Developer: Rockstar North
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Reviewed by Aurora Miller on 11/26/02

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First Impressions:

Graphics:

The graphics in Vice City are certainly superior to those in GTA 3, but they're a very different style than many of the games I had become accustomed to playing. Suffice it to say that the animators spent much more time on the cars than they did on the people. However, they did do some really nice things: Glass in windows and streetlights break nicely when crashed into; liquids (rain, blood, etc.) splatter onto the screen for a more cinematic effect; newspapers blow across the street in the seedier neighborhoods; they even put marine animals into the ultra-clear waters that surround the islands! One of the nicer aspects of this edition of GTA, though, is that the costume changes are tracked into the cut scenes; if Vercetti changes into Haitian gang member attire, overalls, or that ultra-smooth pastel suit, he's still wearing it in the inserts, instead of being seen in the basic outfit.

Sound/Music:

This is hands-down one of the coolest aspects of the game. Since the game is set in the 80s, the radio stations in the cars actually play 80s music, ranging from Michael Jackson to Ozzy Osbourne. The soundtrack to the game is even available sold separately, as individual CDs or a box set. There's just nothing like tearing through the streets at 90 miles an hour, with "Breakin' the Law" blasting from the speakers.

Rockstar Games went the distance with character voices, too, securing the recognizable vocal talents of actors like Ray Liotta (Vercetti, the main character), Tom Sizemore, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper, and Fairuza Balk. As a nod to Miami Vice, they even got Phillip Michael Thomas to provide the voice for character Lance Vance, Vercetti's only assistance in Vice City. Not just in cut scenes, either, but in on-street dialogue throughout the game, as Vercetti tosses out threats and taunts to passersby.

Gameplay:

The style is essentially non-linear, providing a several different missions at any given time that can be chosen. In exploring the city, there are also rampages ("Kill 20 gang members in two minutes" and use a flamethrower!), hidden packages, and assassination requests. And there's a lot of exploring to be done; the city is enormous, and more areas become available as different missions are completed. There are back alleys, housing projects, golf courses and airports, as well as business districts, malls and a military base, any of which could house additional mini-missions.

There are also series of missions that certain vehicles trigger. You can become a vigilante by climbing into a police or vice squad car, a paramedic in an ambulance, or a firefighter in a fire truck. You can even become a taxi driver or pizza delivery boy!

The weapons available in Vice City are truly astounding: Chainsaws, meat cleavers, and katanas are among the non-gun weapons, but there are also rocket launchers, uzis, pistols, sniper rifles, revolvers, plus a baseball bat (for that personal touch). If the destructive devices are more intense, the cops have amped up to follow suit. Backup arrives immediately, and these are definitely "shoot first" cops. Without body armor (which can be found at Ammu-Nation, the local weapons shop, as well as in secret locations throughout the city), it doesn't take long to get Wasted by these guys. Fortunately, in Vice City nothing is permanent, even death. The question is, can you survive long enough to accomplish your missions, when faced with S.W.A.T. teams dropping from helicopters, vice squads, the FBI, and Army from the nearby base?

Enjoyment:

After spending hours in traffic driving home from work, with all that pent-up aggression toward stupid people everywhere, it's incredibly satisfying to be able to exact vengeance in a safe environment. I think that's the draw to games like these; the lust for violence is there to begin with, and this gives us a way to express it with no real danger involved. Even removing real-world frustrations from the equation, however, this game is a blast. It's about as cinematic as they come (which is not too surprising, considering how many film elements they've got going on, between the vocal talents, soundtrack, and storyline), and has enough variety in game play to keep interest up for hours at a time.

Multiplayer:

The only major downfall of the game (besides its misogynistic overtones) is that there is no multi-player element available. It would have been nice to be able to race and rampage with friends. Who knows…Grand Theft Auto online…?

Overall Impression:

Let this be said: If you're not a fan of entertainment with a high content of violence, drugs, sex etc., this is probably not the game for you. However, if you're willing to sit back and let your testosterone run rampant, a trip through Vice City can be a wild ride. It's a bit frustrating that they don't have any women wearing more than a bikini, but some of the male characters are wearing less, so maybe they thought that would even it out.

Marketing Efforts Towards Women:

This game must not have been intended for women, or they would have had more female characters besides a porn star and a nymphomaniac. The commercials are all reminiscent of the movie Gone in 60 Seconds, and most print ads feature a sketch of a voluptuous woman in a bikini, often carrying a martini.