Outside of movement though - and barring one unfortunate virtual button placement (the handbrake is near the “exit vehicle button,” which can make for some funny mission failures) - everything pretty much works how you’d want it to, with on-screen buttons for each potential action. While it might sound great on paper, I’ve had instances numerous times where I’ve attempted to run away, only to have the d-pad shift to another spot on-screen. Movement is done by way of a virtual analog stick that appears wherever you put your left thumb. Like the scheme used in the mobile version of GTA III, the controls for Vice City are a little better than you would expect, but still have the standard touch-precision issues. Draw-distance issues while driving aside, the new lighting effects and smoothed-out engine really allow the game to pop like it never has before. Visually, the game has been updated a bit, and the new look suits the neon and bright pastel veneer quite well.

This new mobile version still features the same sexy 1980s veneer, and still features the wise-cracking mob scumbag Tommy Vercetti (Ray Liotta). Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: 10 Year Anniversary (iOS, Android) Just like Grand Theft Auto III on mobile devices before it, this new anniversary edition honors the franchise’s legacy: so long as you’re willing to put up with touch controls. I think a lot of people missed out on Vice City because it came out so soon after Grand Theft Auto III, and that’s a shame. It feels like just yesterday I was listening to Michael Jackson, swerving around as Tommy Vercetti, and taking in the sights of Rockstar’s faux-Miami setting. All this Grand Theft Auto anniversary talk makes me feel old.

Grand theft auto vice city pc controls