Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 3D open world action video game wherein you play Tony Vercetti, a hitman for the Mafia in Vice City (inspired by Miami City). Developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It was first released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 console and then the Xbox and later on Microsoft Windows as a computer game. Vice City had positive feedback and such great reception from gamers that it became best-selling video game of the year of its release and later on dubbed the best-selling PlayStation 2 game of all time on in America on 2006.
Vice City has an intense storyline wherein you play the role of a member of the Liberty City mafia Tommy Veracity, who just got out of prison after serving 15 years for the murder of eleven men. Tommy gets sent with an assignment from his mafia boss Sonny Forelli to Vice City where an important drug deal goes bad as they get ambushed by a group of men ending up with Tommy almost getting killed, his bodyguards and the drug dealers dead, and the cocaine and money gone. This enfuriates his boss Sonny and threatens him so Tommy is forced to investigate and track down the unknown party who assaulted them and retrieve his boss’ money, eliminate them, and save his own life. But along the way Tommy would make his way up the ladder of drug kingpins and crime lords of Vice City until eventually reaching the top. He becomes takes over the organization and becomes the boss and defies Sonny Forelli and his mafia family.
Vice City basically shares the same concept of gameplay as its predecessor GTA III in which the player controls a character in the third-person in a 3D open-world. Only now with a wider, more elaborate and interactive city as well as a more interesting storyline. As the name of the game goes you may steal all types of vehicles (cars, motorcycles, boats etc.). You can also hit or even kill strangers on the street but to be realistic it is to a consequential extent. The more crime you commit the higher your wanted bar goes and the more cops will spread out looking for you and should you get caught you are arrested and brought to prison. The player may travel around the city to his desires when not in the middle of a mission. Accomplishing missions entails proceeding with the game’s storyline as well as unlocking other parts of the city thus expanding the 3D world for the player.
With a traditional Scarface mafialand setting, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is very appealing especially for the guys. A third-person action/adventure game that revolutionaries the concept of open-world gaming with an entire city as your terrain with functional buildings and vehicles and interactive people. Even just exploring the vast metropolis is amusing enough what more going on dangerous, action-packed missions breaking through the underground criminal organizations to making it to the top and becoming the boss. If you fantasize going crazy on the streets, doing whatever you please and escaping from the cops, blowing up things, stealing cars to helicopters, being in the mafia, shooting up rivals, but can’t do it because it’s illegal and too dangerous, no worries, just pick up that controller and head on down to Vice City!