GTA: Vice City Stories to carry hefty price tag

$50 for a handheld title that is sure to be released as a $20 budget title for the PS2 later is sickening. I don't dislike the PSP but the system needs EXCLUSIVE titles, especially if it's going to command that hefty a price tag.

For the time being I'm going to have to stick with my DS for handheld gaming, simply because it is a more affordable option. I do love my new slim PS2 and all the Greatest Hits games I'm able to pick up for it without breaking the bank. Hopefully the PSP will be the same way for me a few years down the line.

Hmm, I guess you found the story without my tip.

Anyway, I'm hoping the soundtrack is as good as Vice City's was... and I think the $50 price is ridiculous.

$50 for a rehash of a 3 year old game? No thanks! If Sony doesn't their system to completely die, they should start paying off publishers to keep their prices down. Why would I want to pay $50 for a game I've for the most part already played when I can pay $35 for a much better, and NEW, game for my DS?

Liberty City Stories sold several million copies with a MSRP of $50, so why not another game from the same series for the same price?

If $50 for a handheld game was too much, then EA wouldn't be selling some of their PSP titles at that price point.

50$? hahahaha... people will pay it too. they'll call this the psp's "killer app", just like they did LCS, and it'll later be a 20$ ps2 port with more features. good luck psp owners! save yourself the grief later, and just trade your psp in for a ds lite: you won't be disappointed! ;)

-"superfan" tactics.

Why are they developing for the PSP, anyway?

Give us GTA on the DS, damn it!

In japan i paid 7500 yen, approximately 70$, for GTA: LCS, so think of yourselves as lucky in comparison...

First of all, how the hell do people know that GTA VCS is going to be a bad game before anyone even has the chance to see the game in action? Let's wait until the game comes out until we judge it.

Also, I think it's hypocritical that people are complaining about GTA VCS being a rehash of a 4 year old game, but no one complains that Nintendo often takes games like Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, Mario 64, and dozens of their other past games, and then ports those old games to the DS/Gameboy with little to no changes. All while selling them at of price of around 30 to nearly 40 bucks a pop.

Fandel, you're stupid.
The first Nintendo DS ports were to see how well the DS would do with games from the N64 ages.
SuperMario64DS had a lot of changes, but it was made just to see how well a platformer would come out on the DS. And it did extremely well.

MarioKart64 was not ported to the DS.
NOR was Animal Crossing.
Wait... SuperMario64 was the only one?
Pretty much.
Know your games before you make a stupid post.

Let's see, so far this year -- I've bought 2 full-price PSP games, and one clearance one at $19.99. I've had the PSP since the day it came out.

I've also bought 5 full price DS/GBA games ... and I've only had the DS since the Lite came out. I plan on getting several more before the and of the year. I can think of maybe 1 PSP game I'm willing to pay that much for ... so, yes, it's affected my buying habits. I think if they lowered the software price to $29-34.99, they'd move a lot more units of software and make a better profit.

I guess I'm out of the loop but I just don't see what the big deal with the GTA series is. I enjoyed GTA3 but really felt no desire to continue with the rest of the series. And to think this will be the fifth game (GTA3, VC, SA, LCS, and now this) with a very similar build. Is anyone else a little tired of these?

Well, MKDS did have a lot of Mario 64 tracks, but it also had its share of new tracks to, so, no, not a port. Sequel. Animal Crossing, I hear, was very similar to the GC version, but again, not a port but a sequel. Also, where does that "dozens" word come from? The three games you cited are the only ones that even come CLOSE, as far as I remember. Basically, you made "dozens" up.

Well I notice you also cited Game Boy, but that's hardly a fair comparison, that thing's been around way longer and isn't really competing with the PSP, plus those usually don't break $30. But I concede that there are several ports (usually from SNES, which a lot of people don't have anymore) for the GBA.

Yeaaah. The $50 price tag? Not a breaking point. I'd pay that for a good game. But I won't pay that for this one.

If this was really a 'new' GTA, with new features, new...anything, we'd be hearing about it everywhere. It wouldn't be 'under the radar', it would be ever present. This is just another attempt to cash in on the franchise, and it's getting old really fast.

How many Mariokarts are there for the GC? Oh yeah. One. How many for n64? Snes? Just one. How many animal crossing's for GC? Yeah, just one. Take a guess for the DS. How about Mario? Well there was Mario 64...hrm, and just Mario Sunshine for the GC. Notice a trend yet?

Amount of GTA games on the ps2? Three (four if you wanna count the crappy psp port). Amount on the psp? Two. The only game that Nintendo honestly milks hardcore is Mario Party, and guess what, they DO get grief over it.

When was the last time someone said, "Man, what Nintendo really needs for the DS is some original titles, not rehashes of old Gamecube games"? The DS has its rehashes, which are still immensely fun, and it also has plenty of brand new games (Pheonix Wright, Under the Knife, Electroplankton). However, you'll hear that very complainted stated over and over and over again about the PSP.

Oh yeah, and all those crappy Nintendo rehashes for the DS only cost me $30 bucks, not $50. But I guess that extra $20 is what you pay for far superior graphical entertainment.

Wait a sec...

David D

KC

If you dont live in Japan why didnt you just wait till you got home?

or

If you live in Japan why didnt you just import a copy?

only yourself to blame....

Not to support the price or anything but 50 bucks was the price of Liberty City Stories and that sold almost 3 million units. But its sad cause this is one of the problems with the PSP. UMDs are cheaper then cartridges but DS games remain 30 to 35 bucks while the majority of PSP games are 40 bucks with a few 50 (mostly EAs). This is a portable platform and you need cheaper games, one of the reasons I'm considering either buying a DS or trading my PSP for a DS is because of the price of games and the value they offer.

Game prices are part of the reason I'm selling my PSP. I can't fathom paying 50 for a "portable" game. I put portable in quotations because I'm absolutely frightened to take my PSP anywhere lest something breaks or gets scratched. There are a few titles I'd try for PSP, but not for 50 bucks. I think part of the reason for my apprehension is that Nintendo has essentially spoiled us on portable title pricing. But even Nintendo is pulling the same thing to a lesser extent. Notice how any blockbuster first party titles are now 35 bucks?

today i went in a traded my psp and all my games/accesories, for a ds lite two games and some accessories, and already im happier. if you own an ipod, theres a huge chunk of watever appeal the psp had gone. i remeber the day i got my psp, i thought it was ok, but that the game i bought was a mistake. i went to blockbuster a tried a bunch of titles, ends up: all the games on the psp are a mistake. i love my ds like hell, and thank god i can buy new hot titles for my ds for cheap. the psp is just a bad console expirence in you hands, and if you want that so bad, pick up a slim ps2 for 130 bucks cheaper and buy some good affordable games, at least youd hav something to play...

But David D

I'm completely disagreed with you.

Gillian A

Im begging people to not become products of big companys,
Sonys one of them.

I recall an article where the author ranted about the DS being as rediculos as the Virtual Boy and how it would go nowhere. I think videogame journalists eat the words more than any other journalist profession out there.

I'm really love with my PSP so far. Downgraded to 1.5FW.

Why?
- All Gameboy emulators (Except DS)
- SNES emulator
- Sega Genesis emulator
- N64 emulator (WIP)
- All fireware emulators
- PMP Mods Player with subtitle mod
- Wifi Internet in anywhere
- ScummVM (DOS Adventure games)

To Gillian A:

Um...okay?

David D.

David D, Phoenix Wright was a remake, with an extra chapter added.

Let me just name a few of my GBA games: Super Mario Bros. 3, River City Ransom, The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past, Final Fantasy 4... I'll stop there. Out of my 12 games, 8 are remakes of NES or SNES games.

The difference: I can't easily go into a store and find most of those games on the shelves. ALttP would cost me $100 used. I've never even seen a copy of River City Ransom for NES in a store. Alot of people who got rid of their SNESs & NESs (or their NESs died, as many have been known to) have no way, outside of piracy, to play these games anymore.

Vice City is still on the shelves for PS2 and XBox at a bargain price, and even plays on the 360.

I loved Vice City, and played it to death, but I really felt the improvements made in San Andreas (swimming, climbing, entering lots of buildings, clothing and appearance options, multiple planes with better flight), and had trouble going back to it later.

If this game threw those features in, it might be worth getting, but I wasn't a fan of LCS's controls either... I'm sure retaillers like Zellers will charge $80 CAD+ for it just like LCS... (360 games are usually $70)

What's another twenty bucks on a game that will take hours to finish? With a great licensed soundtrack? You guys are the epitome of "price sensitive," to the point where I wonder who will actually pony up the $600 to buy a PS3.

Oh no! I'm a blogger from PSP Fanboy! Anyways, a few comments:

1. GTA:LCS was originally $50 on PSP. So VCS being $50 isn't shocking at all. (That doesn't mean that it's a fair price... it really should be $40 like every other PSP game.)

2. The PS2 version of LCS didn't come with more features. In fact, it came with less: no multiplayer, no widescreen support.

3. Just because these games take place in the same environment doesn't mean they're not full sequels. Animal Crossing DS is considered a sequel, but takes place in an environment very similar to the original. As long as you can change the gameplay and offer new experiences to the player, hurrah.

4. UMDs are actually not too cheap to make. Usually discs are much cheaper than cartridges, but UMDs fall into the same proprietary trap that Nintendo's cartridges do. It's actually one of the main reasons why UMD movies are priced so unforgivably high.

$50.00? I think I will pass.

Unless that is if they have something special cooked up. *cough* Online play would be nice *cough*.

If Rockstar could get some online play in the mix then I think it will be a great boost for the PSP.

Face it, the DS already has 3 online games that are system sellers themselves. The PSP has one and it is not a system seller.

GTA with online play is a system seller in my mind. How the online play will play out though is a different story.

*edit*

The PSP has more then one online game but none of them besides FTB is worth a mention.


The DS Has Metroid Prime Hunters, Mario Kart DS, and Animal Crossing.

Nuff said :)

Okie I'll give you Pheonix Wright, but you gotta admit most people have never played it prior to the DS (at least in the USA).

And I never claimed the DS didn't have plenty of old ported games. To quote myself, "The DS has its rehashes, which are still immensely fun, and it also has plenty of brand new games..."

Those games you listed fall under the "immensely fun" category, otherwise you wouldn't have bought them again. The point was that the PSP needs its own standout non-port games to attract a desperately needed larger audience. Instead it has a psuedo-ps2 library with even longer load times and a potentially *higher* price point (just take a look at the Liberty Stories port to the ps2).

One last thing. You make me smile, iceatcs. Out of your reasons for owning a portable gaming device, three were abilities to play Nintendo portable games, and another was for Sega. God forbid a reason for owning a psp would be to, you know, play psp games on it. I think right there shows why the psp is failing to live up to the significant hype it once carried.

David D

@ 8. Fandel

Yes you are right about that, people usually make criticism about that on the PSP, but they do not realize that Nintendo does the same thing on the DS.

@ 9. Sinnen

So Fancel has a point and you came here to insulted him ... and by the rule of three that you are applying on the DS Games we can say:

GTA: Vice City Stories is not the same game as Vice City because is a different history sure in the same city but for sure with a lot of new stuff.

Sinnen:
"Fandel, you're stupid."

Wow, spoken like a true 10 year old. Here's a bit of advice. If you are going to flame me, please have the courtesy to use proper spelling.

Grant:

Nintendo has been very guilty of porting many of their old games, like AC and Mario 64. Not to mention Gameboy games like Super Mario 1, 2, 3, World, World2, Zelda 1, 2, 3. Not to mention many others that I don't have the time to list here.

Now I will concede that Mario Kart isn't a total port, but I do believe that Mario Kart for the DS is a good analogy to GTA VCS roe the PSP. A game that isn't the same, but is very similar to the previous game.

By the way, I'm not knocking the Nintendo DS, as I have bought more games for my lite than I have for my year and a half year old PSP.

But I don't believe that my enjoyment of the Nintendo DS gives me the right to make childish posts bashing the competition's systems and calling their users names like a fifth grader. Neither do I fell like I have to defend my DS to the point to where I look like a jackass, and posts mindless rants about the price of a game that I never planned on buying anyway.

PS Grant: I'm not accusing you of doing any of this. I'm just making a general observation of what has been the actions of a few idiots posting on Joystiq.

I would never trade my awesome PSP for a gay fucking Nintendo DS. That system has gay little puzzle games and horrible graphics. The day I go homosexual is the day I'll buy a Nintendo DS.

I would never trade my awesome PSP for a gay fucking Nintendo DS. That system has gay little puzzle games and horrible graphics. The day I go homosexual is the day I'll buy a Nintendo DS.

Posted at 12:40AM on Jul 25th 2006 by Bill Massie


------------------------------------------


Hmm... well, that certainly explains why I own a DS. I never realized it was predetermined I own one because I'm gay. All this time I thought I bought one because I liked the system and the games available on it. I had NO idea my sexuality was the ruling factor. Oh, this makes things so much easier now. That definitely explains the urge to play Hello Kitty Roller Rescue on my Game Cube too!

Nothing like a bit of bigotry to make someone look like a fool.

Bill Massie, you have my pity and I hope someday you will leave ignorance and hate behind.

I won't be buying this game for $50, it's just not worth it when I couldn't even get 50 hours of enjoyment out of the last PSP Grand Theft Auto.

The price should either equal the number of hours I can get out of a title or give me something I can't find elsewhere to make up for it.

Vice City Stories doesn't look to do either.

Perhaps the $20 version for the home systems will however.

I can't pay $50 for a portable game. just can't do it. I recently paid $40 for Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth because I heard it was a good game. But it is a direct port of a 6 year old ps1 game. The only difference is new CG animations. Its a complete port including the slow down. I know the american ps1 version of the game sells for a ton of money on ebay but I just saw the japanese ps1 version for 19.99. Man, I wish I paid more attention in Japanese class.

We wait and wait (and wait) for good PSP titles and when they finally decide to show us the box art they kick us square in the nuts while we are distracted. I can't believe people even wonder why there are Sony haters out there.

I have been trying and trying to keep an open mind in the console wars, but the "F" word is right on the tip of my tongue.

Handhelds are fun on short periods. This, as well as the cheap price on a superior game, is why the DS dominates. So buying a game like GTA on a portable is retarded @ $50. Just get the real thing on PS2 for a cheaper, better experience. Why do we have to pay so much for shiny graphics? PSP is slowly dying.

@23:
- All Gameboy emulators (Except DS)
- SNES emulator
- N64 emulator (WIP)

Why not buy a Nintendo console/handheld, instead of dealing with emulation, firmware downgrading and a slightly expensive handheld?

Better than that, just wait for the Virtual Console to come by.

By that way, did you know the GBA can emulate everything up to the SNES/Genesis and also play ScummVM games, just like the PSP (even better in some cases)?

Do really you believe you shiny PSP is that great by playing the greatest competitor OLD games, instead of its own?

- Paul -

@37 - Paul:

Oh come on. "why can't you just use the old systems?"??

Because to get any SNES/N64/GBA game you wanted, you'd have to pay for all of those consoles, and pay for every game you wanted. Many you couldn't find, and even used that'd be really spendy.

Oh, and that wouldn't be portable, either.

The guy makes a valid point about something the PSP can do (I don't personally own one by the way, I have a DS), and you have no real response.

Virtual Console is also neither portable nor free. But by your reasoning, we also shouldn't consider the Virtual Console amongst the benefits of the Wii console?

You are paying $50 for a GTA:VC expansion pack that you can only play on a shitty handheld with a 3 hour battery life. That sounds about as amazing of a deal as $50 for a box of rat shit.

@38 actually, there are emulators for things like GBC and NES on the DS (but I'm not saying the DS is better at it).

The PSP IS pretty awesome for all the homebrew emulators and stuff on it, but everyday Sony is trying it's hardest to squash one of the PSP's strongest selling points (at least for me and some people I know)

31. I would never trade my awesome PSP for a gay fucking Nintendo DS. That system has gay little puzzle games and horrible graphics. The day I go homosexual is the day I'll buy a Nintendo DS.

Posted at 12:40AM on Jul 25th 2006 by Bill Massie

You seem to be the homosexual here with blue text on a blue backdrop, shitty movies with Chuck Norris Jokes, and even a shitty Chuck Norris head pasted on Master Chief.

I mean, one of the only good games for PSP's launch was a "gay little puzzle game".

Yep, nothing straighter than a game of hot football, or wrestling that takes 10 minutes to get into a match with ps2 quality graphics.

Keep on playing the skillless game that is Halo 2.

I think its funny that so many consumers automatically assume that just because a game is on a handheld and the disc format holds less than a DVD, that the production cost required to make the game is anything less than a game that comes out on DVD...

It depends on how good the game is, really. $50 might be worth it.

If you don't like the price don't buy it! Enough said!
I can't believe there are childish people saying the Nintendo DS is "Gay". The Nintendo DS has games that appeal to young games, non-games and gamers on the go. However they do lack games that appeal to Teenage boys and gamers who have a thirst for blood.

To Bill Massie,

Sounds like that day is coming sooner than you think. You know what they say about homophobes right?

To Paul

Snes emulation on the GBA is spotty and slow to say the least. Most games don't even work.

Giant fanboy fest in here.


Phoenix Wright can't be considered a port. Why? Because the original game wasn't released in the US/Europe (Hell, none of the entire damn series came over here).

For the DS it added - Voice Recognition, Touchscreen Capabilities, and an entire extra mission dedicated to being on the DS!


If this was joystiq.jp, maybe, MAYBE, it would be considered a port.

My gawd.. Stop bickering like pre-pubescent children here!

No one gives a rip which handheld has more ports. That's not even what this was about to begin with. Please, everyone, for the sake of the children put your fanboy away.

We get that some of you are ga-ga over the DS Lite, hailing it as the beat all handheld. And then there is the loyal Sony backing that thinks that the PSP is sick, off the hook, etc... But no one really cares right now. It's not pertinent to the topic.

Now, onto the question. $50 is too much for a handheld game, period. Even if said game served as the mechanism to trigger the second coming of Christ. People shouldn't be plunking down the same amount of money for a handheld game as they would a console game, simply because handheld games cannot hold as much information/content. At least in this day in age.