Vice City is a 2002 action-adventure video game developed and published by Rockstar North. It is the fourth main game in the Grand Theft Auto series and the sixth overall. The game is set in a parallel universe in which vice-like crimes are committed. In a city named Vice, players are tasked with stealing cars, evading police, and avoiding criminals.
Gameplay
Unlike the original, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is structured differently than other Grand Theft Auto games. While San Andreas has side missions and assets, they do not follow any kind of progression. The game features an open world that feels alive. In addition, you can fight gangs made up of immigrants, like the Cuban and Haitian gangs. This game caused controversy, though, since it featured a lot of ethnic racial, and sexism.
Characters
The protagonist of the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City video game is Tommy Vercetti, a former print shop worker turned criminal in the employ of the Mafia. He was jailed for 15 years in Liberty City, where he earned the nickname “Harwood Butcher”. In 1986, he is sent to Vice City by mob boss Sonny Forelli, where he meets various underworld figures and starts a vast criminal empire that involves drugs, stolen vehicles, guns, and illegal jobs.
Controls
The controls in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City are similar to those of the previous games. They only differ slightly depending on which controller you use. The newer ones make traveling and driving easier and more fluid. You’ll no longer feel as if the game is dragging you down by the screeching brakes. This game isn’t as fast as its predecessors, but it’s still a great experience overall.
Weapons
There are several ways to increase the damage to your weapons in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Some of these weapons are not effective against certain enemies, while others can make your life a lot easier. Aside from that, these weapons have various special effects that are hard to duplicate. Here are the most important weapon upgrades. Once you have learned them, you can go out and get some weapons! Make sure you check the manual for the latest weapon info!
Graphics
The Graphics in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City uses the same RenderWare engine as Grand Theft Auto 3 to render environments and objects. Unlike Grand Theft Auto 3 which had an increased level of indirect reflection, Vice City uses many more light sources. Light rays from traffic lights and street lamps cast a bluish tint on car surfaces. The effect is reminiscent of a 1980s cartoon.
Soundtrack
The new version of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City features a smaller soundtrack than the original. The lack of certain tracks is due to artists not allowing the game to use their music. Artists such as Michael Jackson and Bryan Adams contributed to the game’s soundtrack, and even the Electric Light Orchestra played a few tracks in Vice City. The songs were composed by a Rockstar North team.
Ray Liotta’s legacy
As a renowned actor and singer, Ray Liotta lent his voice to the protagonist Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. He was the first celebrity to play a main character in the series. The game was released in 2002 and quickly became a cult classic, selling over 17.5 million copies in the first week.