Still my favourite GTA game.
As with most games I have ever played, the graphics were the first thing I noticed. They weren't the most realistic I have ever seen, but I loved them. They suited the game brilliantly. They really gave that impression of, as it was described on the manual, a 'decade without style'.They gave a very bright image to the city, even with the trails off (which I now prefer). The 'cartoon' violence made the game a graphic experience, but also not a serious, vomit-inducingly violent game, like Manhunt.
The gameplay was what I was waiting for. The first GTA with planes intended to fly, with helicopters and a nice selection of weapons, with the radio station we've all been waiting for (V-Rock all the way!!). It was the ultimate GTA experience. I can still spend hours playing, just doing anything; riding around, wearing the overalls and hockey mask to go on a killing spree. The fun, for me, is limitless. I even used the secret Easter Egg room as my headquarters when preparing to kill. Even when I dreamt of Vice City, the game couldn't get any better. My purpose had been realised. Anyway, the selection of weapons in Vice City were good. I liked the multiple selection idea so you can customise your inventory. Gave it it an almost RPG feature. The characters were good too. Tommy Vercetti actually spoke and had a name, unlike the guy in GTA 3 (and i mean a name whilst playing GTA 3, not the name given to him in GTA SA). There was also a much wider selection of vehicles, which is how I realised my love of Sentinels and Sentinel XS'. The city may not have had much of a range of environments as San Andreas, but it was still a great city, with its shiny hotels and huge mall.
The missions in Vice City were more varied than in GTA 3, which made each one interesting and got rid of the repetition that some other games' missions have. I remember a certain missions involving a plane and some, ahem, 'promotional flyers'. And another where you had to follow a misproportioned 'actor' and her 'friend'. Sounds odd, especially considering your in a Sparrow (helicopter). I, personally, never got bored of the missions, even on my second and third times through the main story.
One thing that I have always thought completed a GTA game was the glitches. Without glitches, it wouldn't be the same. They are what make it GTA a more entertaining, if not bizarre, experience. I remember reading and trying out a glitch involving a golf cart and the mall. You had to drive the golf cart into the mall and back out or something and the mall disappeared when you went inside. I forget the details, but they are probably on this site somewhere.
In conclusion, GTA Vice City is a great game. It has freedom, a variety of mission tasks, colourful and fitting graphics, and almost endless gameplay. It is my definitely my favourite game, has been since it's release and probably will be forever.