Vice city is possibly my favourite game of all time and it's still my favourite gta for its time, but I would say as a all whole this is still the best gta for size, variety and replay value and although this was released in 2004, I still play this even though I have an xbox 360.
I bought this ps2 version on release, but its the xbox version I still play now. This really is in my opinion a masterpiece, everytime I play this game I still occasionally think wow because of the size and variety of this beautifully, absolutely beautifully designed fictional county, with three cities obviously Los Angeles(Los Santos), San Francisco(San Fierro) and Las Vegas(Las Venturas). All these cities look completely unique from each other, but you also get loads and loads of beautifully designed country and desert with little towns. Some game fans weren't happy with the country and desert because there isn't much to do, but to me it makes it feel realistic and haunting. Go in an isolated part of the desert at night and make a fire or go in the country and watch the sunrise, beautiful. Everytime I see a movie or tv series filmed in various parts of the US (obviously california the main one), I nearly always think of this particular game (I can't be the only one), that really says to me how well I think this gta world is designed.
It does annoy me when people say this is vice city in another city. This gave you so much more to do other than follow the main story, so much more. Gambling in various ways, mountain bike racing, skydiving and swimming. But it wasn't just the things to do that improved from vice city, but also the AI. For example in this when you heard a cop car for the first time and they weren't after you (in vice city if you heard them they were after you), but some bikers on a harley with one on the back shooting at them, absolutely brilliant, it made the place feel like it wasn't just about you. Then there is the so simple but hilarious way you can interact with various pedestrians and not know what they say or how they react (I still occasianally hear new dialogue from the pedestrians after all these years). Another thing is you have always got something to spend your cash on, you can never make too much. I have about 90 million dollars (I made most of it by betting on the horse with the longest odds). Plenty of clothes and hairstyles, even weight to choose from, great radio and voice acting again from major actors including James Woods, the late Chris Penn RIP, Samuel L Jackson, and many more.
There are so many more reasons why I think this is a masterpiece, but I think I have said enough. I don't need to go into the story because if you're reading this then you probably own this classic. I just had to comment on it.