boring.Drugs apper to much in the end of the game.I didn't like the game.Beggening was pretty fun intill it got to Reni.I rated other GTA's but this one was the one that used drive bys the most.Be smart and talk to your kid about what not to do in this game.

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This review was written by Aaron Lazenby
Platforms:PlayStation 2, PSP
Available online?Available online
Genre:Action/Adventure
Developer:Rockstar Games
Release date:October 30, 2006
Price:$49.99
ESRB rating:M for blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, use of drugs

This review was written by Aaron Lazenby

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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