GTA: Vice City Stories - first look

The first mission we saw Vance wade through wouldn't even land him in jail. A production company needs a stuntman to weave a jet ski through the narrow canals of Vice City as a helicopter records the action, and for some reason that stuntman is you. Jet skis are actually a new ride for the series, which also means you can actually swim in Vice City Stories without instantly drowning.

After two or three slo-mo worthy jump shots, the producer asks you to launch the ski out of the water, onto the streets and then hop on motorcycle for even more footage. Nail a few more jumps (all within the time limit of course) and you've got your first case of easy money.

Up next was a trial called "Waking up the Neighbors." Seems some guy named Marty Williams wants to be the redneck version of Scarface and wants you to waste some of his rivals' decked out vans. Time limit in tow, you've got to sneak up on the crew, kill 'em all and make it to the next before they get wind of your late-night assault.

If you let anyone slip through, they'll radio ahead and tell their boys that someone's coming, or even request backup right away. Get sloppy and you'll have a host of bullet-spewing gangsters hot on your trail. Then again, tossing grenades under the vans seems to get the job done pretty quick, but it's not exactly the slickest way to keep your cover.

Brett Elston

A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE.