Everything GTA: Vice City Steals From Miami Vice

The Grand Theft Auto games have always been filled with references to pop culture and classic crime films, but Grand Theft Auto: Vice City’s love affair with the classic Miami Vice television series still manages to stand out. Miami Vice was massively popular during its initial run on NBC, combining the glitz and glamor of the ’80s Miami lifestyle with the violence and action of a crime drama. Vice City pays constant homage to the 1980s Michael Mann-helmed crime drama series, sometimes directly lifting images and pieces of music from the show.

Released in 2002 as a prequel to the previous year’s smash hit GTA 3, Vice City takes players back to 1986 and into the fictional Vice City, which is the game’s version of Miami Beach. The GTA series has long had an affection for Brian De Palma’s 1983 version of Scarface, which is set in Miami, and so ViceCity‘s main story references Scarface and other films throughout. Still, Miami Vice arguably casts the largest shadow over GTA: Vice City and its story. First airing in 1984, the detective show was revolutionary in its atmosphere and MTV-ready sense of cool, and its depiction of Miami as dangerous, sun-soaked, and full of pastel colors made it an instant success. With its suave lead characters and use of pop music, the series encapsulated ’80s excess and cool, but punctuated it with a sometimes gritty approach.

Despite focusing on criminals instead of detectives, Vice City stole a lot from Miami Vice, and the show’s influence is felt in almost every facet of the game. The game’s use of the word “vice” in its title is telling, but the most obvious influence is the game’s setting. The 1980s Miami-inspired world of Vice City has much in common with Miami Vice. For example, Vice City‘s Ocean Drive is modeled after the real Ocean Drive that is featured throughout Miami Vice, and the fictional Vice City Tower is based on the famous Miami Tower, which appears in Miami Vice‘s intro. GTA: Vice City also features several sports cars and speedboats that are reminiscent of those seen in Miami Vice.

GTA: Vice City Borrowed Miami Vice’s Visual Style

The aesthetics and overall visual style of GTA: Vice City is largely taken from Miami Vice. It’s one thing to set the game in the same location and time period as the TV show, but Vice City goes a step further and borrows the show’s pastel color scheme and clothing styles. Several characters in the game wear the iconic pastel shirt/white suit combination from the show, and the game’s Vice Squad officers are designed to look like the detectives from the series as well. What’s more, the Vice Squad officers always drive in a “Cheetah” car that’s clearly modeled after the Ferrari that the show’s protagonists use. There are even more specific visual references, such as Vice City‘s “hidden package” tiki statue collectibles, which reference the Miami Vice episode “Milk Run,” in which cocaine is packaged in very similar figurines.

Vice City was also deeply inspired by the buddy cop dynamic of the Miami Vice‘s protagonists. The show focused on two detectives: Sonny Crockett, played by Don Johnson, and Ricardo Tubbs, played by Philip Michael Thomas. Crockett was a suave and glamorous lead who exemplified the show’s Miami swagger, whereas Tubbs was a New York native who served as a tough, level-headed outsider character.

Vice City, too, centers around two initially mismatched characters who must unite in pursuit of a common goal. One is Tommy Vercetti, the player character voiced by Ray Liotta who’s determined to take over Vice City. The other is Lance Vance, a mysterious criminal who seeks vengeance for his brother’s murder. While Lance and Tommy in GTA: Vice City are far more violent and flawed than Crockett and Tubbs, the game drew a clear connection to Miami Vice with the casting of Philip Michael Thomas as Lance. Rockstar choosing Tubbs’ actor to voice one half of the game’s central duo is perhaps the most direct nod to Miami Vice in the game. Furthermore, both Lance and Tubbs both have vengeance as a motivation, with each character attempting to avenge their dead brothers.

GTA: Vice City’s Radio Stations Reference Miami Vice

There is also significant overlap between the soundtracks for Miami Vice and Vice City. Many of the same 1980s pop artists appear on both soundtracks, and Vice City even uses specific songs that were featured in the show, such as “Missing You” by John Waite and “Self Control” by Laura Branigan. GTA games have always used famous songs to create vivid settings, and the musical references scattered throughout Vice City‘s radio stations give the game a sound that is directly inspired by Miami Vice.

Vice City‘s most interesting musical connection to the show is the inclusion of “Crockett’s Theme” by Jan Hammer on the in-game radio station, Emotion 98.3. “Crockett’s Theme” was a popular piece of music that recurred throughout the show, appearing in some of Sonny Crockett’s most iconic scenes. It’s not entirely clear if the appearance of “Crockett’s Theme” means that Miami Vice, or some alternate version of it, exists in Vice City‘s timeline, but it’s likely the most transparent allusion to the show. Jan Hammer’s work on Vice City was a massive inspiration for Vice City‘s “Vice City Theme” and original score, all composed by Lex Horton.

While GTA: Vice City‘s frequent callbacks and references prove that the writers and designers clearly had an affinity for Miami Vice, the game also parodies the show and pokes fun at ’80s buddy cop tropes. One especially hilarious instance of this is the commercial for the fictional Yuppie and the Alien TV show that plays on multiple in-game radio stations. The show’s premise is a ridiculous send-up of ’80s cop shows: a yuppie police officer has to team up with an alien named “Googan” in order to fight crime. The commercial takes some good-natured shots at Miami Vice‘s signature aesthetic with lines like “They’re fighting crime the hard way, in designer clothes, with a quarter of a million-dollar sports car” and “Partner, let’s go cruise in the car and look moody.“

Despite the popularity of Vice City and the prequel Vice City Stories, the city has yet to appear in GTA‘s HD universe, which is depicted from Grand Theft Auto 4-onwards. Fans have long speculated that GTA 6 could be set in Vice City, though. If Rockstar does decide to return to Vice City, it’s possible that they could borrow from the 2006 Miami Vice film that brings the concept and characters of the show into the 21st century. The film uses a digital aesthetic to capture a different side of Miami, and so using the film as a reference would be an inspired way to honor Grand Theft Auto: Vice City‘s close relationship with Miami Vice.