This post will describe all KNOWN differences between various versions of the game, based on the perspective of the US/EU PSP version since most runs currently are designed/tested/done on this version, and the emulator version strives to achieve parity to it.

Positive changes are listed with +, negative - and neutral •

• Vic takes 1/2-1/3 damage from almost all sources (Good dying less, bad for death warps)

• When an NPC dies it cancels your lock on, meaning you constantly have to re-aim in order to switch targets after someone dies.

• NPCs on the ground are untargetable, so if one gets knocked over you cannot aim at them

• Analogue sensitivity is increased, making small movements harder and reaching the maximum input faster

• Yes and No are swapped in menus

• Pager is faster due to Japanese text

• The downtown Mac 9 Rampage was moved North of it's position on EU/NA

• Weapons are correctly respawned in "Burning Bridges"

• Uses updated/different SCMs (If you don't know what this means don't worry about it)

• Snitch Hitch Dupe is possible only on this version (that we know of)

• Got Protection dupe doesn't crash if no Save n' Quit between it and Cleaning House Dupe

• Assassins in "Soldier" do not damage you. Instead set the car on fire and get in it before it explodes to death warp.

• Dupe Snitch Hitch to skip Zero to Hero

• Save n' Quit after Truck Stop, instead of after Cholo Victory and Hose the Hoes

Note: Because Emulator is trying to be the same as Real Hardware, and Emulator is not an official release, anything proven only to work on Emulator and not Real Hardware is not allowed.

• Load times are faster (unless your PC loads slower than a console from 2004)

• Frame rate is locked to a stable 30 (again; unless PC bad)

• More Stable after duping, meaning less Save n' Quits between dupes

• Need to reverse in the Hovercraft before you can accelerate, most notably in "White Lies" (Emulator bug?)

• Lots of stuff! (Allan please add details) however none of it is allowed since Emu is trying to be real PSP and Emu is not an official version

• Duping "The Colonel's Coke" has a higher chance of unusable Helicopter spawns. If not done (So "Kill Phil: Part 1" is done) you will not be in a good spot to setup om0 Rampage carry through for "Home's On The Range" so instead do "Unfriendly Competition" dupe after "Hostile Takeover" (like PSP runs pre-dating 2019).

The PS2 version was released after the PSP version, and features some changes and additional content. Click me for a map of all PS2 exclusive content

• Load times are slower from disc (PS2/PS3)

• Load times are slower from HDD??? (PS3)

• Frame rate is worse (PS3 does a poor job of emulating PS2)

• More Rampages, most notably the one on Prawn Island

• More Vehicle spawns and purchase spots, most notably the PCJ in Vice Port and Skimmer south of Ocean Beach

• More Unique Stunt Jumps

• Better Controls (Right Analogue Stick input, more shoulder buttons)

• Planes instantly explode when crashed (like in GTA:SA)

• The downtown Mac 9 Rampage was moved North of it's position on PSP

• Probably uses updated/different SCMs (If you don't know what this means don't worry about it)

• Changing language while a Pager is on screen skips it

• Going Out of Bounds does not flip every vehicle

• Repeating "Hose the Hoes" om0 4 times crashes (requires Save n' Quit)

• Garages don't fail to store vehicles

• Assassins in "Soldier" do not damage you. Instead set the car on fire and get in it before it explodes to death warp.

• Do "Waking Up The Neighbours" once while om1 as per pre OOB strats (PSP runs pre-dating 2019). This will include not setting up om0 rampage before and during "Fear the Repo", and instead doing it before and during "When Funday Comes".

• Save n' Quit during "Hose the Hoes" om0 passing

• Consider using the Skimmer near Lance's House for travelling to missions on Prawn Island, eg: "Blitzkrieg" -> "The Mugshot Longshot" or "Say Cheese" -> "Kill Phil: Part 2". However I don't know of anyone timing these. Perhaps even a mission order change would be beneficial like "White Lies" -> Skimmer -> "Say Cheese" -> "Where It Hurts the Most" -> "Kill Phil: Part 2"

• Use "Coach Tour" Submission and Prawn Island Rocket Launcher Rampage to duplicate "So Long Schlong" after "Domo Arigato Domestoboto"

¯_(ツ)_/¯ Just use PSP Emulator please <3

Since Japanese 'Burning Bridges' respawns all of your weapons, skipping Ammu-Nation during 'Blitzkrieg Strikes Again' should be considered.

A few more thoughts:

PSP:

• The autoaim problems of the Japanese version are also present in the German version. Avoid this release because it doesn't have any benefits.
• In the Japanese version during Rampage #11 (w/ Uzi) Cholos have Pistols and Uzis instead of Baseball Bats and Pistols, dealing more damage to the player.

• You get all your weapons back during "Burning Bridges" in the Japanese version. Skipping second Ammu-Nation in Any% should be considered.

• German and Japanese versions do not have blood.

PS2:

• Higher resolution.
• Better drawn distance.

• The ability to fine tune your aim is not present in this port, making precise shots harder.
• Looking backwards (with R3) while running is annoying, if at all possible to do.
• Can not megajump with the Detonator (currently not used in any categories)
• Due to collision fixes you can not use the BMX method to go accross the Starfish Island bridge to the second island early. Currently used in All Red Balloons and All Rampages routes. Players need to use the Yankee method or choose the Leaf Links bridge for the BMX strat instead.
• During Rampage #11 (w/ Uzi) Cholos have Pistols and Uzis instead of Baseball Bats and Pistols, dealing more damage to the player.

• You get all your weapons back during "Burning Bridges". Skipping second Ammu-Nation in Any% should be considered.
• 6 new unlockable/purchasable vehicles. (Not sure if useful for anything.)

• 6 new side missions.
• Several smaller map changes.

Also, as far as I know switching languages in only possible on the European version so the Pager Skip is restricted to that version of the PS2 port.

More things/details to add: Japanese PSP: • Increased chaos points, mainly when shooting or throwing explosives (Useful for getting quick cop car spawns, but can be annoying in some missions like Jive Drive and Purple Haze where you get 3 wanted stars instead of 2.).

• All of Taxi Driver, Paramedic and Beach Patrol instapasses crash on this version, making the international version by far the preferred version for 100% runs.
• Extortion dupe can softlock at any level when entering a store (also there's an annoying fade that happens every time you enter a store). • To add to the auto-aim issue, you don't need to re-aim at each individual NPC. You can simply switch to the next NPC very quickly after killing the one you were targeting. PS2:
• Increased spawn rate for rampage gang members, especially if they're hostile.
• Different weather cycle (The most notable change is the increased frequency of rainy weather.).
• Notable frame drops in the funfair area (I assume it's because of the ferris wheel.).
• All of Taxi Driver, Paramedic and Beach Patrol instapasses crash on this version, so these missions must be done dupeless in 100%.
• Extortion dupe can softlock at any level when entering a store (also there's an annoying fade that happens every time you enter a store), so this mission must be done dupeless in 100%. • Vigilante dupe works similarly to Firefighter dupe in this version, expect for one key difference: It doesn't remove suspects from past levels and they stay loaded. This causes the game to crash from overloaded memory more often than not before you can finish Vigilante, so you need to cancel and restart one instance at every checkpoint to clear the excess criminals.
• Robbery dupes have a chance to crash the game on the loading screen of the second instance. Should the game not crash, the dupes will work the same way as on PSP. If you're trying 100%, you should only attempt these dupes if you're willing to risk it for a better PB.
• While on PSP, you can start Vigilante immediately after cancelling a side mission, this isn't the case on PS2. In this version, there's a small delay between cancelling a submission and starting Vigilante. This is important to take into account as it makes 3x setups less consistent (You can receive pagers during that delay).

• To allow a path into the new USJ at the funfair, R* removed part of the wood wall there, which provides an easy alternative entry into the funfair.

• The ramp in Leaf Links next to the entrance has been removed. This should be taken into account when routing the new USJ leading to Leaf Links for All USJs/100%.

• A wide hilly bump was placed at Diaz's mansion in this version, and can be used as a shortcut out of there in the mission Domo Arigato Domestoboto.

• It's impossible to megajump in this version no matter what (Detonator, binoculars, or even well-timed jumps after jumping off a bike or falling off a high platform). -The Redwood Jr. replica on top of the grocery store next to the Little Havana police station gains collision (it has no collision on PSP). This is a problem for the balloon behind the replica, as it can only be shot with a sniper rife or explosives. • The following aren't relevant to speedruns but I felt the need to point them out for completionism: • Different easter eggs (The message board inside the Viceport ship, the message board at the stadium, and the 11th smiley face + literal easter egg). • Firetrucks automatically try to extinguish random fires nearby even if they're unnoccupied (don't ask me why I know this). • Some weapons have different sound effects (Explosives use the same sound as car explosions, the Stubby Shotgun uses the same sound as the SPAZ-12.). • Some vehicles have different engine sounds (Mostly just higher-pitched versions, though some like the Hunter and the Perennial sound completely different.). • Minor visual changes on some vehicles (Wintergreen and VCPD Wintergreen have longer windshields, Blista Compact gains black stripes on it's back window.). • Air Ambulance has a fully-functioning radio (No radio on PSP). • Higher-quality grass textures and vegetation (Starfish Island especially looks very different and more like it's VC design.). • The USJ on a rooftop in southwest Ocean Beach has a different camera angle and position, pointing east rather than west.