"I Ran So Far Away..."

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PC, PS2, XB)
Released: 2002
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Grand Theft Auto: Vice City didn't fundamentally change the franchise the way its predecessor did. Instead, the game piled on even more style and panache to a series that already reeked of both. Set in the 1980s, Vice City's signature feature is arguably its amazing soundtrack. Dozens of tracks from signature '80s musicians are included in the game, such as Michael Jackson, Herbie Hancock, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. It was quite fun to try to ditch the police while having Flock of Seagulls' "I Ran" blaring on the radio. You could easily change radio stations inside of any car and enjoy not just the music, but also hilarious commentary from the DJs.

Big hair, skinny ties, and Thomas Dolby--it must be the '80s.

The game wasn't just about the music, of course. You still played the role of an up-and-comer in the criminal underworld. As Tommy Vercetti, you were looking to find out who double-crossed you on a busted drug deal. At the outset, the only man on your side is your smarmy lawyer, voiced to comic perfection by William Fichtner. An all-star cast of actors filled out the rest of the voice roles, including Ray Liotta as Vercetti, Tom Sizemore, Dennis Hopper, Danny Trejo, and Gary Busey. Even Philip Michael Thomas has a big part in the game, which was an apparent nod to the TV show Miami Vice, an obvious source of inspiration for the game.

As in Grand Theft Auto III, you'd search out missions from a variety of sources and do various criminal jobs. Eventually you would earn your own criminal empire and buy off different businesses in the city, such as the car dealership or the nightclub, which would earn money continuously. There were tons of little extras packed into the game, like dozens of hidden packages to find, cleverly placed ramps to test your motorcycle- and car-jumping skills, and more. Vice City also allowed you to explore the interiors of certain buildings, such as shopping malls, where you could rob the various stores.

Meet Tommy Vercetti.

The Miami-like setting allowed you to drive and steal not just cars, but also motorcycles, boats, and helicopters as well. The city was massive and included various venues, including a racetrack, a golf course, an airport, and even a large military base where the prize vehicle of the game, an attack helicopter, was stashed.

That the game drew from real-life Miami didn't go unnoticed, however. A number of months after the game was released, Haitian-American civil rights groups raised a public outcry over the inclusion of a mission whose prime directive was "Kill all the Haitians," as well as the depiction of Haitians in the game as gang members. This controversy, however, did little to stem the momentum of a franchise that had already been riding the wave of controversy for years. The outcry came off more as a Johnny-come-lately effort, with the original game drawing enough attention to get banned from a few countries and Grand Theft Auto III earning criticism from prominent American politicians.

Vice City made up in style what it may have lacked in innovation.

Without greatly altering Grand Theft Auto III's winning formula, Vice City added more features and a truckload of style. The game eventually was released for the Microsoft Xbox console, along with Grand Theft Auto III in a retail package dubbed the Double Pack, which brought the franchise to an even wider audience than the PlayStation 2 and PC owners who had been enjoying the series for years.

Two years have passed now since Vice City's release, and Rockstar has just released the newest GTA game, San Andreas. Again, the setting and time period takes a turn, this time mimicking the gritty gang culture of 1990's Los Angeles. How would this game be received?