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PSP Vice City Stories Hints

by Pamela Kim

Overview

"Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories" is an action-adventure game developed by Rockstar. It was released for the PSP in 2006 and later ported to the PS2. Like previous games in the franchise, "Vice City Stories" features a vast world for open exploration, a variety of missions and numerous side missions that require hours to complete.
Red Balloons

There are 99 red balloons scattered throughout Vice City. Finding and popping them will earn you weapon rewards. For example, you'll receive an AK-47 for bursting 50 balloons and a flamethrower for 70. These goodies spawn outside your safe house once they've been unlocked. Finding all 99 balloons also counts towards 100% completion of the game. To spot the balloons, you must get in the habit of looking upward as you cruise around town. You'll spot them stuck in trees, caught on billboards, under bridges and many other places. You must use your gun to pop them, and since many of them are far away, using manual aim is often necessary. Press and hold the "R" button, then press the down directional button to enter manual aim mode. Carrying a sniper rifle at all times will also prove helpful.

Shooting Range

Phil's Shooting Range is located in the southern area of Vice Port. The mini-game at the range consists of five rounds, and if you beat all of them, you'll receive a 25-percent discount at Ammu-Nation. Hitting certain milestones like best time or score will earn you cash. If you fail a round, you have to start over from round one. You earn points for hitting enemy targets and lose points for hitting friendlies. If you have trouble aiming, hold down the "L" button to slow down the aim cursor. The old adage "practice makes perfect" really applies at the shooting range. The targets are not randomized, so you can memorize when and where they'll appear, as well as how quickly they fall down. Reloading your weapon while there are targets onscreen will cause you to lose time and points. Try to time it so that you reload between waves.
Bringing Down Helicopters

Attract enough attention and cops will begin chasing you in a helicopter. Understandably, these airborne law enforcers aren't as easy to shake as those on the ground. It is possible to take them out of commission with your sniper rifle, however. The helicopters you encounter tend to be armored, but they all have a weak spot: the windshield, behind which the pilot is plainly visible. Take the time to aim carefully at the pilot, and you'll send the chopper careening to the ground. Even the Annihilator, with its smaller windshield, is vulnerable to this tactic. If it's too tough for you, though, try shooting one of the cops at the helicopter's side door to make it beat a hasty retreat. Although this won't bring the chopper down, it will buy you valuable time to escape.
Custom Tracks

It is possible to import your own music into the PSP version of "Vice City Stories" to create a customized soundtrack. Rockstar released a program called "Rockstar Custom Tracks" for 2005's "GTA: Liberty City Stories," but it can also be used with "Vice City Stories." To convert your music with "Rockstar Custom Tracks," you must have an actual music CD, although workarounds have since been found to convert MP3s. The software comes with a PDF document that details the process.