GTA Vice City for Android/iOS aged poorly.

I remember that about 10 years ago the proliferation of “real” games on our smartphones began, characterized by the arrival of titles that, at least in terms of hardware, could previously only be run on dedicated devices. Although it was evident that the kings of the mobile industry such as Angry Birds or Candy Crush would continue to dominate it, there was a subtle fear regarding the direction that everything was taking, especially considering that companies such as CAPCOM, Konami or Electronic Arts were devoting more and more resources to adapting their biggest franchises, or simply porting their classics.

Within this batch, Rockstar was one of the most ambitious, bringing the 3D trilogy of Grand Theft Auto: III, Vice City and San Andreas to the various App stores. Although in terms of gameplay things were disastrous (and I am sure that very few people bothered to complete or even advance considerably in these games from their smartphones), there was something fascinating in the ability to have these virtual cities in the palms of our hands. Apart from that, they were very well-optimized ports that ran smoothly on our low-end devices, and, despite being premium apps, they weren't particularly expensive.

Out of curiosity I decided to revisit Vice City a few days ago, a title that in its 2004 version I think was brilliant, especially when it comes to its atmosphere and narrative, inspired by 80s Miami and iconic gangster films like Scarface and Goodfellas, something evident in its music and the general way in which everything is directed.

The question is: taking into account the passage of time, was Vice City for Android worth it? By 2012 standards Vice City was a solid port, which even improved the physical aspect of the original title and included several new gameplay mechanics (the most notable being free control of the camera when driving and an improved shooting system).

Unfortunately, the years have not been particularly kind to it, and although the HD finishes are appreciated (especially because it knows how to adapt without giving up the aesthetic taste of the standard version) in terms of controls, things leave a lot to be desired, and other small details such as a terrible draw distance (even if we have a powerful device) make it very difficult to have a pleasant experience, especially when we start to advance in the story and the missions start to get complicated.
Obviously, this is partly due to the habit we have of the most recent games in the franchise, especially GTA V, as well as the physical difficulties involved in using a touch screen. In fact, GTA Chinatown Wars (which was conceived with portable devices in mind) is a perfect example of this, being infinitely easier to play, although in exchange for sacrificing the 3D view to which the Rockstar franchise has recently accustomed us.

GTA Vice City for Android is a very interesting experiment that emerged at a time when having a sandbox in the palm of our hands was still novel, and regardless of the fact that it is uncomfortable to play within current standards, we must recognize that a solid job was done.