Upon release, the game received critical acclaim, with praise particularly directed at its music, gameplay and open world design. However, the game also generated controversy, with criticism directed at the depiction of violence and racial groups. The game sparked lawsuits and protests while being labelled as violent and explicit. Vice City became the best-selling video game of 2002 and has sold over 17.5 million copies. Considered one of the most significant titles of the sixth generation of video games, and one of the greatest video games ever made, it won numerous year-end accolades including Game of the Year awards from several gaming publications. Since its release, the game has received numerous ports to many gaming platforms. Its successor, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, was released in October 2004, and a prequel, Vice City Stories, was released in 2006.
GAMEPLAY
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective. The player controls the criminal Tommy Vercetti and completes missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story. It is possible to have several active missions running at one time, as some missions require the player to wait for further instructions or events. Outside of missions, the player can freely roam the game's open world and has the ability to complete optional side missions. Composed of two main islands and several smaller areas, the world is much larger in area than earlier entries in the series. The islands are unlocked for the player as the story progresses.
The player can drive motorcycles in GTA VICE CITY
The player may run, jump, or drive vehicles to navigate the game's world. The player uses melee attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies. The firearms include weapons such as the Colt Python, an M60 machine gun and a Mini gun. The game's three-dimension environment allows a first-person view while aiming with the sniper rifle and rocket launcher. In addition, the game's combat allows the player to commit drive-by shootings by facing sideways in a vehicle. The game provides the player a wide variety of weapon options—they can be purchased from local firearms dealers, found on the ground, retrieved from dead enemies, or found around the city.
In combat, auto-aim can be used as assistance against enemies. Should the player take damage, their health meter can be fully regenerated through the use of health pick-ups. Body Armour can be used to absorb gunshots and explosive damage, but is used up in the process. When health is entirely depleted, gameplay stops, and the player re-spawns at the nearest hospital while losing all weapons and Armour and some of their money. If the player commits crimes while playing, the game's law enforcement agencies may respond as indicated by a "wanted" meter in the head-up display (HUD), which increases as the player commits more crimes. On the meter, the displayed stars indicate the current wanted level, and the higher the level, the greater the response for law enforcement (for example, at the maximum six-star level, police helicopters and military swarm to lethally dispatch players).
During the story, Tommy meets characters from various gangs. As the player completes missions for different gangs, fellow gang members will often defend the player, while rival gang members will recognize the player and subsequently shoot on sight. While free roaming the game world, the player may engage in activities such as a vigilante mini game, a fire fighting
activity, and a taxi cab service. Completion of these activities grants the player with context-specific rewards. As Tommy builds his criminal empire, the player may purchase a number of properties distributed across the city, some of which act as additional hideouts where weapons can be collected and vehicles can be stored. There are also a variety of businesses which can be purchased, including a film studio, a taxi company, and several entertainment clubs. Each commercial property has a number of missions attached to it, such as eliminating competition or stealing equipment; once all missions are complete, the property begins to generate an ongoing income available for the player.
IN-GAME STORY
In 1986, Tommy Vercetti (Ray Liotta), a loyal former member of the Forelli Family, is released from prison after serving a fifteen-year sentence for several murders he committed in Liberty City previously. His former boss, Sonny Forelli (Tom Sizemore), ostensibly promotes Tommy to a caporegime and sends him to Vice City to act as the Forelli's buyer in a cocaine deal and to also do other ground work for the Forelli's with setting up their drug trade in the south. When Tommy and his bodyguards arrive in Vice City, crooked lawyer Ken Rosenberg (William Fichtner) takes them in his car to the docks, the site of the deal. They are ambushed by several masked men, who kill their bodyguards. Tommy narrowly escapes with Ken from the docks, losing the Forelli's money and the cocaine in the process. After Ken returns to his office, Tommy drives back to his hotel and informs Sonny, promising him under the threat of consequences to get back the drugs and money and kill whoever was responsible for the ambush.
Seeking information, Ken points Tommy towards Colonel Juan Garcia Cortez (Robert Davi), who helped set the exchange up. Expressing regret for the matter, Cortez promises to help Tommy find out who masterminded the ambush plot. In the process of finding leads, Tommy meets Kent Paul (Danny Dyer), who leads Tommy to one of the participants in the ambush. Tommy then works for Ricardo Diaz (Luis Guzmán), the local drug kingpin, who hires him as protection. Cortez soon voices his suspicion that Diaz might have organized the ambush. With the help of Lance Vance (Philip Michael Thomas), whose brother died in the ambush, Tommy kills Diaz in his own mansion. As a result, Tommy and Lance become Vice City's new drug kingpins, allowing Tommy to create his own organization and distance himself from the Forelli family. Tommy also works with the Cuban gang's leader Umberto Robina (Danny Trejo) in their fight against the Haitians. After destroying the Haitians' drug factory, Umberto becomes Tommy's partner in the drug trade. Tommy also earns the respect and friendship of Mitch Baker (Lee Majors), a leader of a biker gang, whose bikers work alongside the Cubans to become protectors of Vercetti family business. Tommy also expands his empire by purchasing assets in nearly bankrupt companies and turning them back into competitive businesses, such as a taxi firm, movie studio, print works, and dance clubs.
Eventually, Sonny discovers that Tommy has gained complete control over Vice City's drug trade without cutting the Forelli family in. Enraged that Tommy has become independent and is hustling him, Sonny sends high-ranking Forelli members to forcefully collect money from Tommy's assets. Tommy quickly disposes of them and decides to sever his ties with the Forelli family. Sonny arrives at his estate with a small army of mafiosi and demands his mob tribute under the threat of force. As Tommy attempts to give the tribute in counterfeit money, Sonny reveals that he set Tommy up fifteen years prior, resulting in his prison sentence. Lance also reveals his partnership with Sonny, admitting to having informed Sonny about Tommy's activities in Vice City. Angered at this betrayal, Tommy chases and ridicules Lance before killing him for his treachery. Heading through his estate, the gun battle eventually culminates in Tommy killing Sonny and his remaining army once and for all. When Ken arrives, he is shocked and worried by the events, but Tommy reassures him that everything is fine, having finally established himself as the undisputed crime kingpin of Vice City. In the post-credits gameplay, Tommy receives greeting phone calls from Paul and Cortez.
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