GTA Vice City Stories: first screens, details exposed

GTAPortable.com has posted the first screenshots, scanned from GamePro (Australia), of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. In addition, the GamePro article reveals a number of new gameplay details, including the game's lead role, Victor Vance. Remember him?

Vic, Lance's brother, is a 28 year-old Marine, and unlike Tommy Vercetti, he can swim (hint, hint). He was gunned down in the beginning of Vice City. So, as speculated, VCS occurs before the original Vice City. In fact, VCS is set in 1984. Expect subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences in the city you conquered four years ago on PS2.

Here's the complete list of details from the GamePro article (via GTA Portable & GTAPSP.com):

• Takes place in 1984 (2 years before Vice City)

• Victor is a 28 year-old US Marine

• LCS was a "rookie first-gen PSP title compared to VCS"

• VCS is "much, much bigger than Vice City"

• Multi-tiered mission structure

• New/altered locations and buildings; some landmarks are half-built or yet to be refurbished to their state circa 1986

• New theme park on Ocean Beach, featuring the "Chunder Wheel" (Ferris wheel), which you can ride in first-person perspective

• Radio stations from Vice City return, with new (older) songs
  

• New weather effects (possibly hurricanes)

• All new vehicles and weapons/items, including helicopters, jet skis, and binoculars

• New handling system for bikes

• Swimming ability has been added

• Faster mission loading
  

• 'Trip Skips' return (if you die or get busted, a taxi will take you back to the location where you received the last mission)

• More life-like animations; a "step-up from previous titles in the series"

• Better draw distance, compared to original Vice City
  

• Increased density of pedestrians, cars, and objects

• Reduced clumping (when groups of the same model type appear together)

• Richer color palette (enhances sunsets)

• More interiors than in previous GTA titles; but no more seamless exterior-to-interior gameplay, as in LCS

• Multiplayer modes similar to those featured in LCS

• Not in VCS: character/vehicle customization & wall climbing

Update: Added source credits.