Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

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 was released for the PlayStation 2. The story is set in 1986 in a fictional city called Vice City, which is based on Miami. The player controls a gangster named Tommy Vercetti who gets caught up in dangerous activities after an ambushed drug deal goes wrong.

Players can explore the open world of Vice City on foot or in vehicles, moving freely across two main islands. The game includes real-world influences such as different groups of people, events from the 1980s, and famous movies and TV shows like Scarface and Miami Vice. The development team visited Miami to make the game world feel authentic.

Vice City was very popular and received many awards from gaming publications. It became 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, with a remastered version coming 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 specific 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 different weapons like guns and explosives. The game lets you shoot from inside vehicles too. There are many ways to get weapons throughout the game. If you get hurt, you can find items to heal yourself. The game tracks how much trouble you cause with a wanted level — the more trouble you cause, the bigger the police response.

As you progress, 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 like helping people or running services, 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 for a crime he didn’t mean to do. His boss, Sonny Forelli, sends him to Vice City, a place like Miami in Florida, to watch over a big deal involving special goods. But things go wrong — the deal is attacked, and Tommy and his friend Ken barely escape.

Tommy must now find the missing goods and money, or face serious trouble from Sonny. With help from friends and allies, Tommy investigates who attacked the deal. He discovers that a powerful local figure was behind it. After some difficult moments, Tommy confronts and defeats this figure. He then builds his own successful business, making many people work for him. Eventually, Sonny tries to take control of Tommy’s businesses, leading to a big showdown. Tommy defeats Sonny and becomes the leading figure in Vice City.

Development

Leslie Benzies produced the game with Dan Houser, who also helped write the story. Sam Houser, the president of Rockstar Games, oversaw the project.

Rockstar North’s small team of 50 people worked for eighteen months to create Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Development started in late 2001, after finishing Grand Theft Auto III. The team first made 3D models, and serious work began early in 2002. They changed plans from making extra content for Grand Theft Auto III to creating 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 develop and US$13.2 million to market. 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 reception

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was released to critical acclaim. Metacritic calculated an average score of 95 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 62 reviews. It is Metacritic's highest-rated PlayStation 2 game of 2002, and the fifth-highest rated PlayStation 2 game overall, tied with a number of others. Reviewers liked the game's sound and music, open-ended gameplay, and open world design, though some criticism was directed at the controls and technical issues. IGN's Douglass Perry declared it "one of the most impressive games of 2002", and GameSpy's Raymond Padilla named the experience "deep, devilishly enjoyable, and unique".

Reviewers generally considered the missions an improvement over Grand Theft Auto III, although some noted occasional awkwardness and frustration. IGN's Perry wrote that the game's missions give the player "a stronger feeling of being inside a story within a world that truly exists". Game Informer's Matt Helgeson found the missions to be more complex, and AllGame's Scott Alan Marriott felt that the storyline was improved as a result. Marriott also found the lead character of Tommy to be more engaging than Grand Theft Auto III's Claude; IGN's Perry felt that Rockstar "found the right person and the right choice", and Edge wrote that Tommy "sweats charisma", commending Ray Liotta's performance.

The game's open world design was praised by reviewers, many of whom felt that it contained more detail and felt more alive than its predecessors. GameSpy's Padilla made favourable comparisons between Vice City and Grand Theft Auto III's Liberty City, noting the former's level of detail. Game Revolution's Ben Silverman wrote that the game's depth is "unparalleled", praising the world's realism and detail, while AllGame's Marriott commended the "ambitious scope in design".

Marriott of AllGame named Vice City an "unforgettable listening experience", and Perry of IGN declared the music as "the most impressive list of songs in a game". Many reviewers commended the game's radio stations and talk radio, and felt that the game's collection of licensed 1980s music fit the tone and time period of the world. The voice acting also received praise; GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann named the cast of characters "colorful and memorable", and IGN's Perry found the voice acting "one of the best of its kind". Game Revolution's Silverman felt that the acting "gives the story credence".

Many reviewers found that the game offers a better variety of vehicles than Grand Theft Auto III, and found them easier to control; GameSpot's Gerstmann named the driving "more exciting and dangerous", and IGN's Perry found the motorcycle's controls pleasing. In addition to the vehicle handling, reviewers noted improvements in the targeting and shooting mechanics, although still recognised issues. Helgeson of Game Informer wrote that "targeting is improved to the point where combat can actually be fun".

Some reviewers recognised an improved draw distance over Grand Theft Auto III, although many identified frame rate drops during hardware-intense sequences. The changes in character models polarised reviews; while GameSpy's Padilla and IGN's Perry noted the improvement in character models, Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell considered it "maddening to see that character ... models haven't been smartened up at all". The game's artificial intelligence and long load times were frequently criticised in reviews, and many reviewers noted the awkward camera angles and environment during gameplay.

Windows version

Windows version reception

When Vice City was released to Windows in May 2003, it received similar critical acclaim. Metacritic calculated an average score of 94 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 30 reviews. It was the highest-rated Windows game on Metacritic in 2003. Reviewers liked the visual enhancements, and were generally positive towards the control improvements.

The port's visuals received a positive response from reviewers. AllGame's Mark Hoogland praised the improved car details, environment textures, and weather effects; GameSpot's Greg Kasavin echoed similar remarks, noting occasional frame rate drops. GameSpy's Sal Accardo commended the draw distance improvements, identifying very few texture issues. IGN's Steve Butts found the port's system requirements to be reasonable, unlike Grand Theft Auto III, and praised the faster load times. Eurogamer's Martin Taylor was critical of the visuals, stating that the higher resolutions "aren't kind to the overall visual quality", and criticising the hardware requirements.

The control changes of the port were generally well received. Most reviewers found the targeting and shooting mechanics to be improved with mouse and keyboard controls; Eurogamer's Taylor called them "far more fluid", and GameSpy's Accardo wrote "there's simply no substitute for aiming with a mouse". However, the driving control changes were widely criticised; IGN's Butts called it "crap". AllGame's Hoogland found the controls to be "more forgiving" over time.

Mobile version

Mobile version reception

When Vice City was released on mobile devices in December 2012, it received "generally favorable" reviews. Metacritic calculated an average score of 80 out of 100, based on 19 reviews. Reviewers liked the enhanced visuals, but criticism was directed at the touchscreen controls.

The port's visuals were well received. Destructoid's Chris Carter felt that they "[suit] the neon and bright pastel veneer", and wrote that the "new lighting effects and smoothed-out engine really allow the game to pop like it never has before". IGN's Justin Davis praised the updated character models, lighting, and textures, and Touch Arcade's Eric Ford noted that the "visuals are improved but not in a drastic manner". NowGamer found that the mobile display improves the visual enjoyment of the game, despite the issues with the original game. Tom Hoggins of The Telegraph identified some issues with character models, but stated "the city looks terrific".

Most reviewers criticised the port's touchscreen controls. Pocket Gamer's Mark Brown found them "not ideal", but noted that this was also the case in the original game, while Digital Spy's Scott Nichols felt that the game "only complicated [the controls] further". IGN's Davis was thankful for the addition of customisable controls, and wrote that they "make the experience much more controllable", and Touch Arcade's Ford greatly appreciated the developer's efforts to "make the situation bearable". Destructoid's Carter spoke favourably of the controls, despite noting awkward character movement, while The Telegraph's Hoggins found the controls "far more accomplished" than Grand Theft Auto III's mobile port.

Accolades

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City received multiple nominations and awards from gaming publications. It was nominated for six awards at the 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, of which it won Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year; it was nominated for Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year the following 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 similarly named the Best PlayStation 2 game at the Golden Joystick Awards and from Entertainment Weekly, IGN, and GameSpot, and was awarded the prestigious 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 came out, it became very popular very quickly. In just one day, over half a million people bought the game, and within two days, more than a million copies were sold. It was the most sold 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 groups felt that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was too violent and showed bad behavior. They thought the game was too realistic and might encourage harmful actions. In response, the makers of the game made changes to some versions to make it less intense.

Unfortunately, there were some 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 about the game's effects, though 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. Some fans even made their own versions of the game for other devices, but the company behind it said they couldn’t do that.