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    Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

    Game » consists of 13 releases. Released Oct 27, 2002

    Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is the second 3D game in the series and sixth original title. It features more of the same sand-box action-adventure gameplay with a new 1980s setting, new characters, new weapons and much more.

    Short summary describing this game.

    Grand Theft Auto: Vice City last edited by MelodicVirus on 09/30/22 03:42PM View full history

    Overview

    In 2002, close on the heels of revolutionary sand-box blockbuster Grand Theft Auto III, came Vice City. It had some ambitious heights to scale and a great deal of expectations that it's critically-acclaimed predecessor had set. Vice City managed not only to do that, but it also raised the bar of open-world gaming in every aspect we would think of. The game is set in the luminous era of 80's in the hedonistic tropical paradise of Vice City; a neon-lit metropolis with shining beaches, loosely based on the real-world Miami.

    Plot

    Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
    Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

    Players assume the role of Tommy Vercetti, a Mafia hitman who is a highly ambitious go-getter, no nonsense kind of guy. He is back after serving fifteen years in prison for a killing spree. The Mafia family of Liberty City send him down "south" to Miami as opposed to Liberty City, to avoid bringing unwanted attention that could be brought by Tommy's return. They set up a drug deal in Vice City in which Tommy is supposed to participate in the Mafia's hopes to gain a strong foothold down south. The deal goes sour, Tommy's comrades are killed, and he is left in a new city without any money, with little to turn to and a big debt the pay off. [Unlike GTA III's mute protagonist, Tommy Vercetti has dialogues, which really do well to create his unique persona.]

    Despite the failure of the deal, Sonny Forelli decides to give Tommy a chance to get the drugs and the money back. Tommy promises to get back the lost goods and kill those responsible. He decides to turn to Ken Rosenburg, who escaped the ambush at the deal with him, to decide their next move.

    Ken informs Tommy about a big party going down on the yacht of Colonel Juan Garcia Cortez. Using Ken's invitation, he attends the party and is introduced (although not in person) to several of Vice City's most important people. A loud mouthed Ricardo Diaz arrives, and Tommy takes the Colonel's daughter to the strip club at her request. Following the party, Tommy tells Ken that they need someone from the street, and Ken suggests that they confront Kent Paul. Tommy meets Kent Paul at The Malibu, a dance club where Kent is seen unsuccessfully trying to woo a woman. After a confrontational meeting, Kent tells Tommy about a chef who might be involved. Tommy kills the chef after an unproductive interrogation. In the process he meets Lance Vance, who gives him a handgun and shows him the local Ammu-Nation store.

    Take that innocent VCR!
    Take that innocent VCR!

    Despite the fact that he's met some people, Tommy still hasn't found what he's looking for. For the next few days, Tommy performs jobs for Cortez and even Diaz as well as others. One mission involves him and Lance Vance overseeing a deal between Diaz and a group of Haitians. The Haitians turn on Diaz, but Tommy and Lance open fire. Diaz barely escapes with his life. Following the deal, Diaz asks Tommy to meet his friend Quentin. Apparently someone has been selling real estate on his watch, and he is pissed off about that. In reality, Quentin is actually Lance Vance. Diaz killed Lance's brother and he is convinced that Tommy is next. Together they do the job asked of them, but now Tommy knows to keep a close eye on Diaz

    Diaz has clearly lost his mind (although that assumes he even had a sane mind to begin with). Tommy witnesses him shooting his VCR after it fails to operate correctly and firing at birds that make the mistake of landing on his car. Diaz's next mission for Tommy is to steal a boat that apparently is faster than his. Nobody can have a faster boat than Diaz, so Tommy takes it and drives it over to the mansion. However, Tommy learns about someone that moors their boat off the coast and sells their stuff to the first person that gets to them. Using the fast boat he just stole, Tommy as well as Lance beat everyone else to the freelancer. Eventually the two collect enough information to prove that Diaz is the one responsible for the deal at the beginning of the game going wrong.

    It would be unwise for one to mess with Tommy Vercetti
    It would be unwise for one to mess with Tommy Vercetti

    Unfortunately, Lance, who's eager to get revenge for the killing of his brother, attempts to take out Diaz himself. He fails miserably and is taken hostage in a junkyard. Tommy rolls in guns blazing and manages to free Lance from the clutches of Diaz's henchman. At this point, Tommy realizes it's now or never; they need to remove Diaz from Vice City. Tommy arrives at Diaz's mansion with Lance. Lance apparently has been stockpiling guns for quite some time; he opens the trunk of his car and the two grab assault rifles. A massive assault begins on the mansion and after a ferocious gunfight Diaz is executed in his own home. Tommy assumes control of the mansion and he, along with Avery Carrington (who gave him missions earlier), Lance Vance, and Ken Roseburg establish the Vercetti gang. Tommy at this point is allowed to start buying real estate throughout Vice City, which in turn generates revenue for him to collect. It may seem like Tommy is on top of the world, but he still has $3,000,000 to collect and pay to Sonny Forelli.

    After a few more missions, one of which involved stealing cop uniforms and blowing up a section of the mall, Sonny decides that he isn't going to wait any longer. He sends someones down to Vice City to collect the money. Tommy creates $3,000,000 in counterfeit cash, but not before killing the man Sonny sent down for the money. Sonny arrives at the mansion, and Tommy hands over the fake money. Then, the unthinkable happens. Lance Vance, who is wildly upset that he isn't getting his fair share of Tommy's money, informs Sonny that the cash is fake. A raid begins on Tommy's mansion, but Tommy manages to kill Lance, Sonny, and all of Sonny's men. Now, with his boss and the maniac he once considered a friend out of the picture, Tommy returns to controlling Vice City.

    Gameplay

    The flamethrower in action
    The flamethrower in action

    The core gameplay design and interface in Vice City remains roughly the same as in GTAIII, other than few interesting twists and added extras. This is very much a Grand Theft Auto title, which means players can steal or "jack" vehicles, kill pedestrians, cause mayhem, escape from the cops, etc. Most of the story progresses through "missions" or "jobs" which will be given out to Tommy by his various employers at various stages. Later in the game he will have to purchase real estate to have access to some of the missions. Much of the mission design remains same and many of the missions involve eliminating targets either on foot or in vehicle, completing a certain deal, or driving over contacts to a fixed location and so on. However, many of Vice City's missions are truly unique and their novelty adds to the fun of playing the game. Addition of motorcycles and helicopters in Vice City is a welcome change.

    The ability to buy businesses like a night club, a taxi company, film studio, printing press, strip club or car showroom is another addition to Vice City, this is the main generator of income in the game. These businesses once bought unlock a couple of side-missions which need to be completed in order for the businesses to generate revenue. Players could also participate in illegal street races and earn money. As usual there are rampages, stunts and hidden packages - a tradition in GTA games by now.

    Vice City also features some vehicles that weren't seen in Grand Theft Auto III, such as helicopters and motorcyles. There is also a flyable plane that is remarkably easier to pilot compared to the Dodo from GTA III.

    Soundtrack

    Emotion 98.3

    Emotion 98.3
    Emotion 98.3

    DJ: Fernando Martinez

    Genre: Power ballads, Rock

    Tracklist:

    • Foreigner - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"
    • Kate Bush - "Wow"
    • Squeeze - "Tempted"
    • REO Speedwagon - "Keep On Loving You"
    • Cutting Crew - "(I Just) Died In Your Arms"
    • Roxy Music - "More Than This"
    • Toto - "Africa"
    • Mr. Mister - "Broken Wings"
    • John Waite - "Missing You"
    • Jan Hammer - "Crockett's Theme"
    • Night Ranger - "Sister Christian"
    • Luther Vandross - "Never Too Much"

    Espantoso

    Espantoso
    Espantoso

    DJ: Pepe

    Genre: Latin Jazz, Salsa

    Tracklist:

    • Cachao - "A Gozar Con Mi Combo"
    • Alpha Banditos - "The Bull Is Wrong"
    • Tres Apenas como eso - "Yo Te Mire"
    • Eumir Deodato - "Latin Flute"
    • Mongo Santamaría - "Mama Papa Tu"
    • Mongo Santamaría - "Me and You Baby (Picao y Tostao)"
    • Machito and his Afro-Cubans - "Mambo Mucho Mambo"
    • Unaesta - "La Vida es Una Lenteja"
    • Lonnie Liston Smith - "Expansions"
    • Irakere - "Anunga Nunga"
    • Eumir Deodato - "Super Strut"
    • Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra - "Jamay"
    • Benny Moré - "Maracaïbo Oriental"
    • Tito Puente - "Mambo Gozon"

    Fever 105

    Fever 105
    Fever 105

    DJ: Oliver "Ladykiller" Biscuit

    Genre: Disco, Soul, R&B

    Tracklist:

    • 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 King - "Shame"
    • Teena Marie - "Behind the Groove"
    • Mtume - "Juicy Fruit"
    • Kool & the Gang - "Summer Madness"
    • Indeep - "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life"

    Flash FM

    Flash FM
    Flash FM

    DJ: Toni

    Genre: Pop music

    Tracklist:

    • Hall & Oates - "Out of Touch"
    • Wang Chung - "Dance Hall Days"
    • Michael Jackson - "Billie Jean"
    • Laura Branigan - "Self Control"
    • Go West - "Call Me"
    • INXS - "Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain)"
    • Bryan Adams - "Run to You"
    • Electric Light Orchestra - "Four Little Diamonds"
    • Yes - "Owner of a Lonely Heart"
    • The Buggles - "Video Killed the Radio Star"
    • Aneka - "Japanese Boy"
    • Talk Talk - "Life's What You Make It"
    • The Outfield - "Your Love"
    • Joe Jackson - "Steppin' Out"
    • The Fixx - "One Thing Leads to Another"
    • Lionel Richie - "Running With The Night"

    V-Rock

    V-Rock
    V-Rock

    DJ: Lazlow

    Genre: Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Thrash Metal, Glam Metal

    Tracklist:

    • Twisted Sister - "I Wanna Rock"
    • Mötley Crüe - "Too Young to Fall in Love"
    • Quiet Riot - "Cum on Feel the Noize"
    • The Cult - "She Sells Sanctuary"
    • Ozzy Osbourne - "Bark At The Moon"
    • Rockstar's Love Fist - "Dangerous Bastard"
    • Iron Maiden - "2 Minutes to Midnight"
    • Loverboy - "Working for the Weekend"
    • Alcatrazz - "God Blessed Video"
    • Tesla - "Cumin' Atcha Live"
    • Autograph - "Turn Up the Radio"
    • Megadeth - "Peace Sells"
    • Anthrax - "Madhouse"
    • Slayer - "Raining Blood"
    • Judas Priest - "You've Got Another Thing Comin'"
    • Rockstar's Love Fist - "Fist Fury"
    • David Lee Roth - "Yankee Rose"

    Wave 103

    Wave 103
    Wave 103

    DJ: Adam First

    Genre: New Wave, Synthpop

    Tracklist:

    • Frankie Goes to Hollywood - "Two Tribes"
    • Sigue Sigue Sputnik - "Love Missile F1-11"
    • Gary Numan - "Cars"
    • The Human League - "(Keep Feeling) Fascination"
    • Blondie - "Atomic"
    • Nena - "99 Luftballons"
    • Kim Wilde - "Kids in America"
    • Tears for Fears - "Pale Shelter"
    • Corey Hart - "Sunglasses At Night"
    • ABC - "Poison Arrow"
    • A Flock of Seagulls - "I Ran (So Far Away)"
    • Psychedelic Furs - "Love My Way"
    • Animotion - "Obsession"
    • Spandau Ballet - "Gold"
    • Thomas Dolby - "Hyperactive!"
    • Romeo Void - "Never Say Never"

    Wildstyle Pirate Radio

    Wildstyle
    Wildstyle

    DJ: Mr. Magic

    Genre: Old School hip hop, period Electro

    Tracklist:

    • Trouble Funk - "Pump Me Up"
    • Davy DMX - "One for the Treble"
    • Cybotron - "Clear"
    • Hashim - "Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)"
    • Herbie Hancock - "Rockit"
    • Afrika Bambaataa and Soul Sonic Force - "Looking for the Perfect Beat"
    • 2 Live Crew - "Get It Girl"
    • Run-D.M.C. - "Rock Box"
    • Mantronix - "Bassline"
    • Tyrone Brunson - "The Smurf"
    • Whodini - "Magic's Wand"
    • Zapp and Roger - "More Bounce to the Ounce"
    • Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five - "The Message"
    • Kurtis Blow - "The Breaks"
    • Man Parrish - "Hip Hop, Be Bop (Don't Stop)"

    Weapons

    Fists: Sometimes, the best way to solve a problem is by beating the crap out of someone with bare hands.

    Brass Knuckles: If mitts aren't doing enough damage, slap on some brass to maximize the pain Tommy is inflicting. These replace the Fist 'weapon', rather than going in the melee weapon slot.

    Melee Weapons:

    • Meat Cleaver: This meat cleaver is used to cut meat and to kill people with.
    • Hammer: Normally used for nice things like building houses, in Tommy Vercetti's hands it's a deadly weapon.
    • Golf Club: Whack people with a golf club, this puppy has a nice long reach.
    • Machete: Usually used in the jungle to cut down vegetation, Tommy chops heads off with it.
    • Knife: A knife to stab people with.
    • Screwdriver: A popular drink, but a deadly weapon.
    • Katana: The ultimate melee weapon, this Japanese sword is good for cutting fools up.
    • Baseball Bat: Take me out to the ball game! Whack an opponent's head out of the ballpark!
    • Nightstick: When cops aren't chowing down on donuts, they like to smack people with these.
    • Chainsaw: Slows Tommy down and incredibly slow to use.

    Sub-Machine Guns:

    • Tec-9: An effective, cheap sub-machine gun.
    • Mac 10: Pretty much the same as the Tec-9, although it is a little bit faster.
    • Uzi: A very effective weapon. Kills people very fast and sounds awesome at the same time.
    • MP5: Best sub-machine gun in the game. No contest.

    Pistols:

    • Colt 45: A basic pistol. Kills people in 3-4 shots.
    • The Python: A very effective revolver. Kills people in 1 shot.

    Shotguns:

    • Shotgun: A basic shotgun. The police uses these.
    • Stubby shotgun: A shotgun with a very large spread of bullets. Good for groups of enemies.
    • Spaz-12: Semi-automatic shotgun. Very effective.

    Explosives:

    • Grenade: Basic hand grenade. Very effective if thrown right.
    • Satchel Charges: A remote-detonated explosive. Place it wherever, and BOOM!
    • Molotov Cocktail: Less effective than the grenade, but packs a mean punch (burn?).
    • Tear Gas: A not-so-effective weapon. Use as a last resort.

    Snipers:

    • Sniper Rifle: A basic sniper rifle. Kills people in one shot.
    • PSG-1: Best sniper rifle in the game. Kills people in one shot and has a better rate of fire.

    Assault Rifles:

    • Ruger: A manual-aim machine gun. Very effective if used properly.
    • M4: Another manual-aim machine gun. Also very effective if used properly.

    Heavy Weapons:

    • M60: Say hello to Tommy's little friend. The M60 takes out vehicles at an insane speed. Also very good for mass-murdering rampages.
    • Flamethrower: Surprisingly long range. Good for killing people in a funny way.
    • Minigun: Incredibly cool, and possibly the best weapon in the game. Good for ranking up those wanted stars really fast.
    • Rocket Launcher: Very effective. Good for mass-murdering rampages, and the only weapon which can deal with enemy helicopters.

    System Requirements

    Minimum:

    • OS: Microsoft® Windows® 2000/XP
    • Processor: 800 MHz Intel Pentium III or 800 MHz AMD Athlon or 1.2GHz Intel Celeron or 1.2 GHz AMD Duron processor
    • Memory: 128 MB of RAM
    • Graphics: 32 MB video card with DirectX 9.0 compatible drivers ("GeForce" or better)
    • DirectX Version: Microsoft DirectX® 9.0
    • Hard Drive: 915 MB of free hard disk space ( 635 MB if video card does NOT support DirectX Texture Compression)
    • Sound Card: Sound Card with DirectX 9.0

    Recommended:

    • Processor: Intel Pentium IV or AMD Athlon XP processor 256( ) MB of RAM
    • Memory: 1.55 GB of free hard disk space( 635 MB if video card does NOT support DirectX Texture Compression)
    • Graphics: 64( ) MB video card with DirectX 9.0 compatible drivers ("GeForce 3" / "Radeon 8500" or better with DirectX Texture Compression support)
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