5 most memorable GTA Vice City moments

When GTA Vice City came out in 2002, fans instantly fell in love with its vibrant retro setting and thrilling storyline.

Following on from the wildly successful GTA 3, it strengthened Rockstar Game's position in the open-world action/adventure genre. The game is still fresh in the memory of most GTA fans, and GTA 6 is expected to return to this nostalgic location.

There are many instances in the game which are testament to its quality. GTA Vice City features many unforgettable moments, whether it's the characters, their personalities and dialogs, or the movie-inspired story missions.

This article will highlight a few such moments which made the game so popular among its fans.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of its writer.

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GTA Vice City: Five most unforgettable moments

5) Putting Diaz out of business

Ricardo Diaz is a drug baron with no redeemable qualities in GTA Vice City. Players get to witness a typical power-hungry and paranoid sociopath in him. So it was pretty cathartic when Tommy and Lance took over his mansion and executed him.

As a villain, he is quite a memorable one, even being funny in some instances. His death was not unexpected since players discovered that the setup at the beginning of the game was his doing.

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4) Pretending to be cops

Tommy Vercetti, after starting his own crime family, doesn't do things like a typical criminal. He always comes up with something innovative, which is why he moves ahead so rapidly in the world of crime.

During the mission, Cop Land, Tommy and Lance kidnap two police officers and take their uniforms. Wearing these outfits, they manage to get into the restricted mall and plant a bomb inside.

What makes the mission memorable are the dialogues. Tommy reminds Lance not to blow their cover, yet the latter ends up acting like the most unconvincing cop ever.

Even more hilarious is the fact that nobody gets suspicious of them at all in GTA Vice City.

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3) Umberto Robina: A little out of touch

One of the most memorable characters in GTA Vice City is Umberto Robina, the leader of the Cubans street gang, who describes himself as:

“Umberto Robina, a man, a cafe owner. A lover. A fighter. If you are a woman or a real man, I love you. And if you are a stinking, sneaking, sniveling Haitian, I kill you. No damn Haitians going to be raining on my parade.”

Umberto always pretends to be the most macho man alive and tries to agitate Tommy by calling him effete. This leads to some amusing exchanges between the two since the latter is the one who keeps cool while Umberto gets agitated quite easily.

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2) Love Fist

Love Fist, a fictional Scottish heavy metal band in both the 3D and HD Universes, acts as a spoof of 1980s American hair metal bands.

They always get into some trouble where Tommy ends up being the reluctant savior. On top of their weird and wacky behavior, their Scottish slang makes up for some funny moments in GTA Vice City.

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1) The Finale

Most GTA fans would agree that the most satisfying moment in GTA Vice City was the ending. Sure, the game never had much replayability value, but it was the story that made it shine.

Like much of the game, the ending seemed to be heavily influenced by Scarface. However, it presented a "what if?" scenario where the protagonist gets a good ending.

Lance's betrayal was definitely disappointing, yet everything felt cathartic in the end.