5 things that made GTA Vice City so iconic

Rockstar Games’ GTA Vice City broke barriers and set new standards of video gaming in the early 2000s. The title was so popular that it is still regarded as one of the most successful Grand Theft Auto releases of all time. The developer seemingly learned from the impact that GTA 3 created and introduced various old and new things to make Vice City remarkable.

This article lists five such things that made Rockstar Games’ GTA Vice City so iconic.

Note: Some parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer’s opinions.

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5 notable things that made GTA Vice City iconic

1) Casting popular artists as voice actors

Grand Theft Auto Vice City has one of the most superior cast selections (Image via Rockstar Games)

One of the most amazing things Rockstar did in GTA Vice City was casting various popular actors as models for the in-game characters. They not only made the in-game characters unforgettable but also added their own characteristics. The following are some notable artists and their roles in the game:

• Ray Liotta - Thomas “Tommy” Vercetti
• Tom Siezmore - Sonny Forelli
• William Fichtner - Ken Rosenberg
• Burt Reynolds - Avery Carrington
• Danny Trejo - Umberto Robina
• Luis Guzmán - Ricardo Diaz
• Lawrence Taylor - BJ Smith

The cast above (including some others) contributed to making Grand Theft Auto Vice City iconic.

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2) Inclusion of popular soundtracks

Only a few video games can compete with the iconic soundtracks of GTA Vice City. Rockstar Games made a wise choice of including tracks from the 1980s in the video game. The aesthetics of the map, along with the radio music, make the gameplay more enjoyable. Here are some of the best songs from the game:

• Self Control
• Run to You
• A Flock of Seagulls
• 2 Minutes to Midnight
• Out of Touch
• Africa
• Billie Jean

The soundtrack is one of the main reasons why GTA Vice City became more popular than Grand Theft Auto 3, which was released only a year before.

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3) Influence of the Scarface movie

If you have ever played GTA Vice City, then you may have noticed various in-game features related to the popular Hollywood movie Scarface (1983). Rockstar took plenty of inspiration from the movie to make the game iconic. Some notable ones are:

• Tommy's character was loosely based on Tony Montana.
• Both the game and movie took place in 1980s Miami.
• The Vercetti Mansion looked similar to Tony Montana’s mansion.
• Vice City’s final mission was very similar to the movie’s climax.

These elements made GTA fans thoroughly enjoy the video game.

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4) Surprising Easter eggs

Rockstar did not forget to scatter Easter eggs across some popular areas in GTA Vice City. You may accidentally come across various uncanny things before realizing that it’s an Easter egg. Some of them are as follows:

• Moon landing setup inside InterGlobal Film Studios.
• Underwater Cement Shoes statues.
• The ‘Easter Egg’ room.
• Scarface reference in Apartment 3c.

The selection and inclusion of the Easter eggs are spot on and players should consider exploring them in their free time.

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5) Cheat codes

Tommy Vercetti can use a wide range of cheat codes in Grand Theft Auto Vice City (Image via Rockstar Games)

Rockstar allows GTA Vice City players to use cheat codes to make the gameplay more interesting. The developer included over 50 cheats that give you special abilities and features. Some notable things you can do with cheats are:

• Acquire full health
• Get various weapons
• Raise or remove wanted levels
• Change Tommy’s appearance
• Spawn various vehicles
• Drive on water
• Make vehicles invisible

If you ever get bored with the regular gameplay, you could try activating cheat codes sometimes.