It's hard to believe that it's been four years since Rockstar released the widely panned Definitive Edition, which, at the time, came across as a quickly thrown-together rehash of three games that were all seminal in the history of video gaming. Wedged in between the ingenuity of GTA 3 and the remarkable vastness of San Andreas, there was the slick, clean, and phenomenally 1980s GTA Vice City.
For many gamers, Vice City is the jewel in the crown; it is simultaneously the most underrated and greatest game of the franchise. Rockstar's decision to revisit Vice City in GTA 6 has got people talking again about the magic of the game, which first hit our shelves over 20 years ago.
Revisiting Vice City In More Ways Than One
There's a universe of speculation regarding the game, which is currently set for a May 2026 release. Some believe that there will be stark improvements in the gambling options that we first saw in San Andreas, and were improved considerably in GTA V online.
In the time that has passed since GTA V, playing at an online casino has taken on a completely different shape, with brands now opting to provide cryptocurrency options and a range of broad, niche casino games which have only emerged over the last decade.
That said, Vice City was a game that didn't have the advances of modern GTA. Tommy Vercetti couldn't swim, there wasn't any casino gaming, and you couldn't float around in a private jet like you could in San Andreas.
It's going to be fascinating to see what Rockstar has in store, given that GTA 6 is arguably the most anticipated video game of all time, and gaming experts have speculated that the game could generate close to $8 billion within the first 2 months of its release.
The game could look to integrate the growing range of cryptocurrencies that are currently permeating traditional financial circles, or it could look to go back to basics - but either way, the return to Vice City has tilted the axis back to the 2002 classic, and given that the Definitive Edition was so widely panned - was it a fair assessment at the time, and has time been more generous to it?
Improved Graphics & A Trip Down Memory Lane
Except for a few controller button changes and a few edits to the radio stations, the Definitive Edition of Vice City was a carbon copy of the original, just with better graphics. As somebody who is old enough to remember the original, there was still plenty to like about the newer, polished edition.
That said, there was a massive dose of nostalgia for me, so there might be a slight element of bias here. However, the pristine, shiny new graphics, especially on the PS5, helped to combine a lot of the old and a lot of the new.
Some of the gameplay issues that people had a problem with are still present. If you're cruising about the map, you will come across random PCJ 600s lying around in the middle of the road. They aren't a glitch, either. Be careful. I was in the middle of a street race mission, and it completely threw me off course.
Other gameplay issues created more of a problem the first time around, such as Tommy bursting into flames when the scooter does, which was not a problem in the original games. While game reviewers were eager to chastise the Definitive Edition, for those who were seeking out a trip down memory lane, they could've done a much worse job, but as soon as a few reviewers panned it, the writing was on the wall.
Is It A Worthy Prequel?
GTA V may have been set in San Andreas, but there were very few homages to the days of the early 90s, Grove Street, and CJ and the gang. So, there's every chance that Vice City and GTA 6 might be two separate games.
As far as the GTA timeline goes, 40 years separate the games, so obviously, the city has grown considerably in this time. Looking at it from a game development perspective, the rise of online gaming, the considerable rise in gaming graphics and quality, and the increasing integration of AI will mean that the Vice City from the original game and the Definitive Edition will be entirely different worlds.
Hopefully, though, the success of GTA 6, which almost seems inevitable at this point, could galvanize and push a new generation of gamers toward the Definitive Edition, especially those who were not around in the early 2000s when the game was breaking every record imaginable.
Sure, the re-release didn't have the innovations or the mindblowing developments that some thought. Still, as far as the game goes, it was the same game but with much better graphics, and for nostalgia merchants like myself, that was no problem at all, and the criticisms were harsh. It still has the replayability, soundtrack, and gameplay that made it such an amazing and essential feature in the history of video games.