A rocket launcher is a weapon that launches an unguided, rocket-propelled projectile .
101-626: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games . It is the fourth main game in the Grand Theft Auto series , following 2001's Grand Theft Auto III , and the sixth entry overall. Set in 1986 within the fictional Vice City (based on Miami and Miami Beach ), the single-player story follows mobster Tommy Vercetti 's rise to power after being released from prison and becoming caught up in an ambushed drug deal . While seeking out those responsible, Tommy gradually builds
202-627: A fantasy " setting. Tutankham , debuted by Konami in January 1982, was an action-adventure released for arcades . It combined maze, shoot 'em up, puzzle-solving and adventure elements, with a 1983 review by Computer and Video Games magazine calling it "the first game that effectively combined the elements of an adventure game with frenetic shoot 'em up gameplay." It inspired the similar Time Bandit (1983). Action Quest , released in May 1982, blended puzzle elements of adventure games into
303-446: A joystick -controlled, arcade-style action game, which surprised reviewers at the time. While noting some similarities to Adventure , IGN argues that The Legend of Zelda (1986) by Nintendo "helped to establish a new subgenre of action-adventure", becoming a success due to how it combined elements from different genres to create a compelling hybrid, including exploration, adventure-style inventory puzzles , an action component,
404-571: A monetary system , and simplified RPG-style level building without the experience points . The Legend of Zelda series was the most prolific action-adventure game franchise through to the 2000s. Roe R. Adams also cited the arcade-style side-scrolling fantasy games Castlevania (1986), Trojan (1986) and Wizards & Warriors (1987) as early examples of action-adventure games. Games like Brain Breaker (1985), Xanadu (1985), Metroid (1986) and Vampire Killer (1986) combined
505-445: A prequel , Vice City Stories (2006). Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective . The player controls criminal Tommy Vercetti and completes missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story. It is possible to have several missions available at a time, as some missions require the player to wait for further instructions or events. Outside of missions,
606-702: A subgenre of open world action-adventure video games in the third-person perspective . They are characterized by their likeness to the Grand Theft Auto series in either gameplay or overall design. In these types of open world games, players may find and use a variety of vehicles and weapons while roaming freely in an open world setting. Metroidvania is a portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania ; such games are sometimes referred to as "search action", and are generally based on two-dimensional platformers. They emphasize both exploration and puzzle-solving with traditional platform gameplay. Survival horror games emphasize "inventory management" and making sure
707-545: A choice of what to say. The NPC gives a scripted response to the player, and the game offers the player several new ways to respond. Due to the action-adventure subgenre's broad and inclusive nature, it causes some players to have difficulty finishing a particular game. Companies have devised ways to give the player help, such as offering clues or allowing the player to skip puzzles to compensate for this lack of ability. Brett Weiss cites Atari 's Superman (1979) as an action-adventure game, with Retro Gamer crediting it as
808-448: A complex text parser and no free-moving character. While they share general gameplay dynamics, action-adventures vary widely in the design of their viewpoints, including bird's eye , side-scrolling, first-person, third-person , over-the-shoulder, or even a 3/4 isometric view . Many action-adventure games simulate a conversation through a conversation tree . When the player encounters a non-player character , they are allowed to select
909-459: A criminal empire by seizing power from other criminal organisations in the city. The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. The open world design lets the player freely roam Vice City, consisting of two main islands. The game's plot is based on multiple real-world people and events in Miami such as Cubans , Haitians , and biker gangs ,
1010-403: A dispatcher before fleeing in a patrol car; he was later apprehended. In statements to police, Moore reportedly said "Life is like a video game. Everybody's got to die sometime". A $ 600 million lawsuit was filed against Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive, Sony Computer Entertainment , GameStop , and Wal-Mart , claiming that Moore frequently played Vice City and that his experience with
1111-485: A mouse". However, the driving control changes were widely criticised; IGN ' s Butts called it "crap". AllGame ' s Hoogland found the controls to be "more forgiving" over time. When Vice City was released on mobile devices in December 2012, it received "generally favorable" reviews. Metacritic calculated an average score of 80 out of 100, based on 19 reviews. Reviewers liked the enhanced visuals, but criticism
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#17327807916621212-415: A number of missions attached to it, such as eliminating competition or stealing equipment; once all missions are complete, the property begins to generate an ongoing income available for the player. In 1986, mobster Tommy Vercetti (voiced by Ray Liotta ) is released from prison after serving a fifteen-year sentence for murder. His boss Sonny Forelli ( Tom Sizemore ), seeking to establish drug operations in
1313-618: A portable rocket carrier consisting of a sling and a bamboo tube. Rocket launchers known as "wasp nest" launchers were used by the Ming dynasty in 1380 and in 1400 by Li Jinglong against Zhu Di . Rockets were introduced to the West during the Napoleonic Wars ; the Congreve rocket was a British weapon devised by Sir William Congreve in 1804 after experiencing Indian rockets at
1414-485: A press release apologising and acknowledging the concern, but insisted that the violence should be taken within the context of the game, which also contains violence towards other ethnic groups . When New York mayor Michael Bloomberg threatened distributor Take-Two Interactive with legal action, the company apologised and removed offensive statements from future copies of the game. In January 2004, North Miami 's majority Haitian-American council filed an ordinance to ban
1515-482: A range of 2,000 yards (6,000 ft). Pre-war research programmes into military rocket technology by many of the major powers led to the introduction of a number of rocket artillery systems with fixed or mobile launchers, often capable of firing a number of rockets in a single salvo . In the United Kingdom, solid fuel rockets were initially used in the anti-aircraft role; the 7-inch Unrotated Projectile
1616-711: A side-scrolling platformer format with adventure exploration, creating the Metroidvania platform-adventure subgenre. Similarly, games like 005 (1981), Castle Wolfenstein and Metal Gear (1987) combined action-adventure exploration with stealth mechanics, laying the foundations for the stealth game subgenre, which would later be popularized in 1998 with the releases of Metal Gear Solid , Tenchu: Stealth Assassins , and Thief: The Dark Project . The cinematic platformer Prince of Persia (1989) featured action-adventure elements, inspiring games such as Another World (1991) and Flashback (1992). Alone in
1717-400: A single avatar as the protagonist . This type of game is often quite similar to role-playing video games . They are distinct from graphic adventures , which sometimes have free-moving central characters, but also a wider variety of commands and fewer or no action game elements and are distinct too from text adventures , characterized by many different commands introduced by the user via
1818-416: A speaking protagonist, a notable departure from Grand Theft Auto III ' s silent protagonist Claude. Ray Liotta portrayed protagonist Tommy Vercetti and described the role as challenging: "You're creating a character that's not there before ... It's so intensive". While recording his performance, the team used blue screen to allow Liotta to visualise "how it's gonna move". The team strove to make
1919-461: A target yet is small enough to be carried by a single person and fired while held on one's shoulder. Depending on the country or region, people might use the terms " bazooka " or " RPG " as generalized terms to refer to such weapons, both of which are in fact specific types of rocket launchers. The Bazooka was an American anti-tank weapon which was in service from 1942 to 1957, while the RPG (most commonly
2020-447: Is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, classical adventure games have situational problems for the player to explore and solve to complete a storyline, involving little to no action . If there is action, it is generally confined to isolated instances. Classical action games, on the other hand, have gameplay based on real-time interactions that challenges
2121-557: Is a game that has enough action in it not to be called an adventure game, but not enough action to be called an action game." In some cases an action game with puzzles will be classified as an action-adventure game, but if these puzzles are quite simple they might be classified as an action game. Others see action games as a pure genre, while an action-adventure is an action game that includes situational problem-solving. Adventure gamers may also be purists, rejecting any game that makes use of physical challenges or time pressure. Regardless,
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#17327807916622222-412: Is a launcher that contains several unguided rockets held in individual tubes, designed to be used by attack aircraft or attack helicopters for close air support . In many cases, rocket pods are streamlined to reduce aerodynamic drag . The first pods were developed immediately after World War II, as an improvement over the previous arrangement of firing rockets from rails, racks or tubes fixed under
2323-424: Is heavily reliant upon the player character's movement, which triggers story events and thus affects the flow of the game. Popular examples of action-adventure games include The Legend of Zelda , God of War , and Tomb Raider series. There is a good deal of controversy over what actually constitutes an action-adventure game. One definition of the term "action-adventure" may be '"An action/adventure game
2424-624: Is improved to the point where combat can actually be fun". Some reviewers recognised an improved draw distance over Grand Theft Auto III , although many identified frame rate drops during hardware-intense sequences. The changes in character models polarised reviews; while GameSpy ' s Padilla and IGN ' s Perry noted the improvement in character models, Eurogamer ' s Tom Bramwell considered it "maddening to see that character ... models haven't been smartened up at all". The game's artificial intelligence and long load times were frequently criticised in reviews, and many reviewers noted
2525-532: Is personally coming to Vice City to collect what he believes he is owed, Tommy prepares to pay him tribute with counterfeit money. However, Sonny reveals that he was responsible for Tommy's arrest fifteen years prior, and that Lance has betrayed Tommy and allied himself with the Forellis, having felt inadequate in Tommy's presence since his rise to power. A shootout ensues in Tommy's mansion, during which Tommy prevents
2626-466: Is the most reliable in its faithfulness to the original and 1231 versions, since it was printed from blocks that were re-carved directly from tracings of the edition made in 1231 AD.) The 1510 Wujing Zongyao describes the "long serpent" rocket launcher, a rocket launcher constructed of wood and carried with a wheelbarrow , and the "hundred tiger" rocket launcher, a rocket launcher made of wood and capable of firing 320 rocket arrows. The text also describes
2727-654: The Uncharted franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Ark: Survival Evolved . Rocket launcher The earliest rocket launchers documented in imperial China consisted of arrows modified by the attachment of a rocket motor to the shaft a few inches behind the arrowhead. The rocket was propelled by the burning of the black powder in the motor; these should not be confused with early fire arrows , which were conventional arrows carrying small tubes of black powder as an incendiary that ignited only after
2828-428: The 15 cm Nebelwerfer 41 was an adaptation of a multiple barrelled smoke mortar for artillery rockets. The Soviet ' s Katyusha was a self-propelled system, being mounted on trucks, tanks and even trains. The United States Army deployed the tank mounted T34 Calliope system late in the war. The rocket launchers category includes shoulder-fired weapons, any weapon that fires a rocket-propelled projectile at
2929-503: The Colt Python , an M60 machine gun and a Minigun . The game's three-dimension environment allows a first-person view while aiming with the sniper rifle and rocket launcher . In addition, the game's combat allows the player to commit drive-by shootings by facing sideways in a vehicle. A wide variety of weapon options can be purchased from local firearms dealers , found on the ground, retrieved from dead enemies, or found around
3030-473: The RPG-7 ) is a Soviet anti-tank weapon. A smaller variation is the gyrojet , a small arms rocket launcher with ammunition slightly larger than that of a .45-caliber pistol. Recoilless rifles are sometimes confused with rocket launchers. A recoilless rifle launches its projectile using an explosive powder charge, not a rocket engine, though some such systems have sustainer rocket motors. A rocket pod
3131-511: The Siege of Seringapatam (1799) . Congreve rockets were launched from an iron trough about 18 inches (45 centimetres) in length, called a chamber . These chambers could be fixed to the ground for horizontal launching, secured to a folding copper tripod for high angle fire or mounted on frames on carts or the decks of warships. The collection of the royal armies includes man portable rocket launchers that appear (based on lock designs) to date from
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - Misplaced Pages Continue
3232-686: The Xbox on 4 November 2003 in North America and 2 January 2004 in Europe. The Xbox version featured a custom soundtrack support as well as improved audio, polygon models , and reflections over the previous ports. Double Pack was later bundled with San Andreas in a compilation titled Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy , released in October 2005. Analysts believed that the game would eventually release on GameCube, though it never materialised. The Trilogy
3333-439: The best video games ever made . Vice City became the best-selling game of 2002 and one of the best-selling PlayStation 2 games with over 14.2 million copies sold; it has sold over 17.5 million copies overall. It was released for Windows and the Xbox in 2003, followed by enhanced versions and mobile ports in the 2010s, and a remastered version in 2021. It was followed by Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) and
3434-818: The "first to utilize multiple screens as playing area". Mark J.P. Wolf credits Adventure (1980) for the Atari VCS as the earliest-known action-adventure game. The game involves exploring a 2D environment, finding and using items which each have prescribed abilities, and fighting dragons in real-time like in an action game . Muse Software 's Castle Wolfenstein (1981) was another early action-adventure game, merging exploration, combat, stealth, and maze game elements, drawing inspiration from arcade shoot 'em ups and maze games (such as maze-shooter Berzerk ) and war films (such as The Guns of Navarone ). According to Wizardry developer Roe R. Adams, early action-adventure games "were basically arcade games done in
3535-444: The "visuals are improved but not in a drastic manner". NowGamer found that the mobile display improves the visual enjoyment of the game, despite the issues with the original game. Tom Hoggins of The Telegraph identified some issues with character models, but stated "the city looks terrific". Most reviewers criticised the port's touchscreen controls. Pocket Gamer ' s Mark Brown found them "not ideal", but noted that this
3636-453: The 1980s crack epidemic , the Mafioso drug lords of Miami, and the dominance of glam metal . The game was also influenced by the films and television of the era, most notably Scarface and Miami Vice . Much of the development work constituted creating the game world to fit the inspiration and time period; the development team conducted extensive field research in Miami while creating
3737-490: The Dark (1992) used 3D graphics , which would later be popularized by Resident Evil (1996) and Tomb Raider (1996). Resident Evil in particular created the survival horror subgenre, inspiring titles such as Silent Hill (1999) and Fatal Frame (2001). Action-adventure games have gone on to become more popular than the pure adventure games and pure platform games that inspired them. Recent examples include
3838-453: The Forellis from stealing his money and kills Lance for his betrayal, before finally killing Sonny. When Ken arrives to a scene of carnage, Tommy quickly reassures him that everything is now fine, as he has finally established himself as the undisputed crime kingpin of Vice City. Rockstar North 's core 50-person team led the eighteen-month development of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City . Full production began in late 2001, as Grand Theft Auto III
3939-594: The Psychic Readers Network (PRN) sued Rockstar over the character named Auntie Poulet, alleging similarities between the character and Youree Harris , who voiced the character. Brandon J. Huffman, a lawyer for Odin Law and Media, noted that PRN's lawsuit faced challenges due to the timing of the lawsuit, as the Eleventh Circuit 's statute of limitations for copyright infringement is three years;
4040-533: The South, sends Tommy to Vice City to oversee an important drug deal alongside crooked lawyer Ken Rosenberg ( William Fichtner ). However, the deal is ambushed by unknown assailants, with Tommy and Ken barely escaping. Angered upon hearing the news, Sonny orders Tommy to recover the drugs, alongside the money Sonny gave to him, under threat of consequences. Seeking information, Ken points Tommy towards retired army colonel Juan Garcia Cortez ( Robert Davi ), who helped set up
4141-601: The Year ; it was nominated for Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year the following year . It led the 1st British Academy Games Awards with eight nominations and six awards, including PlayStation 2 Game, PC Game, Action Game, Design, and Sound. It was similarly named the Best PlayStation 2 game at the Golden Joystick Awards and from Entertainment Weekly , IGN , and GameSpot , and was awarded
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - Misplaced Pages Continue
4242-509: The acting "gives the story credence". Many reviewers found that the game offers a better variety of vehicles than Grand Theft Auto III , and found them easier to control; GameSpot ' s Gerstmann named the driving "more exciting and dangerous", and IGN ' s Perry found the motorcycle's controls pleasing. In addition to the vehicle handling, reviewers noted improvements in the targeting and shooting mechanics, although still recognised issues. Helgeson of Game Informer wrote that "targeting
4343-546: The action-adventure label is prominent in articles over the internet and media. The term "action-adventure" is usually substituted for a particular subgenre due to its wide scope. Although action-adventure games are diverse and difficult to classify, there are some distinct subgenres. Many games with gameplay similar to those in The Legend of Zelda series are called Zelda clones or Zelda -like games. Popular subgenres include: A Grand Theft Auto clone belongs to
4444-594: The ambush. Upon further investigation, Lance discovers this to be true and, against Tommy's advice, tries to kill Diaz, only to get himself captured. After Tommy saves Lance, they invade Diaz's mansion and kill Diaz. With Diaz dead, Tommy takes over his assets and, at Avery's suggestion, works to expand his new criminal empire by forcing businesses to pay him protection money and buying out nearly bankrupt companies to use as fronts for illicit operations. Tommy establishes his own gang to protect his businesses from rivals, and provides assistance to several prominent gang leaders in
4545-523: The arrow hit its target. The rocket launchers were constructed of wood, basketry, and bamboo tubes. The launchers divided the rockets with frames meant to keep them separated, and the launchers were capable of firing multiple rockets at once. Textual evidence and illustrations of various early rocket launchers are found in the 1510 edition of the Wujing Zongyao translated by Needham and others at Princeton University . (The original Wujing Zongyao
4646-552: The artists to produce more realistic characters. There are 110 unique pedestrian models throughout the game world alongside roughly 50 story characters; each character is rendered using twice the amount of polygons and textures found in Grand Theft Auto III . The increased polygons also impacted the character physics , improving gameplay aspects such as weapon-hit accuracy. Some character models and storylines were inspired by films such as The Godfather (1972), and
4747-402: The awkward camera angles and environment during gameplay. When Vice City was released to Windows in May 2003, it received similar critical acclaim. Metacritic calculated an average score of 94 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 30 reviews. It was the highest-rated Windows game on Metacritic in 2003. Reviewers liked the visual enhancements, and were generally positive towards
4848-510: The best game in the series, with the former naming it the "perfect Grand Theft Auto experience". The readers of Official UK PlayStation Magazine named Vice City the fourth-greatest PlayStation title ever released. In 2006 Vice City appeared on Japanese magazine Famitsu ' s readers' list of top 100 games; it was one of the only Western titles on the list. Art director Aaron Garbut felt that, alongside its predecessor Grand Theft Auto III and successor San Andreas , Vice City led
4949-506: The challenge of creating the game's soundtrack, particularly in contrast to Grand Theft Auto III ' s music, which Sam Houser described as "clearly satirical and its own thing". In developing the radio stations, the team wanted to reinforce the game's setting by collating a variety of songs from the 1980s, which required extensive research. The radio stations were published by Epic Records in seven albums—known collectively as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Official Soundtrack Box Set —alongside
5050-448: The city. In combat, auto-aim can be used as assistance against enemies. Should the player take damage, their health meter can be fully regenerated through the use of health pick-ups. Body armour can be used to absorb gunshots and explosive damage, but is used up in the process. When health is entirely depleted, gameplay stops and the player respawns at the nearest hospital while losing all weapons and armour and some of their money. If
5151-433: The control improvements. The port's visuals received a positive response from reviewers. AllGame ' s Mark Hoogland praised the improved car details, environment textures, and weather effects; GameSpot ' s Greg Kasavin echoed similar remarks, noting occasional frame rate drops. GameSpy ' s Sal Accardo commended the draw distance improvements, identifying very few texture issues. IGN ' s Steve Butts found
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#17327807916625252-421: The controls, despite noting awkward character movement, while The Telegraph ' s Hoggins found the controls "far more accomplished" than Grand Theft Auto III ' s mobile port. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City received multiple nominations and awards from gaming publications . It was nominated for six awards at the 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards , of which it won Console Action/Adventure Game of
5353-697: The exchange. Expressing regret for the ambush, Cortez promises to find out who masterminded it. While investigating, Tommy meets with several people who offer him help: music director Kent Paul ( Danny Dyer ), who maintains connections with the city's criminal underworld; Lance Vance ( Philip Michael Thomas ), who aided in the deal and lost his brother in the ambush; Texan business tycoon Avery Carrington ( Burt Reynolds ), who in return enlists Tommy's help with several deals; and drug kingpin Ricardo Diaz ( Luis Guzmán ), who employs both Tommy and Lance. Eventually, Cortez begins voicing his suspicions that Diaz organised
5454-689: The fastest-selling game in history at the time. It was the highest-selling game of 2002 in the United States; by 2004, the game had sold 5.97 million units, and by December 2007 it had sold 8.20 million. By July 2006, it had sold 7 million copies and earned $ 300 million in the United States alone. Next Generation ranked it as the highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country, beating Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas . In February 2005, it
5555-431: The former's level of detail. Game Revolution ' s Ben Silverman wrote that the game's depth is "unparalleled", praising the world's realism and detail, while AllGame ' s Marriott commended the "ambitious scope in design". Marriott of AllGame named Vice City an "unforgettable listening experience", and Perry of IGN declared the music as "the most impressive list of songs in a game". Many reviewers commended
5656-487: The game in October 2002. Vice City contains about "three times as much" talk radio as Grand Theft Auto III . Producer and talk show host Lazlow Jones stated that the small percentage of station listeners that actually call in are "insane"; in Vice City , the developers "bumped it up a notch", emphasising the extremity. Dan Houser felt that the talk stations give depth to the game world. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
5757-724: The game led him to commit the crimes. The plaintiffs' attorney, Jack Thompson , claimed the graphic nature of the game caused Moore to commit the murders. Thompson removed himself from the case Strickland v. Sony in November 2005 after being scrutinised by the judge for unprofessional conduct. In March 2006, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the defendants to dismiss the case. In September 2006, Thompson brought another $ 600 million lawsuit against Cody Posey, Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive, and Sony Computer Entertainment. The lawsuit claimed that 14-year-old Posey played
5858-501: The game obsessively before murdering his father, stepmother, and stepsister on a ranch in Hondo, New Mexico . Posey's defence team argued that he was abused by his father and was taking Zoloft at the time of the killings. The suit alleged that the murders would not have taken place if Posey had not obsessively played Vice City . The case was dismissed in December 2007, as New Mexico held no jurisdiction over Sony or Take-Two. In July 2017,
5959-678: The game was submitted for manufacturing . It was released for the PlayStation 2 on 29 October 2002 in North America, and on 8 November in Europe. Capcom published the game in Japan on 20 May 2004 for PlayStation 2 and Windows . The game was added to the Rockstar Games Launcher in September 2019. The game is set in 1986 in fictional Vice City, which is based heavily on the city of Miami . Vice City previously appeared in
6060-597: The game was pre-edited to receive an MA15+ classification; an uncensored version was released in the region in 2010, retaining its classification. In November 2003, the Haitian Centers Council and Haitian Americans for Human Rights staged a protest in New York publicly criticising the game, contending that it invited the player to harm Haitian immigrants and claiming that it depicted Haitians as "thugs, thieves and drug dealers". In response, Rockstar issued
6161-441: The game's animations were original, with only a few borrowed from Grand Theft Auto III . For the characters, the team used motion capture and stop motion animation techniques; cutscenes use the former, while gameplay movements use a combination of both techniques. The team encountered difficulty in animating motorcycle animations, due in part to the variety of models. Pedestrian character models use skins in Vice City , allowing
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#17327807916626262-447: The game's missions give the player "a stronger feeling of being inside a story within a world that truly exists". Game Informer ' s Matt Helgeson found the missions to be more complex, and AllGame ' s Scott Alan Marriott felt that the storyline was improved as a result. Marriott also found the lead character of Tommy to be more engaging than Grand Theft Auto III ' s Claude ; IGN ' s Perry felt that Rockstar "found
6363-470: The game's presentation was inspired by action television shows of the 1980s. The interplay between Tommy Vercetti and Lance Vance was crafted to be similar to the relationship of Miami Vice ' s Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs . The game features 8,000 lines of recorded dialogue, four times the amount in Grand Theft Auto III . It contains over 90 minutes of cutscenes and nine hours of music, with more than 113 songs and commercials. The team enjoyed
6464-406: The game's radio stations and talk radio, and felt that the game's collection of licensed 1980s music fit the tone and time period of the world. The voice acting also received praise; GameSpot ' s Jeff Gerstmann named the cast of characters "colorful and memorable", and IGN ' s Perry found the voice acting "among one of the best of its kind". Game Revolution ' s Silverman felt that
6565-406: The gameplay still follows a number of adventure game genre tropes (gathering items , exploration of and interaction with one's environment, often including an overworld connecting areas of importance, and puzzle-solving). While the controls are arcade-style (character movement, few action commands) there is an ultimate goal beyond a high score. In most action-adventure games, the player controls
6666-420: The hopes they will support his expansion. He helps Cortez flee the city with stolen military equipment. Eventually, Sonny discovers that Tommy has gained complete control over Vice City's drug trade without cutting the Forellis in. Enraged at his independence, Sonny sends mobsters to forcefully collect money from Tommy's businesses. In response, Tommy kills Sonny's men and cuts ties with him. Later, learning Sonny
6767-405: The latter for its characterisation and portrayal of nuanced criminals. The television series Miami Vice (1984–1989) was also a major influence and was regularly watched by the team throughout development. Art director Aaron Garbut used the series as a reference point for emulating neon lighting . In recreating a 1980s setting, the team found it "relatively painless" due to the distinct culture of
6868-433: The lawsuit was filed almost 15 years after the game's release. Huffman added that Take-Two could also claim parody or settle out of court , but that it was unlikely to do either initially. Mike Snider of USA Today wrote that Vice City "raised the bar for video games", citing its interactivity, violence, and soundtrack. Kotaku ' s Luke Plunkett and PC Magazine ' s Jeffrey L. Wilson both named Vice City
6969-648: The original Grand Theft Auto (1997); the development team decided to reuse the location and incorporate ideas from within the studio and the fanbase. They wanted to satirise a location that was not contemporary, unlike Grand Theft Auto III ' s Liberty City. The team wanted to choose a location that had various similarities and differences to New York City —the inspiration of Liberty City—eventually leading them to Miami, which producer Leslie Benzies describes as "a party town, all sun and sea and sex, but with that same dark edge underneath". Sam Houser called it "the grooviest era of crime because it didn't even feel like it
7070-486: The player can freely roam the game's open world and has the ability to complete optional side missions. Composed of two main islands and several smaller areas, the world is much larger in area than earlier entries in the series. The islands are unlocked for the player as the story progresses. The player may run, jump, or drive vehicles to navigate the game's world. The player uses melee attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies. The firearms include weapons such as
7171-471: The player commits crimes while playing, the game's law enforcement agencies may respond as indicated by a " wanted " meter in the head-up display (HUD), which increases as the player commits more crimes. On the meter, the displayed stars indicate the current wanted level, and the higher the level, the greater the response for law enforcement (for example, at the maximum six-star level, police helicopters and military swarm to lethally dispatch players). During
7272-401: The player feel a "real affinity" for Tommy by prioritising the game's narrative. Dan Houser described Tommy as "strong and dangerous and prepared to wait for the right opportunity to arrive". Director Navid Khonsari found Liotta occasionally difficult to work with. Sam Houser said, "In some sessions he was ... into it, but then sometimes ... he was very dark and couldn't work". The majority of
7373-489: The player has enough ammunition and recovery items to " survive " the horror setting. This is a thematic genre with diverse gameplay, so not all survival horror games share all the features. The Resident Evil franchise popularized this subgenre. Action-adventure games are faster-paced than pure adventure games, and include physical as well as conceptual challenges where the story is enacted rather than narrated. While motion-based, often reflexive, actions are required,
7474-437: The player with context-specific rewards. As Tommy builds his criminal empire, the player may purchase a number of properties distributed across the city, some of which act as additional hideouts where weapons can be collected and vehicles can be stored. There are also a variety of businesses which can be purchased, including a pornographic film studio , a taxi company, and several entertainment clubs. Each commercial property has
7575-400: The player's reflexes and eye-hand coordination . Action-adventure games combine these genres by engaging both eye-hand coordination and problem-solving skills. An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from an action game and an adventure game , especially crucial elements like puzzles inspired by older adventure games. Action-adventures require many of
7676-664: The port's system requirements to be reasonable, unlike Grand Theft Auto III , and praised the faster load times. Eurogamer ' s Martin Taylor was critical of the visuals, stating that the higher resolutions "aren't kind to the overall visual quality", and criticising the hardware requirements. The control changes of the port were generally well received. Most reviewers found the targeting and shooting mechanics to be improved with mouse and keyboard controls; Eurogamer ' s Taylor called them "far more fluid", and GameSpy ' s Accardo wrote "there's simply no substitute for aiming with
7777-529: The prestigious Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards. GameSpot awarded it Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Music, and Best Graphics (Technical and Artistic). IGN awarded it Best Action/Adventure Game, and it was the runner-up for Reader's Choice Overall Game of the Year. Within 24 hours of its release, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City sold over 500,000 copies. Within two days of its release, it sold 1.4 million copies, making it
7878-503: The project allows the game to be unofficially ported to platforms such as Nintendo Switch , PlayStation Vita , and Wii U . Take-Two issued a DMCA takedown for the project in February 2021. In April, Theo, a New Zealand-based developer who maintained a fork of the source code, filed a counter-notice on GitHub , claiming that the code does not contain any original work owned by Take-Two; per DMCA rules regarding disputes, Theo's content
7979-401: The right person and the right choice", and Edge wrote that Tommy "sweats charisma", commending Ray Liotta's performance. The game's open world design was praised by reviewers, many of whom felt that it contained more detail and felt more alive than its predecessors. GameSpy ' s Padilla made favourable comparisons between Vice City and Grand Theft Auto III ' s Liberty City, noting
8080-439: The same physical skills as action games, but may also offer a storyline, numerous characters, an inventory system, dialogue, and other features of adventure games. They are typically faster-paced than pure adventure games, because they include both physical and conceptual challenges. Action-adventure games normally include a combination of complex story elements, which are often displayed for players using audio and video. The story
8181-583: The selling or renting of violent games to anyone under 18 without parental permission. The proposal, apparently sparked by Vice City , was supported by North Miami mayor Josaphat Celestin , who stated "We don't believe the First Amendment was written to protect those who want to incite violence". The case was later downgraded from federal court to state court . On 7 June 2003, 18-year-old Devin Moore shot and killed two Alabamian police officers and
8282-458: The story, Tommy meets characters from various gangs. As the player completes missions for different gangs, fellow gang members will often defend the player, while rival gang members will recognise the player and subsequently shoot on sight. While free roaming the game world, the player may engage in activities such as a vigilante minigame, a fire fighting activity, a paramedic service and a taxi cab service. Completion of these activities grants
8383-589: The team decided to make this concept a stand-alone game, which became Vice City . The game was announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on 22 May 2002. It was Rockstar North's most expensive game at the time, with a development budget of US$ 5 million and marketing budget of US$ 13.2 million . On 5 September 2002, Rockstar announced the release date of 22 October had been postponed until 29 October to meet product demand. By 15 October 2002, development of Vice City stopped as
8484-414: The time period and the team's familiarity with the era. The art team was provided with large volumes of research, as well as reference photographs taken by other members of the development team. The team organised field research trips to Miami shortly after completing the development of Grand Theft Auto III , splitting into small teams and observing the streets. The team spent time "solving [the] riddle" of
8585-506: The trend of open world games. A new rendition of Vice City is set to return in Grand Theft Auto VI (2025). Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was released for Windows on 13 May 2003 in North America and 16 May in Europe, supporting higher screen resolutions and draw distance, and featuring more detailed textures. Vice City was bundled with Grand Theft Auto III in a compilation titled Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack , released on
8686-634: The two decades after 1820. These don't appear to have entered general use and no surviving documentation on them has been found. During the American Civil War , both the US and the Confederate militaries experimented upon and produced rocket launchers. Confederate forces used Congreve rockets in limited uses due to its inaccuracies, while the US forces used Hale patent rocket launcher which fired seven to ten inch rockets with fin stabilizers at
8787-456: The world. The game was released in October 2002 for the PlayStation 2 . Vice City received critical acclaim, with praise directed at its music, gameplay, story, and open world design. However, the game also generated controversy over its depiction of violence and racial groups. It received year-end accolades from several gaming publications , and it is considered one of the sixth generation of console gaming 's most significant titles and among
8888-535: Was also released for OS X on 12 November 2010. For the game's tenth anniversary in 2012, War Drum Studios ported Vice City to several iOS and Android devices. The port is almost identical to the Windows version of the game, but with enhanced visuals and a customisable layout. The iOS version was released on 6 December, while the Android version was briefly delayed to 12 December due to technical issues. This port
8989-514: Was also released on Fire OS devices on 15 May 2014. An emulated version of Vice City was released on the PlayStation 3 on 30 January 2013 via the PlayStation Network 's PS2 Classics ; another emulated version was released for the PlayStation 4 on 5 December 2015, upscaled to 1080p and with support for PlayStation Trophies . A remastered version of The Trilogy subtitled The Definitive Edition , including Vice City ,
9090-446: Was also the case in the original game, while Digital Spy ' s Scott Nichols felt that the game "only complicated [the controls] further". IGN ' s Davis was thankful for the addition of customisable controls, and wrote that they "make the experience much more controllable", and Touch Arcade ' s Ford greatly appreciated the developer's efforts to "make the situation bearable". Destructoid ' s Carter spoke favourably of
9191-464: Was compiled between 1040 and 1044 and described the discovery of black powder but preceded the invention of the rocket. Partial copies of the original survived and Wujing Zongyao was republished in 1231 during the Southern Song dynasty , including military developments since the original 1044 publication. The British scientist, sinologist, historian Joseph Needham asserts that the 1510 edition
9292-415: Was crime ... it was a totally topsy-turvy back-to-front period of time". The team intended to make Vice City a "living, breathing city", for the player to feel like "life still goes on" while the character is inside a building. The game's look, particularly the clothing and vehicles, reflect its 1980s setting. Many themes are borrowed from the crime films Scarface (1983) and Carlito's Way (1993),
9393-421: Was directed at the controls and technical issues. IGN ' s Douglass Perry declared it "one of the most impressive games of 2002", and GameSpy ' s Raymond Padilla named the experience "deep, devilishly enjoyable, and unique". Reviewers generally considered the missions an improvement over Grand Theft Auto III , although some noted occasional awkwardness and frustration. IGN ' s Perry wrote that
9494-488: Was directed at the touchscreen controls. The port's visuals were well received. Destructoid ' s Chris Carter felt that they "[suit] the neon and bright pastel veneer", and wrote that the "new lighting effects and smoothed-out engine really allow the game to pop like it never has before". IGN ' s Justin Davis praised the updated character models, lighting, and textures, and Touch Arcade ' s Eric Ford noted that
9595-515: Was fired from single pedestal-mounted launchers on warships and a 3-inch version was used by shore based Z Batteries , for which multiple "projectors" were developed. Later developments of these weapons included the Land Mattress multiple launchers for surface-to-surface bombardment and the RP-3 air-to-ground rockets that were launched from rails fitted to fighter bomber aircraft. In Germany,
9696-404: Was labelled violent and explicit and considered controversial by many special interest groups . Peter Hartlaub of SFGate noted the game's "mindless violence", but attributed it to the developers' attempt to achieve accuracy. Jeremy Pope, who worked on various Rockstar games including Vice City , vowed never to work on violent games again due to their portrayal in mainstream media. In Australia,
9797-411: Was nearing completion; while early development only involved creating 3D models , executive producer Sam Houser said "it really kicked off at the beginning of 2002" and lasted about nine months. After the release of the Windows version of Grand Theft Auto III , the development team discussed creating a mission pack for the game that would add new weapons, vehicles, and missions. Upon further discussion,
9898-496: Was re-released as part of PlayStation's Greatest Hits selection, indicating high sales. In Japan, Vice City sold about 223,000 copies in its first week and over 410,000 by January 2008. The game earned a "Diamond" award in the United Kingdom, indicating over one million sales. Vice City was one of the PlayStation 2's best-selling games with 14.2 million copies sold, and across all platforms it sold 17.5 million units by March 2008. Similar to its predecessors, Vice City
9999-628: Was released for the Nintendo Switch , PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 , Windows, Xbox One , and Xbox Series X/S on 11 November 2021, and for Android and iOS on 14 December 2023. Existing versions of the game were removed from digital retailers in preparation for The Definitive Edition , but later restored as a bundle on the Rockstar Store. A core team of six fans reverse-engineered the game and released it as an executable in December 2020, having worked on it since May; titled reVC ,
10100-404: Was released to critical acclaim. Metacritic calculated an average score of 95 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 62 reviews. It is Metacritic's highest-rated PlayStation 2 game of 2002, and the fifth-highest rated PlayStation 2 game overall, tied with a number of others. Reviewers liked the game's sound and music, open-ended gameplay, and open world design, though some criticism
10201-466: Was restored after two weeks. On 10 June 2021, the team behind reVC filed a counter-notice; per DMCA rules regarding disputes, the source code was restored after two weeks. In September 2021, Take-Two filed a lawsuit in California against the programmers, asserting that the projects constitute copyright infringement. Action-adventure game An action-adventure game
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