ight or wrong, I have a different standard for PS2 games than those I play on the PSP. The wide variety of excellent titles available on the PS2 combine  better control options and graphical muscle to allow for a gaming experience that is a step above its handheld cousin. For that reason, it’s a little hard for me to smile and nod when a game for the PSP receives what amounts to a direct port to the larger home console. While Vice City Stories has all the requisite ingredients to be a smash hit, (the most important of which is the name Grand Theft Auto in the title), the game itself falls below expectations.

Vic Vance and the story of his fall into criminality has a more serious tone than previous entries in the GTA franchise, with supporting characters that engage in spousal abuse, rampant drug use, and any number of other despicable crimes. This is by no means out of character for the series, but its treatment here has slightly less satirical edge than before – not to its benefit. With that said, there are still plenty of politically incorrect laughs to be had from the radio DJs and the random denizens of the city.

Gameplay flows like most of the earlier GTA games, minus almost all the cool additions enacted in San Andreas. The inability to climb fences is the most noticeable absence in the control scheme, and the inflexible targeting mechanic is just as frustrating as ever. On the bright side, there are often multiple missions available at any given time, while property acquisition and management are great additions to the formula. Between upgrading your various businesses and attending to the story missions, there’s a lot to keep busy with, and the game does a good job of breaking up the action so you rarely get bored with the same thing repeating over and over.

Graphically, Vice City could certainly use some cleanup. While the PSP was able to hide some of the glaring flaws, the larger TV screen connected to your PS2 will reveal a world of muddy textures and blocky characters. Several years ago, this may have been the standard, but not anymore.

Luckily, the audio production is still top notch. Some satisfying voice work from the main characters is eclipsed by the radio personalities that bring life and humor to the world. And, as always, the soundtrack is phenomenal, even if some of the tunes are a little lesser known.

One of the greatest joys of Vice City Stories lies in returning to the sun-drenched glamour of a 1980s beach city. Players of the original Vice City should get a kick out of visiting old haunts and rediscovering the city. While this latest entry is definitely a step back for the series, it still has most of the hallmarks of solid action and inappropriate behavior that have always been so much fun in the series. Even so, Vice City Stories serves as definitive evidence that it’s time for something new.