“Who does this guy think he is? Now I gotta dress like a chump as well as hang out with him? I like this shirt.”-Tommy Vercetti.

Whenever I ask someone which game in the Grand Theft Auto series is their favorite, the answer I usually get is “San Andreas” or “Three”. “IV” and “V” occasionally get the nod, but older GTA fans will always hold the PS2 titles in the highest realm. It’s more than understandable to me why I get these answers.

I already discussed San Andreas in depth but the amount of freedom and atmosphere still is being chased by game designers to this day. GTA III was the first game of its kind. There had never been a game like it before and to say its released polarized America is an understatement.

Its 2001 release was a mix of blood, gore, violence, drug use, sexual content and strong language pissed off much of America, who was only a month removed from the darkest day in its history. On the flip side, with 14.5 million copies sold, its safe to say it captured the imagination of America much more. Just how popular was GTA during this time? In 2002, GTA III was the second best selling game on the PS2. What was the best selling game?

Yes Sir, the prequel to GTA III. Vice City actually started off as a mission pack for GTA III that included new weapons, vehicles and missions but after further discussion, Rockstar decided to manufacture a whole new game. With a budget of five million dollars, Rockstar embarked on a journey to produce a game that would serve as a love letter to the 1980s.

It would include influences from “Scarface” and “Miami Vice”. Real world influences would include the 1980s Cocaine influx, the end of the Cold War, Cuban, Haitian and rebel Biker gangs, the domination of New Wave and Glam Metal on the radio and the influence of drug lords like Pablo Escobar (in fact, the airport in the game is called the Escobar International Airport).

So it is I return to the question posed, which GTA is your favorite? While some claim III for the nostalgia and San Andreas for the amount you could do in there, those who played the series for as long as I usually tell me Vice City. I would have to agree with them. Not only is Vice City my favorite but I also believe it to be the best and purest GTA, which makes it one of the greatest and most important games of all time. The more I think about it, I ask “Why wouldn’t Vice City be my favorite GTA?”

Let me break it down like this:

It’s beautiful, right?

Where as GTA III’s setting, Liberty City, was gritty and grimy; Vice City, which is shown above, was a complete change. Everything about this game and city look is beautiful. The neon lights shine all throughout the game but especially when driving down the Ocean Beach strip is marvelous to look at all these years later. The sunsets, sunrise, sun on the beach and in general masterfully shows off the vibrant colors, even on something as small as a street light. The water is clear blue, the grass is a vibrant green, the palm trees offer that wonderful southern vibe, the car models are the best of any GTA (in my humble opinion).

Even the North Point Mall, and that eerie/creepy music that plays inside, is an excellent work of 3-D architecture. It’s a stark contrast to rest of the city with its darker interior and spotty population (made up of shoppers, gangs and security personnel.) I’ll always remember the mission where Tommy and Lance dressed up as cops in order to bomb the store inside the mall. By the way, good luck escaping the five-star wanted level in that one.

All in all, it’s gorgeous Art direction by Aaron Garbut. I think its his Magnum Opus.

How many GTA games can we say look this marvelous? It’s not that they look bad because they all look great (some better than others), but Vice City set the bar higher than…perhaps any other game I can think of has. Even GTA V (which reminds me of Vice City given the right time and place on the map) tried its best but couldn’t come close. GTA San Andreas had the Orange sky and the Vegas lights but I’m putting the Art Direction of Vice City above all others.

Story and Characters.

When it comes to an original story, Vice City doesn’t have one. The games plot is basically the 1983 version of Scarface but not a blatant rip-off. It’s about a 35 year old named Tommy Vercetti who goes from rags (Liberty City) to riches (Vice City) by means of the Coke trade, owning most of Vice City by the games end. Despite this, the story did nothing to make the game any less enticing. In fact, its probably why everyone adores it so.

The biggest differences are where Tony Montana takes trips further north and south, Tommy never leaves Vice City in the game. Also, as where Tony Montana dies at the end of Scarface, Tommy survives the final shootout at his mansion. GTA Vice City contains (in my opinion) the best and most satisfying ending to any GTA game, not to mention a obvious homage to “Casablanca’s” ending.

This introduction perfectly introduces the player to the game, shown here in this amazing re-creation made by “Welcome to the 80’s”:

Needless to say, Tommy sorts the mess out. I won’t get into any further details just in case someone reading this hasn’t played it yet. Just know that a whole lot of bad people will have died  and a whole lot of money will have been earned come the end of the game.

One thing that always stands out is the incredible voice talent that was used for the game. William Fichtner voices Ken Rosenberg and is really the best and funniest voice actor in the game (although he has excellent competition). The other comic brilliance in the game comes from the fictional Scottish Glam Metal band “Love Fist”. These four were always a riot when they were around and their music on the radio wasn’t bad (who cares if they’re a fake band).

Other A-list names include Burt Reynolds as the slick southern Real Estate Tycoon Avery Carrington. Luiz Guzman is the voice of the short, short-tempered and paranoid Ricardo Diaz. Speaking of the name, Mr. Ricardo Tubbs himself Mr. Phillip Michael Thomas voices Lance Vance, your closest ally in the game. In speaking with the influence of Miami Vice, the interaction between Tommy Vercetti and Lance Vance is identical to that of Tubbs and Sonny Crockett.

In addition there’s other memorable voice talent from the likes of NFL Legend Lawrence Taylor, Miss Cleo as Auntie Poulet, Danny Trejo as Umberto Robina, Lee Majors as “Big” Mitch Baker, Gary Busey as Phil Cassidy, Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry as the Taxi dispatcher Delores, Jenna Jameson as Porn Star Candy Suxx and another favorite, the late great Dennis Hopper as Steve Scott.

That leaves someone out…

Of course, all of these are stars of the game but not the star. Where as Claude from GTA III doesn’t utter a single phrase throughout the game, Tommy Vercetti has plenty to say. He’s cold, ruthless and chases tail almost as much as money but we love him due to his softer side. Whenever he deals with Colonel Cortez, the Colonel’s daughter Mercedes or Old man Kelly (the printer), this side of him is the one we see.

Due to Rockstar’s obsessive love of films, namely by Di Palma and Scorsese for this particular title, the team sought after Ray Liotta to voice Tommy. The connection between one of my favorite games and movies is very cool but where as Liotta has gone on to speak fondly on his time on Goodfellas, the same can’t be said with Rockstar.

Liotta would describe the role as a tremendous challenge saying “You’re creating a character that’s not there before. It’s so intensive.” Where as Marty Scorsese gave Liotta plenty of room to create, voice acting for a Rockstar video game reduces the creativity to whats on the page. Director Navid Khonsari remembered Liotta frequently complaining on set and found him difficult to work with as a result. Furthermore, Rockstar President Sam Houser said that “In some sessions Liotta was … into it, but then sometimes … he was very dark and couldn’t work”.

Following the game’s success, Liotta reportedly claimed that he was underpaid for the role. That’s a real shame because the biggest reason why Vice City is so fondly remembered by fans is due to Liotta’s voice as well as that Blue Shirt, Jeans and White Adidas. At least Liotta can go to his grave knowing he lent his voice to two masterpieces.

Game-play.

In terms of game-play, there’s hardly any difference between GTA III and Vice City. When not on missions, the player can roam around parts of Vice City by foot, car, boat or air. The completion of missions opens up the bridges to the other-side of the city (which were closed due to a Hurricane Warning).

To really capture the spirit and atmosphere, automobiles and foot are the best options.

Let me just go out on the limb and admit that the game-play is dated. These nit-picks weren’t necessarily so when the game was first released but after coming back, you wish they’d modernize like they do now-a-days. The manual aiming of the machine guns can be a pain in the neck, especially when going up against armies of enemies (which happens frequently). The camera stays in one place, something that was tweaked for GTA San Andreas. There is also the fact that Tommy drowns the very second he touches water, another tweak San Andreas would adjust.

Maybe a true re-haul or GTA VI will finally fulfill those wishes.

With that said, there are several more areas that don’t need anything. The driving of cars, especially the Italian Sports Cars and Bikes, still kicks ass. When hijacking a truck, the thing moves like a snail but is more powerful than a locomotive. The boats vary, with nice boats sailing nicely and older-bigger boats not so much. I haven’t any complaints about the helicopters but I really wish they would have included planes that weren’t impossible to fly.

The real surprise for gamers when it was released was the inclusion of motorcycles and man, these things are still the best part of the game. Keep in mind that Bikes weren’t included in GTA III so this was a real culture shock back in ’02 or ’03. Bikes include those that looks like Asian Crotch Rockets (which go faster) or those that look like the classic American Harley Davidson (which are more bad-ass). You can’t go wrong with either choice.

Missions.

The missions…some easy, some mild, some difficult…and some that just plain cruel.

You could really tell how this game started off as an expansion pack for GTA III here with the same old gimmicks of “go here”, “kill this person”, “destroy this and get that”. To be fair, these are the missions of every other GTA game as well but the structure of the story allowed for the player to choose which mission they wanted to do to reach toward the end mission.

While some might complain they’re not as good or memorable as the predecessors, Vice City contained plenty that are memorable ones. To go over all of them would ruin the experience for any first-time triers. I will discuss some of my favorites, which include the mission where Lance and Tommy fly in the helicopter, take out rival gang members from a far in the chopper before regaining control of Tommy on foot. After completion of this mission, the Hurricane warning is called off and the bridges to the other-side of Vice City re-open.

Another one of my favorites is the mission where Avery Carrington sends you to kill the guy on the country club golf course. Since the country club doesn’t allow guns, this mission was a real challenge. My advice is to wait until your target is in a caddie and then bump him off into the water. Either that, or you can enter one of the gun cheat codes.

With 61 story missions, there’s plenty of diversity. Each one of these missions contains a terrifically written, voice-acted and directed cut-scenes. Some critics of games claim that cut scenes aren’t necessary in Video-games but with a title like GTA Vice City, cut scenes only add to the memorable experience. These cut scenes look like something out of…a-hem, a Scorsese or Di Palma film.

The more difficult missions will have you pulling out your hair, like the final one where Sonny and Tommy face off for the final time. Due to the onslaught of enemies, this mission was always a great challenge for me. By then, you’d established an amazing firearm collection but even the cover wasn’t enough help some times.

I actually remember dying right at the end of the mission and the credits started rolling when I re-awoke at the hospital. This meant that though I’d (technically) beaten the game, I wasn’t rewarded for it. What a crock of shit, it must have been the same feeling the ’72 U.S. Men’s Basketball team had when the refs decided to put three seconds back on the clock.

Another mission that comes to mind is when you have to save Lance after he moved against Diaz. Getting into the junkyard was tough enough, getting out was worse by the drive to the hospital was too much. I can’t tell you how many times I died and re-tried this mission but when I finally got it right, it was a glorious feeling.

Unlike most people, I didn’t have too many problems with the mission “Demolition Man”. This was the mission where you had to control the little RC Helicopters and plant the bombs on the construction sight. Most people hated this mission but once you got the hang of it, it wasn’t too hard.

Leaving all of that aside, there was one mission above all overs that drove me crazy. You all know the one, where you had to race that fat bastard Hilary in order for him to be the get away driver for the bank heist (The Heist itself being another one of my favorite missions).

This mission was a giant pain in the ass for several reasons. First off, Hilary’s the best driver in the city. Second, the cops were called making the race that much harder. Third, I can’t remember any mission from any GTA game that was as hard as this one. S.A.M. from GTA III and Supply Lines from San Andreas were tough but this one was the worst.

However, the worst part was that Hilary got shot during the Bank Heist and proved to be totally useless. Rockstar put that racing mission in the game to deliberately torture players of the game. Those of us who wouldn’t be denied felt the rush of euphoria when that fat bastard said he’d drive for you…only to get shot down.

God dammit!

Does this take away from the greatness that is Vice City? Not at all. The fact that Rockstar went that far with a mission shows that they’re stickler for details, something sorely lacking from most video games these days. It’s because of this meticulous detailing has led to some fans losing interest due to long waits but man, are the waits ever worth it. The most amazing thing is that while fans of the GTA series waited months and years for IV and V to come out, Vice City was released only a year after GTA III.

In an age where unfinished games are being released left and right, Vice City got it right with less than a year to do so. While it’s true that a majority of the work was already laid out for them, Vice City was a complete overhaul in terms of scenery, style, substance and especially…

The Soundtrack.

Instead of my gushing over the soundtrack, I’ll just list the entire thing below:

V-Rock

• Judas Priest: You’ve Got Another Thing Coming
• Motley Crue: Too Young to Fall in Love
• Megadeth: Peace Sells
• Lovefist: Dangerous Bastard
• Autograph: Turn Up the Radio
• Twisted Sister: I Wanna Rock
• Ozzy Osbourne: Bark At The Moon
• Anthrax: Madhouse
• Iron Maiden: 2 Minutes to Midnight
• Slayer: Raining Blood
• Tesla: Comin’ Atcha Live
• David Lee Rose: Yankee Rose

Wave 103

• Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Two Tribes
• Tears For Fears: Pale Shelter
• Kim Wilde: Kids in America
• Blondie: Atomic
• A Flock of Seagulls: I Ran (So Far Away)
• The Human League: (Keep Feeling) Fascination
• Nena: 99 Luftballoons
• The Psychedelic Furs: Love My Way
• Spandau Ballet: Gold
• Thomas Dolby: Hyperactive!
• Romeo Void: Never Say Never
• Corey Hart: Sunglasses at Night

Emotion 98.3

• Toto: Africa
• Jan Hammer: Crockett’s Theme
• Cutting Crew: (I Just) Died in Your Arms
• Foreigner: Waiting For a Girl Like You
• Mr. Mister: Broken Wings
• Roxy Music: More Than This
• Squeeze: Tempted
• REO Speedwagon: Keep on Loving You
• Night Ranger: Sister Christian
• Luther Vandross: Never Too Much
• Kate Bush: Wow

Flash FM

• Hall & Oates: Out of Touch
• Electric Light Orchestra: Four Little Diamonds
• Michael Jackson: Billie Jean (Removed in Later Versions)
• The Outfield: Your Love
• Talk Talk: Life’s What You Make It
• Bryan Adams: Run to You
• Wang Chung: Dance Hall Days
• Go West: Call Me
• Lionel Richie: Running With the Night (Removed in Later Versions)
• Laura Branigan: Self Control
• INXS: Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain)
• Yes: Owner of a Lonely Heart

Wildstyle Pirate Radio

• Herbie Hancock: Rockit
• Grandmaster Flash-The Furious Five: The Message
• Zapp + Roger: More Bounce to the Ounce
• Davy DMX: One For the Treble
• Mantronix: Bassline
• Man Parrish: Hip Hop Be Bop (Don’t Stop)
• Hashim: Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)
• Cybotron: Clear
• Afrika Bambaataa + The Soulsonic Force: Looking For the Perfect Beat
• Run DMC: Rock Box
• Kurtis Blow: The Breaks
• Whodini: Magic’s Wand

Fever 105

• The Whispers – And the Beat Goes On
• Fat Larry’s Band – Act Like You Know
• Oliver Cheatham – Get Down Saturday Night
• Pointer Sisters – Automatic
• René & Angela – I’ll Be Good
• Mary Jane Girls – All Night Long
• Rick James – Ghetto Life
• Michael Jackson – Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin
• Evelyn “Champagne” King – Shame
• Teena Marie – Behind the Groove
• Mtume – Juicy Fruit
• Kool & the Gang – Summer Madness
• Indeep – Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life

Radio Espantoso

• Deodato: Super Strut
• Cachao: A Gozar Con Mi Combo
• Mongo Santamaria: Me And You Baby (Picao Y Tostao)
• Machito And His Afro-Cuban Orchestra: Mambo Mucho Mambo
• Xavier Cugat And His Orchestra: Jamay
• Mongo Santamaria: Mama Papa Tu
• Unresta: La Vida Es Una Lenteja
• Lonnie Liston Smith: Expansions
• Irakere: Aguanile
• Beny More: Maracaibo Oriental
• Deodato: Latin Flute
• Tito Puente: Mambo Gozon

Would you just look at it?

I’m willing to bet anything that if you don’t know most of the songs on this soundtrack, you’ll know a few. The ones you don’t, I’d recommend checking them out. You might just find yourself dancing and singing along (especially to the Spanish-speaking songs). This was the first game to license this many songs. Before this, this kind of soundtrack would be found in movies rather than games. In keeping with the influence of movies, Rockstar had previously licensed Paul Engemann’s “Push it to the Limit” (coincidentally, the theme song for Scarface) for GTA III but with this being set in 1986, Rockstar knew that only the artists and hits of the era would do.

This ushered in a new era of licensing well known songs for video games. For example, while Tony Hawk video games generally went after “Skate-Punk” bands like NOFX and Bad Religion, their scope drastically widened following Vice City’s release. GTA: San Andreas would also have a soundtrack that went toe to toe with Vice City’s but Vice City’s soundtrack really adds to the whole 80s feel so wonderfully.

If one wants a break from the endless stream of 80s music, they can tune into “K-Chat” and “VCPR”, an acronym for Vice City Public Radio. Mikayla and Maurice Chavez respectfully (or disrespectfully) talk to the elite around the Vice City area. While K-Chat has more guests and diversity, the better programming is found on VCPR with “Pressing Issues”.

Just take a listen (all rights to Rockstar Games and the creators):

Controversy Alert.

The release and success of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City made it a target for further controversy and criticism. It was labeled as racist by both Hispanic and Haitian groups, was deemed sexist by groups, deemed too violent and profane by the likes of Jack Thompson who blamed the game for the Cody Posey murders but the biggest problem? The biggest problem was that despite all of this, the powers that be couldn’t stand the fact that a video-game held this much power. In hindsight, all of these controversies did nothing to derail the success of GTA: Vice City. It wasn’t pulled from any shelves nor was it re-rated.

Hang on, we’re almost there.

The biggest thing that made Vice City so special was how it perfectly captured the spirit of the 80s. To pictures of Ronald Reagan on the wall, to the songs on talk of Mikhail Gorbechev on the radio, the 80s looking cars one drives when listening to those songs, the outfits, vibe and of course, the influence of Scarface and Miami Vice.

This was a huge gamble for Rockstar. They’d already struck gold with III and needed for their next game to be even bigger. What could they do that they hadn’t already in III? What they chose not only paid off tremendously but also paved the way for future games. With 1986 paying off so well for Vice City, Rockstar felt comfortable to go ahead with the 1992 setting for GTA San Andreas.

Rockstar would return to Vice City with 2006’s “GTA: Vice City Stories”. This game was a prequel in which the player assumed the role of Vic Vance (the very man slain in Vice City’s intro). There were various and inconsistent changes to the landscape of Vice City which included an amusement and trailer park. Some of the characters make an appearance, with the two biggest differences being the behavior of Lance and Ricardo Diaz (whom was much cooler and laid back in the prequel).

To this day, Vice City remains the only major title that has not been next-genned by Rockstar Games. While Liberty City and Los Santos got the next-gen update, Vice City remains solely on the sixth generation. Some might complain that Las Venturas and San Fierro weren’t updated in GTA V but do they deserve an update over Vice City? No.

Its rumored that GTA VI will be released in 2019 and most are pondering a return to Vice City. In fact, if I were to go around and ask people in 2018 where they most want the next GTA taking place, the majority would say Vice City. On the flip side, some at Rockstar feel that they did all they needed to do with Vice City in regards to the 80s Miami Vice culture.

The whole point being that while GTA III may have changed video-gaming forever with its revolutionary ideas and mechanisms, Vice City was the game that took the GTA series from one-shot wonders to legends over-night. Would San Andreas or any other GTA title have been the same or even come out without Vice City? How about all of these GTA clones that followed? I’m willing to bet things would have been drastically different had Rockstar not followed through with Vice City.

The Verdict.

The bottom line is that for most people, Vice City got lost somewhere between III and San Andreas. III was the first of its kind and those who played it first will always hold it in the highest light (even if its replay value is sub-par at best). Its the same thing with San Andreas due to its large size, customization and the seemingly endless amount of things the player can do with that game. Not to mention how well San Andreas cashed in on the “Gangsta”, G-Unit era of 2004.

However, Vice City holds the apple in my eye. It may not have been as revolutionary as its predecessor or as expansive as its successor but it’s just about as perfect and pure of a GTA experience that one could ever have. While no game is perfect, I know a great game when I see it. Ladies and Gentlemen, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a fucking perfect game. I couldn’t make a higher recommendation for someone looking to play the game.

It’s like the cashier tells you at Ammu-nation: “Take it, hold it, love it”