Source: The Australian edition of GamePro magazine, by way of fan site Gtaportable.com.

　　The official story: Rockstar Games had not returned requests for comment as of press time.

　　What we heard: Last month, Rockstar Games released the official box art for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, the second game from the blockbuster franchise to arrive on the PSP. The cover appeared to show that several characters from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, including Cuban gangster Umberto Robina and badass biker Mitch Baker, would return in the new game, which appeared to be a prequel.

　　This week, some very convincing-looking scans attributed to the Australian edition of GamePro surfaced--and revealed new details about Vice City Stories. According to the scans, the game will be set in 1984, two years before the events of the PlayStation 2 classic Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Players will step into the loafers of Vic Vance, the long-lost brother of Vice City criminal Lance Vance (pictured)--the brother he would not stop talking about in his conversations with game protagonist Tommy Vercetti.

　　Bigger and badder than his sibling, who was voiced by former Miami Vice star and onetime television psychic Philip Michael Thomas, Vic is a 28-year-old US marine taking some R&R in Vice City on his way to his posting at the now-infamous Guantanamo military base in Cuba. Before he ships out, though, the young jarhead gets mired in the town's underworld. The scans outline several missions, including a speedboat pursuit of an informer and a series of stunts performed on a jet ski, the first time the watercraft has appeared in any GTA game.

　　Besides having access to a garage of new vehicles, Vance will also be able to access an arsenal of new weapons. According to the scans, Rockstar also promised the game will have graphics superior to the first PSP game in the series, Liberty City Stories. Reportedly, it will boast twice the draw distance of PS2 Vice City, allowing players to see even father down the road when they're being chased by the VCPD.

　　Speaking of car chases, VCS also reportedly implements a new physics system that allows for more-realistic vehicle movement. It will also introduce swimming into the game--a much-needed skill after jet ski missions go awry--and allow for entry into building interiors with no loading times. The game will also sport a mix of old and new: Its landscape will be slightly different, with some buildings from Vice City being only half-built, and will bring back the classic radio stations from Vice City, presumably with new tracks reflective of its earlier time period.

　　Bogus or not bogus?: Although Rockstar has neither confirmed nor denied their authenticity, the scans appear to be not bogus.