With the PS2 coming to the end of its lifecycle, it’s time to reflect on the console and its little brother the PSP. GTA PSP was always something that people wanted and we've thus far seen two games that both have made their way to the PS2 later on. The most recent is Vice City Stories - the last game for the PS2 from the GTA world and one which surprised no one when Rockstar announced its existence. It has its problems, but it still remains a huge game with lots of replay value and for half the price of a typical title, you really can't go wrong.

In GTA Vice City Stories, you play the brother of Lance Vance - an army recruit framed by his commanding officer for having ladies of the night and drugs in the barracks. He begins with nothing - no family, no friends and no where to live. It is up to you to help him take over the city and prove that he is innocent. Rockstar has explored some areas in this game which they haven't before and while the storyline is very cliché it keeps the game ticking along nicely.

As with Liberty City Stories, the game is played from a third person perspective and is an open sandbox world allowing you to do pretty much anything you want. One thing to note is that this is not a revolution as much as it is an evolution and that is because in Vice City Stories you aren't going to see anything you did not see in San Andreas. Instead Vice City Stories really is fan service to those who want to see and play more before the inevitable next generation sequel.

There are a few things carried over from San Andreas however. You can now build up a gang and take over businesses. In fact, to take over a business you now need to storm it, get rid of the occupants and hold it for a period of time. Your businesses can be attacked any time, and towards the end of the game this becomes chaotic. The missions also were designed for a portable so most can be finished in five to ten minutes - no marathon ‘steal the fighter jet, destroy a base and get back again’ missions, just basic stuff here. There is one truly awesome moment in the game, and we won't spoil that, but there is 'something in the air tonight'.

What we found is that the game is a bit more enjoyable to play on the PS2. We are of the opinion that GTA never really played that well on the PSP and this is because of the small screen. It just isn't big enough to see all that needs to be seen to play the game properly. Case in point, the warehouse mini game, where you have to move crates. This was one of the most frustrating areas of the PSP title but on PS2 it’s just a breeze. There are many other missions which also feel easier on PS2.

Visually on the PS2 it is disappointing but that is only because we are comparing it to the PSP. The smaller screen and LCD quality really enhances the PSP game and to be honest VCS is of a quality you would expect from a PS2 game. Where the title really shines however is the voice acting and music. An 80s soundtrack has been included with some truly classic songs and this iconic piece of GTA gameplay remains to be one of its most defining features.

Vice City Stories really shows that the GTA engine is getting a little old but it also provides a huge amount of fan service. It's also retailing for a lower price point than usual which makes it an even harder to ignore game. It may be getting a bit old but GTA still remains the most prominent and playable sandbox game on the PS2.