Good evening and welcome to Part 2 of our collaborative piece between me and @Waffles. Please head over to his Part 1 article for his retrospective spin on this game’s history. Today’s article will be the review, judging the game not based on personal history but as a game full-stop. Today we shall examine Tommy Vercetti’s quest to conquer Vice City and see if it truly stood the test of time! So without further ado, let’s ram random pedestrians and get right into this.
For the uninitiated, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open-world game released on PS2 and later PC and Xbox, developed by British developer “Rockstar North” (formerly known as DMA Design). This was their first major release as Rockstar, and it was quite the ambitious one, recruiting all-time movie legends such as the late Ray Liotta of Goodfellas fame to voice the title's very own protagonist and Philip Micheal Thomas of Miami Vice fame to voice Lance Vance, a character who might lack a bit of self-control.
And ambition could not be a more apt word to describe the game’s narrative, as the game sees Tommy take on Vice City’s criminal underworld in order to build his very own criminal empire after his boss Sonny Forelli (played by the late Tom Sizemore of Heat and Saving Private Ryan fame) put him at a hard spot and has been using him for years, forcing Tommy to take the fall for a crime and serve 15 years in prison. While Tommy is not out of touch, he was thankfully out of jail time.
But a game’s story is only as good as its gameplay. Luckily, Vice City knocks it out of the park in that regard. But first, a second opinion from our good friend Waffles. Hit the breaks!
Second Opinion:
Lovely. Great insight and indeed, Vice City is the kind of game that just makes you wanna come back every time, a sentiment I wholeheartedly share. The game’s infamous structure of mowing down random pedestrians, taking on the law and unleashing sheer chaotic mayhem has never once disappointed. And with an insane mission variety, properties to manage, stunts to perform, characters to befriend and weapons and cars to obtain, Vice City is bound to keep you entertained. It’s insane how much this game has to offer, just wow.
I would like to discuss more of the story, like some of the characters you meet including Umberto Robina (played by the wonderful Danny Trejo) but I’m more tempted to discuss the soundtrack. You may have noticed a myriad of links, there’s more than this, as this soundtrack is beyond legendary. It’s hard not to keep on loving it, I really miss this kind of ost in games that use licensed songs. My love is so big, it reaches all the way to Africa even if it has broken wings. You can never have too much 80s music, everyone loves it, you, your neighbor, you sister (make sure to point them towards it) your grandpa, everyone. They’re addicting, the beat always goes on, it acts like it knows it, it’s perfect for getting down on disco nights, you can practically enjoy it all night long.
Sharks in Vice City were placed as a way to start myths to trick players into thinking Tommy could not swim because of the alleged “shark attacks”.
Can you tell that I really like this soundtrack? I can go on forever, but I’ll be good and stop or else I might die tonight of sheer excitement. Makes me wanna start writing something, like another paragraph, but shame I gotta hold it in.
Did you know the sunset hue is exclusive to the PS2 version? It’s not on PC!
But that’s enough sarcasm, I could actually realistically do puns for every single track in this game but it’s high time we discuss Vice City’s biggest strength; its world. This part is gonna get a bit rambly so be prepared, I’ve replayed VC countless times and even got full 100% completion. I got 100% on most of the GTAs, picking a favorite gta is like picking between my children. It is my all-time favorite gaming series after all. Followed only by Dynasty Warriors.
Vice City’s world is unlike anything else. The soundtrack always fills me with a sense of warmth, no pun shenanigans this time as this is my sincere honest opinion. Vice City for me is a near perfect masterpiece where I felt each aspect of it is near flawless, with only the tiniest of hiccups depending on which version you play. I could go on and on, even describe in great depth why I think every mission is great if asked on the fly. The stunt jumps are another big reason why I love coming back. I have so much love for Vice City that I could even 100% a second time if asked to. I’d likely do it on my phone to have access to custom playlists and be able to restore tracks that’ve been removed, such as Lionel Richie’s “Running with the Night”.
It’s not easy to put down my love in just words, so now let’s get into the score!
Pros
- + One of the greatest gaming soundtracks
- + Addicting world
- + Variety in gameplay
- + Tons of weapons
- + The property system
- + “This is the last dance for Lance Vance!”
Cons
- - Some missions are harder on pc due to flight controls
- - Some songs got removed in later versions
- - Mobile version is unplayable without a controller
- - Definitive version exists
10
Gameplay
There’s not much to say. Simply phenomenal.
9
Graphics
I’d say this aged really well. Looks beautiful even today.
9
Story
While I wish it was a bit longer, it was still a great homage to Scarface. British humor is spot-on here.
10
Sound
Does it deserve any less?
10
Replayability
I love this game to bits.
9.6
out of 10
Overall
Vice City remains a phenomenal masterpiece even to this day. 4 might be my favorite, 3 might have more sentimental value but VC remains near flawless in my eyes.
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