Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Release and setting

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is an action-adventure game released in 2002 by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the fourth main game in the Grand Theft Auto series and came out for the PlayStation 2. The story happens in 1986 in a fake city named Vice City, which is based on Miami. The player controls a gangster named Tommy Vercetti.

Gameplay

Players can explore the open world of Vice City on foot or in vehicles. They can move freely across two main islands. The game includes real-world influences like different groups of people and events from the 1980s.

Development and influence

The development team visited Miami to make the game world feel real. The game includes famous movies and TV shows like Miami Vice.

Reception and legacy

Vice City was very popular and won many awards. It was the best-selling game of 2002 and has sold over 17.5 million copies. The game was later released for Windows, Xbox, and mobile devices. A remastered version came out in 2021. It was followed by Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in 2004 and a prequel called Vice City Stories in 2006.

Gameplay

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is an action-adventure game where you play as a character named Tommy Vercetti. You complete missions with goals to move through the story. You can also explore the big open world on your own and take on extra side missions.

You can run, jump, or drive vehicles to get around. You can fight enemies using weapons like guns. The game lets you shoot from inside vehicles too. There are many ways to get weapons in the game. If you get hurt, you can find items to heal yourself. The game shows how much trouble you cause with a wanted level — the more trouble you cause, the more police will come after you.

As you play, you meet characters from different groups. Completing missions for a group can give you allies who will help you. You can also take on special activities, which give you rewards. You can buy properties and businesses that give you extra resources and hideouts.

Plot

In 1986, a man named Tommy Vercetti, played by Ray Liotta, leaves prison after fifteen years. His boss, Sonny Forelli, sends him to Vice City, a place like Miami in Florida. Tommy is there to watch over a big deal with special goods. But things go wrong — the deal is attacked, and Tommy and his friend Ken escape.

Tommy must now find the missing goods and money, or he will be in trouble with Sonny. With help from friends, Tommy finds out who attacked the deal. He faces and defeats this powerful person. Tommy then starts his own successful business. Later, Sonny tries to take control of Tommy’s businesses, leading to a big fight. Tommy defeats Sonny and becomes the leading figure in Vice City.

Development

Leslie Benzies made the game with Dan Houser, who also helped write the story. Sam Houser, the head of Rockstar Games, watched over the project.

Rockstar North’s small group of 50 people worked for eighteen months to make Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Work began in late 2001, after finishing Grand Theft Auto III. The team first made 3D shapes, and serious work started early in 2002. They changed their plans from adding more to Grand Theft Auto III to making a new game, which became Vice City.

The game was shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on May 22, 2002. It was the most expensive game made by Rockstar North at the time, costing US$5 million to make and US$13.2 million to advertise. The release date was moved from October 22 to October 29 to make sure there were enough copies. Development stopped on October 15 as the game was submitted for manufacturing. The game came out for the PlayStation 2 on October 29 in North America and November 8 in Europe. Capcom released it in Japan on May 20, 2004, for PlayStation 2 and Windows. The game was added to the Rockstar Games Launcher in September 2019.

Reception

Critical response

PlayStation 2 version

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was very well received when it came out. Metacritic gave it a score of 95 out of 100, based on 62 reviews. It was the highest-rated PlayStation 2 game of 2002. Reviewers liked the game's music, open-ended gameplay, and open world. Some people had issues with the controls and technical problems. IGN's Douglass Perry called it "one of the most impressive games of 2002", and GameSpy said the experience was "deep, enjoyable, and unique".

Reviewers thought the missions were better than in Grand Theft Auto III, though some found them a bit awkward. IGN's Perry said the missions made players feel like they were inside a real story. Game Informer said the missions were more complex, and AllGame said the story was improved. AllGame also said the main character, Tommy, was more interesting than Claude from Grand Theft Auto III. IGN's Perry said Rockstar chose the right person for the role, and Edge said Tommy was very charismatic.

The open world design was praised, with many saying it had more detail and felt more alive than before. GameSpy's Padilla compared Vice City favorably to Grand Theft Auto III's Liberty City. Game Revolution's Ben Silverman said the game's depth was "unparalleled", and AllGame's Marriott praised the ambitious design.

AllGame called Vice City an "unforgettable listening experience", and IGN's Perry said the music was "the most impressive list of songs in a game". Many liked the game's radio stations and talk radio, feeling the 1980s music fit the game's world. The voice acting was also praised; GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann said the characters were "colorful and memorable", and IGN's Perry said the voice acting was "one of the best". Game Revolution's Silverman said the acting made the story believable.

Reviewers found the game offered a better variety of vehicles than Grand Theft Auto III, and said they were easier to control. GameSpot's Gerstmann said the driving was "more exciting and dangerous", and IGN's Perry liked the motorcycle controls. Reviewers also noted improvements in targeting and shooting, though there were still some issues. Game Informer's Matt Helgeson said the targeting was improved enough to make combat fun.

Some reviewers noticed better draw distance than in Grand Theft Auto III, but many had issues with frame rate during busy scenes. Opinions were mixed about the character models; some liked the improvements, while Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell thought they hadn't been improved enough. The game's artificial intelligence and long loading times were often criticized, along with awkward camera angles during gameplay.

Windows version

When Vice City came to Windows in May 2003, it received similar praise. Metacritic gave it a score of 94 out of 100, based on 30 reviews. It was the highest-rated Windows game on Metacritic in 2003. Reviewers liked the visual improvements and generally liked the control changes.

The visuals of the Windows version were praised. AllGame's Mark Hoogland liked the better car details, environment textures, and weather effects. GameSpot's Greg Kasavin agreed, though noted some frame rate drops. GameSpy's Sal Accardo praised the draw distance improvements, with few texture issues. IGN's Steve Butts said the system requirements were reasonable, unlike Grand Theft Auto III, and liked the faster loading times. Eurogamer's Martin Taylor criticized the visuals, saying higher resolutions didn't help the overall quality, and criticized the hardware requirements.

The control changes for the Windows version were mostly well received. Most reviewers liked the improved targeting and shooting with mouse and keyboard controls. Eurogamer's Taylor called them "far more fluid", and GameSpy's Accardo said "there's simply no substitute for aiming with a mouse". However, the driving controls were widely criticized. IGN's Butts called them "crap". AllGame's Hoogland said the controls became "more forgiving" over time.

Mobile version

When Vice City was released for mobile devices in December 2012, it received "generally favorable" reviews. Metacritic gave it a score of 80 out of 100, based on 19 reviews. Reviewers liked the improved visuals, but had issues with the touchscreen controls.

The mobile version's visuals were well received. Destructoid's Chris Carter said they suited the game's bright, neon style, and that new lighting effects made the game pop. IGN's Justin Davis praised the updated character models, lighting, and textures. Touch Arcade's Eric Ford said the visuals were improved but not drastically. NowGamer said the mobile display made the game more enjoyable to look at, despite issues with the original game. The Telegraph's Tom Hoggins had some issues with character models but said "the city looks terrific".

Most reviewers criticized the touchscreen controls. Pocket Gamer's Mark Brown said they were "not ideal", but noted this was also true for the original game. Digital Spy's Scott Nichols felt the game made the controls "more complicated". IGN's Davis appreciated the customisable controls, saying they made the game more controllable. Touch Arcade's Ford liked the developers' efforts to make controls better. Destructoid's Carter liked the controls despite some awkward movement, and The Telegraph's Hoggins said they were "far more accomplished" than Grand Theft Auto III's mobile version.

Accolades

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City received many nominations and awards from gaming publications. It was nominated for six awards at the 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, winning Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year. It led the 1st British Academy Games Awards with eight nominations and six awards, including PlayStation 2 Game, PC Game, Action Game, Design, and Sound. It was named the Best PlayStation 2 game at the Golden Joystick Awards and from Entertainment Weekly, IGN, and GameSpot, and won the Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards. GameSpot awarded it Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Music, and Best Graphics (Technical and Artistic). IGN awarded it Best Action/Adventure Game, and it was the runner-up for Reader's Choice Overall Game of the Year.

Sales

When Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was released, it became very popular very fast. In just one day, over half a million people bought the game. Within two days, more than a million copies were sold. It was the best-selling game of the year in the United States. By 2004, nearly six million people had bought it, and by 2007, that number grew to over eight million.

The game did well in many places. In Japan, about 223,000 copies were sold in the first week alone. Overall, across all gaming systems, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City sold more than 17 million copies by 2008. It was one of the top-selling games for the PlayStation 2 and also did well when sold together with Grand Theft Auto III as a special bundle.

Controversies

Some people thought Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was too violent and showed bad behavior. They felt the game might encourage harmful actions. The game's makers changed some versions to make it less intense.

Sadly, there were a few sad events linked to the game. In one case, a young person said they thought "life is like a video game" after doing something very wrong. Another young person was involved in a serious incident after playing the game a lot. These events led to legal discussions, but the courts did not find the game responsible.

Legacy

People loved Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and thought it was one of the best games ever made. Writers from places like USA Today and Kotaku said it was amazing because of how you could explore and play. Fans also put it high on lists of great games.

The game came out for many different devices over the years. It was released for computers, game consoles like the PlayStation and Xbox, and even phones and tablets. Each version tried to make the game look and play better.