Miami Vice: The Game wouldn’t be worthy of the Miami Vice moniker if it didn’t look good. While the PSP has certainly seen better visuals, a stylish approach makes up for it. Since the game is based on the movie, the models are designed to look more like Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx rather than Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas. The models look good, though I honestly thought they looked more like the duo from the short-lived Fox series Fastlane if anything else (which actually made me wonder if that was how the game began its life).

Locales include everything from beachfront villas to neon-filled nightclubs and trailer parks. Overall, everything looks great. What really got me was the inventive use of camera which, as you moved, had a bit of a shaky, handheld camera feel. Camera movements really help to build up tension, though it really works better while moving since it can sometimes give you a really bad angle when behind cover.

The game’s soundtrack uses a lot of low-key themes, also adding to the game’s sense of style.

Taking the role of either Sonny Crockett or Ricardo Tubbs, Miami Vice: The Game takes you through Miami’s seedy back alley world of drug trafficking. As an undercover officer, it is your job to get close to every street corner pharmacist and big time drug lord in the city and take them down. In order to do this, you’ll need to first build up a reputation by taking down rival dealers (who just also happen to be some of Miami’s Most Wanted) as well as by becoming a better dealer yourself and looking good while you do it.

Gameplay consists primarily of shooter elements, combining the cover fire mechanics of kill.switch with the over-the-shoulder gunplay found in Resident Evil 4. Levels are linear in their design and can quickly become repetitive. You’ll run into a room, find cover and take out all the bad guys in the room before repeating the same cycle in the next room. How you go through each level helps to build or break your reputation on the street. If you charge through in full body armor brandishing a high-powered rifle, your reputation will suffer. On the flip side, going in with your standard issue pistol while wearing your Sunday best, you’ll earn a higher rep. Though it is an original mechanic, it doesn’t help to alleviate the fact that you’re still doing the same thing repeatedly; the only difference is that you’ll have an easier time with the big gun and armor.

Between levels, you can catch up with informants and bribe them with either drugs or money in order to get tips on the next mission. Tips include everything from how to get past certain security measures to the location of secret drug stashes and weapon upgrades. You can also enter the drug trade yourself by buying and selling to various dealers around town. Drug trafficking is actually one of the more interesting elements in the game, especially given the virtual economy that takes place. Certain drugs are in high demand in some areas, so there’s a bit of strategy to finding out who needs what and maximizing your take. On the downside, the trade isn’t all that tough to figure out. It is easy to come out on top with both money and drugs, allowing you to buy up all the information you could ever need from informants, making the game much easier in the long run.

During missions, you’ll obtain FlashRAMs that you can take back to headquarters and hack through. Doing so opens up a mini-game where you attack nodes with a triangle and collect information rings. Hacking becomes harder the deeper you get into it, but like the game’s other elements, it tends to become repetitive after the first few times.

Enemy A.I. is pretty bad, which helps to make Miami Vice: The Game a very easy game. Enemies are surprisingly passive and only seem to shoot when shot at. Once or twice they would push the attack, but for the most part, I was allowed to sit in my cover position and pick off enemies at my own leisure. Some would find their own cover while others would start running laps between two positions.

Unlike other shooters, you cannot shoot while moving, forcing you to use the game’s cover mechanic. This gives the game a slower pace than your typical shooter. Firing from cover adds a decent amount of frantic action to gun fights, even with the lacking A.I. Still, the game is way too easy and even if you’re not using body armor or a big gun, you can breeze through most missions without taking too much damage. And, in the event that the A.I. does decide to play ball, checkpoints and health boosts are abundant.

When dealing with drug pushers, you’ll have to learn to keep your cool. This is handled through a mini-game where you have to use the D-pad to keep a white line in a certain spot on a bar while a pusher’s security checks you out. At certain times, you can try and talk your way through things, which can make the process easier or harder based on your reputation.

Unlike the movie, Miami Vice: The Game isn’t a complete bomb. At the same time, it is not the best of games either. While it does incorporate some interesting elements, the repetitive level designs, lack of difficulty and short length (the game lasts about 5–6 hours tops) make Miami Vice one to pass on.