I'm right there witcha. I don't mean to pick on the radio stations so much - but there's definitely no "In the Future There Will Be Robots" or self-help from Thor. Or hear Maurice introduce Africa by Toto by saying "here ees some excellent museek for you to get in touch with yourself with.."
The gameplay of GTA is always great - but it's that attention to humor and immersion that really makes me a fan.
Of course, we're also both confirmed 80's dorks... so it does make a certain amount of sense for us to be all about the Vice City. But I'm still saying it was a more cohesive, fleshed-out theme.
EDITED to add - Also, to be truly fair - nothing in Grand Theft Auto has ever made me laugh as much as "Push It To The Limit" in GTA 3. I even have the song on my iPod... it's simply the most amusing music ever recorded.
I agree and disagree on the radio stations. To me there are less great comedy than the other 2 games. But I love all the DJ's and adverts on the stations I listen to. They all match the theme of the game perfectly. Granted I skip all the non-urban stations (except the talk radio station) completely.
I love master sounds the best since it's all the original versions of the sampled Hip hop songs on the game and the songs I grew up with my parents playing. My favorite DJ's are George Clinon, Julio G, and Chuck D.