GTA: Vice City 📽 Through the Lens

📢 GTA VI TRAILER DROPPED THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY! 📢

Might as well continue doing a GTA series of articles. 🥳

This entry is especially apt seeing as GTA VI will take place in Vice City. For those unaware: Vice City is Miami. Rockstar tends to do this where they take real-life places and make them into fictional spots for their universe. San Andreas is California, Liberty City is New York, and Vice City is most certainly Miami.

Vice City pushed the middle as much as any great GTA game. After the bomb drop that was GTA III, the evolution that Vice City added to the franchise was both natural and expected. It delivered in every way and I can't wait to start talking about it with you all.

Therefore❗️ In this edition of Through the Lens 🎞, we'll be taking a look at Rockstar Games' open-world. mafia-like trend setter from 2002: GTA: Vice City. ◀️

(for a while there Rockstar were hellbent on not numbering their games, this was the beginning of that 'while')

Roll it! 📽

🔷 UP TOP 🔶

While I stand by that GTA III's soundtrack is better compiled than Vice City, that is just taste at the end of the day (correct taste, but taste nonetheless). What is factual, is that the radio in this game is vaster, and is apparent that more work was put into it.

I am linking a playlist here, there's not one video with all the tracks. Take a gander at an amazing selection of songs. 🎶

_{Compossed and compiled by Lex Horton}

I mean who hasn't played Vice City in their youth? After the shell shock that was GTA III, Vice City had a lot to live up to. Its relatively recent release after the last title, and its unquestionable leap in quality, made it stand out in an otherwise crowded place. Everyone played this game.

It really does feel like GTA III was just the prototype for Vice City and San Andreas thereafter. Vice City was the next step up. Let's dive deeper into what made this game such a marketable stepping stone in the franchise. ⏭️

🔷 MOVIE-LIKE 🔶

GTA III tried this, but with the protagonist being mute in that game it didn't really work. In Vity City Rockstar went full ham. The way the game unfolds its storyline would become the blueprint for all future Rockstar games to come. *//Cowboy simulators notwithstanding

The formula of 'starting from the bottom now we here' was established with Tony, our voiced-protagonist. Who follows the tried and true 'from rags to riches' This was a very compelling narrative device that added to our connection to the world and Tony.

Apart from Tony, we also have a vast cast of characters. A storyline that spanned dozens of missions, all cooky and whacky in that charming GTA way. This emphasis on characterization would remain a staple in the franchise.

We can't go on without mentioning the insane cutscenes that only got more insane as the games went on. 😅 All of these elements made the player feel like they were playing in a movie. With the added benefit of being able to wreak havoc across a massive (for its time) city.

Speaking of which, let's talk about that open world and what it entailed.

🔷 INCENTIVES 🔶

I know the chapter title is kinda weird, but it is very apt. The incentives the game provides are natural and free-flowing. For one thing, the interconnected story. The missions in Vice City invite the player to try them, whereas in GTA III they were an afterthought. Here, the progression of the game is tied with a compelling narrative, and that in itself is a great reward to keep playing.

You are very connected in your own progression. You want to buy cars, you want to buy houses. You want to be the boss of this world. This was the first game that allowed you to feel like a mogul in a big city. Vice City incentivized the player to become what they were meant to be - a deranged gangster don. 😂

When I was a kid this role-play aspect was wholly new to me. It was the first game that made me want to live in the world. It let us be adults, badass adults at that. And the frequent acquisition of power was a dopamine hit as addictive as any candy and/or drug. Vice City was the perfect sequel to III.

And the biggest incentive of them all, - it was fun. 😮 I know, Scandalous! Substantially less buggy than III, it actually allowed players to play and enjoy the game for what it was. I know! Such a novel idea. But the fact that Vice City was released in a playable state cannot be understated.

🔷 LEGACY 🔶

For many people, Vice City is their favorite GTA game. And I can't be mad at that. For me, it's San Andreas, but it all comes down to which game you grew up with. Vice City was ever so slightly before my time.

After the groundwork that GTA III provided, Vice City used that as a springboard to leap forward to new heights. It was a game like no other at the time, and as such will be remembered in the pantheon of great games.

Of course, all GTA games share in this legacy. It's hard to talk bout each individual's legacy without talking about them all. There's a reason why this is the biggest media franchise out there.

Thank you for reading, you rock! (and maybe roll) 👏👏👏

🖼️ Image Sources: 01, 02, 03, 04 🖼️

Shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙

The memes will be fierce in the next one. Warning you right now. 😀 All you had to do, was read the damn article, CJ! My favorite GTA game, and one of the most influential video games ever made. GTA: San Andreas is next.

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I hope you are having an amazing week! 🙌