What's a recipe for success for a
video game? Keep in the most controversial parts and give players
more of everything. More violence, more weapons, more cars
to steal. that seems to be the plan for Rockstar Games' follow up
to
the best selling video game,
Grand Theft Auto III,
Grand Theft
Auto: Vice City. Like its predecessor,
Vice City has copious
amounts of violence and offensive sexual content. Also like its
predecessor, Vice City
has the potential to lure young gamers into its seedy underworld
of crime, violence, and vice.
The game follows tommy Vercetti
(voiced by Ray Liotta of
Goodfellas fame) as he travels to Vice City (which
looks a lot like Miami, circa 1986) for a cocaine deal. the deal
goes south when both the drugs and the money are stolen in an
ambush. the rest of the game is the player's quest for revenge,
coupled with occasional side missions.
These side missions include gunning
down gang members with an uzi, intimidating jurors by beating them
with a hammer (of course, it's important you don't kill them), and
trying to kill a pizza delivery boy.
Of course, not all of the missions
involve killing or beating someone. Players can become a cabbie
or an ambulance driver for extra cash. Of course, in order
to get the ambulance or the taxi, you have to steal it in the
first
place. (the best way to get an ambulance? Beat someone and
wait
for aid to come then steal the ambulance the medics drive.)
The beatings are intense and the
number of weapons available is staggering. One can use a baseball
bat, screwdriver, machete, or even a chainsaw to attack
pedestrians to get small amounts of cash. As you attack and
beat
innocents, blood sprays the concrete. If you wound your victim
and they try to run, you can chase them by following the blood
trail. You can also get quick money by hitting people with your
car.
The foul language is what you'd
expect ("shit," "ass," and "bastard" among others), and is
employed frequently. For cut scenes, it's possible to get
captions, so you can see exactly what is being said.
Sex is also a big part of
Vice City. A crime
lord's daughter hits on your character early on in the video game,
and many of the women walk around in bikinis. Of course, one of
the most notable parts of GtA
III was the players' ability to pick up prostitutes off
the street, drive to a secluded location, do the deed, then beat the prostitute after she gets
out of the car to get your money
back. this little feature is still available on
Vice City. In
fact,
after you drive to a safe place, and as the car rocks back and forth, dialogue between
the prostitute and the character can be
heard ("Oh, yeah baby," "Make yourself at home," and "You in me
yet?").
The sheer scope and size of the city
is impressive, as is the number of vehicles available for the
taking. Boats, cars, vans, motorcycles, speedboats, even
helicopters are at your disposal. this game has already had spectacular sales, even
though it's only been out a few days (www.abcnews.com
has stated that the game sold 4 million copies before its release
date, and projections predict that it could sell up to 10 million
copies before all is said and done). Any parent should think
twice before allowing a child access to this video game.
New to the PTC?
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Grand
Theft Auto: Vice City: More of the Same