Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective. The player controls criminal Tommy Vercetti and completes missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story. It is possible to have several missions available at a time, as some missions require the player to wait for further instructions or events. Outside of missions, the player can freely roam the game's open world and has the ability to complete optional side missions. Composed of two main islands and several smaller areas, the world is much larger in area than earlier entries in the series. The islands are unlocked for the player as the story progresses. The player may run, jump, or drive vehicles to navigate the game's world. The player uses melee attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies. The firearms include weapons such as the Colt Python, an M60 machine gun and a Minigun. The game's three-dimension environment allows a first-person view while aiming with the sniper rifle and rocket launcher. In addition, the game's combat allows the player to commit drive-by shootings by facing sideways in a vehicle. The game provides the player a wide variety of weapon options—they can be purchased from local firearms dealers, found on the ground, retrieved from dead enemies, or found around the city. In combat, auto-aim can be used as assistance against enemies. Should the player take damage, their health meter can be fully regenerated through the use of health pick-ups. Body armour can be used to absorb gunshots and explosive damage, but is used up in the process. When health is entirely depleted, gameplay stops and the player respawns at the nearest hospital while losing all weapons and armour and some of their money. If the player commits crimes while playing, the game's law enforcement agencies may respond as indicated by a "wanted" meter in the head-up display (HUD), which increases as the player commits more crimes. On the meter, the displayed stars indicate the current wanted level, and the higher the level, the greater the response for law enforcement (for example, at the maximum six-star level, police helicopters and military swarm to lethally dispatch players). During the story, Tommy meets characters from various gangs. As the player completes missions for different gangs, fellow gang members will often defend the player, while rival gang members will recognise the player and subsequently shoot on sight. While free roaming the game world, the player may engage in activities such as a vigilante minigame, a fire fighting activity, a paramedic service and a taxi cab service. Completion of these activities grants the player with context-specific rewards. As Tommy builds his criminal empire, the player may purchase a number of properties distributed across the city, some of which act as additional hideouts where weapons can be collected and vehicles can be stored. There are also a variety of businesses which can be purchased, including a pornographic film studio, a taxi company, and several entertainment clubs. Each commercial property has a number of missions attached to it, such as eliminating competition or stealing equipment; once all missions are complete, the property begins to generate an ongoing income available for the player. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKaz47wpRGM

The game has a campaign or two for every nation. The Anglo-Saxon campaign has the likes of Edward the Confessor, William the Conqueror and Earl of Huntingdon. For the Vikings campaign the game is set in 793 and is divided in two parts. The first part is set during the raid of Lindisfarne's monastery which was the fundamental beginning of Viking Age and serves as a tutorial. Once the tutorial is completed the other campaigns become available. The second part is set in 892 and is dedicated to Rurik, a Varangian chieftain during the Ladoga campaign. The Slavs and Teutons have a campaign each. During the campaigns, the AI is a better player as it is able to replace losses and send large armies to your base. This was played on the hardest difficulty and in my opinion it was a pretty atmospheric and immersive game, loved it! The combat is pretty unique reminding me of company of heroes as well as the UI and overall gameplay, which in my opinion doesn't really fit in a medieval setting but i nevertheless enjoyed it! I found it pretty easy as well, i lost only in 2 missions and that because i got too cocky. Overall i do recommend this game! ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV55-saCtoY