Robi Maddison Games 05.30.2022 10:May AM EDT

[RETRO GAMING] Remember Grand Theft Auto: Vice City?

Regardless of how ways ahead today's technology is, there is still something unique about the classics.

Although the games of the 2000s were not as advanced as those today, they left an indelible impression on others. One of these games is Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, one of the most popular games back in the early 2000s.

Join us while we look back at the fourth main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series and the sixth overall.

Storyline and Plot

According to Gamespot, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is an open world game set in Vice City, a fictionalized version of Miami, Florida. The year is 1986 (before the events in GTA3), and Tommy Vercetti has just been freed from jail after serving a 15-year sentence for mob activity.

His bosses send him down to Vice City as the point man for some new operations once he's out. Tommy teams up with a shady lawyer, and the two begin making plans for a large drug haul. When the drugs and money vanish, Tommy is left to fight the existing criminal factions of Vice City while trying to figure out who betrayed him.

As you can expect, IGN noted that there is a fair amount of violence in this scenario. However, while Grand Theft Auto has always been a violent, mature-themed game, it has always tempered the violence with a healthy amount of tongue-in-cheek humor and style.

Vice City, Florida

Cars whizz down the streets, boats ply the waterways, news helicopters soar overhead, and people of Vice City go about their daily lives. Rival gangs will battle in the streets, and traffic accidents will escalate to fistfights. The city's criminals, cops, and inhabitants are all capable of dynamic behavior. They still have objectives, even if you aren't shooting at them.

Graphics

Game Rant held that it's understandable that a game from 2002 would no longer have the best graphics. Vice City is no exception; when compared to other games, it falls short. Despite this, the game is still a lot of fun to play. Even though the game has been remastered for newer consoles, the graphics are still not the finest.

Controls

This game (via IGN) is available on PS2, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, OS X, iOS, PS3 (PSN), PS5, PS4.

The controls are rather simple. Both the WASD and arrow key play styles are supported in the game. The most important story here is arguably mouse support. The ability to target your weapons with the mouse makes this a much easier and more convenient game.

For those unfamiliar with the difference, the analog stick is used to aim at the PS2. A full press in either direction starts moving the reticle in that direction, whereas the centered position signifies no movement. Because the reticle stops moving once the cursor stops moving, the mouse provides for more precise control.

Music

Game Rant mentioned that because Vice City takes place in the late 1980s, most of the music will be from that era. The game also features a large number of licensed tracks, with only five original songs. The game includes music by Michael Jackson and Hall & Oates, among others.

Vice City's Legacy

After San Andreas, it is the best-selling 3D Grand Theft Auto game, outselling four others. This makes Vice City the second-best-selling game in the 3D universe.

Vice City is also the series' fourth best-selling game. It sold 20 million copies in all. This game is even more amazing but well-deserved, given the number of games in the series, as per Game Rant.