More details emerge about Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on PSP

You'd never believe it in the connected modern world, but get this: 'a magazine' (you know one of those old-fashioned papery things) has been given the scoop on the latest GTA chapter, Grand Theft Auto Game: Vice City Stories.

Obviously these details were far too juicy to be contained by a papery cell, even that of the mighty Game Pro, so we're giving them their digital freedom for your viewing pleasure.

This PSP sequel to Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories will take place in the world of the home console classic Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, albeit two years earlier in 1984. The character you'll play is Victor Vance, elder brother of Lance Vance (who appeared and indeed died in Vice City) and head of the Vance crime family. Any connection with that esteemed Don of DJs Tommy Vance appears to be just conjecture at this point.

Victor (or 'Vic' to his chums) could well have been born under the sign of Aquarius, as he's far more at home on the water than previous GTA protagonists: he can drive jet skis as well as speedboats around the waterways, and crucially swim should he fall off. He'll also be able to take control of helicopters and enjoy improved handling on motorbikes (which have been a little skittish previously).

These new modes of transport are just as well as the world Vic needs to explore is pretty vast, "much, much bigger than Vice City" according to developer Rockstar. It should also look more beautiful thanks to an overhauled graphics and animation system, which tweaks everything from draw distances and the density of pedestrians to weather effects.

The gameplay has been tweaked too, with a multi-tiered mission structure (that promises to be more in-depth than Liberty City Stories), shorter pre-mission loading times, and a multiplayer mode that builds on the previous PSP outing.

The only major downside of all this appears to be the removal of seamless integration between internal and external locations and there'll be no character or vehicle customisation either, but this seems a small price to pay for a bigger, better, faster-loading game.

Perhaps the most interesting thing for fans of the series will be the continuity with the older game. Rockstar's attention to detail is impressive, so fans will be able to tour the construction sites of many of the buildings that appear in Vice City, check out the theme park on Ocean Beach (including the 'Chunder Wheel' ride that can be experienced in first-person view) and listen to the same radio stations (albeit with new (old) songs).

Suffice to say this latest info has only ignited our appetite for a bit of gaming Vice yet further, so we'll be sure to bring you plenty more info and the review before the game's released on 20th October.