The most memorable GTA: Vice City missions

Vice City’s storyline isn’t new to the franchise, as many titles follow the protagonist as he searches for someone who betrayed him. Tommy Vercetti is ambushed at a drug deal, which leads to him losing the money of the Forelli crime family. This causes the protagonist to start doing missions in Vice City while searching for who set him up. Tommy ends up becoming the main guy in Vice City’s criminal underground, and here are some of the most memorable missions he completed in the game.

1. The Party

This is a tutorial mission of sorts, as Tommy has to change his threads because he has to go to a party. The party is hosted by the Colonel, who is a prominent figure in the Vice City underground, and also the person who arranged Tommy’s initial bad drug deal. Tommy meets several people there, including Mercedes Cortez, who is the Colonel’s daughter and also becomes a romantic interest for the protagonist. Nothing comes out of this, but several fan theories speculate that the two end up together.

The Party is a memorable mission in large part because it heavily emphasizes the 80s retro setting and also introduces Tommy to the party-heavy nightlife of Vice City’s criminals and influential figures. This is also where Tommy meets Diaz for the first time, setting up missions and also leading to the Rub Out mission, where he takes down the gangster and takes over his mansion.

2. Phnom Penh ’86

This is a major point in the narrative, as Diaz tasks Tommy with attacking a rival gang, and Lance tells the protagonist that it was Diaz who caused the original drug deal ambush. Tommy tells Lance to be level-headed, and he boards a helicopter going toward the gang hideout. This leads to one of the most satisfying shootouts in the game, as Tommy takes down several enemies from the helicopter. He then continues shooting from the ground, taking down the gang leader and collecting the money.

Vice City has multiple helicopter missions, but Phnom Penh ’86 is easily the best, as you can rain down bullets on enemies. The mission isn’t frustrating, as you don’t need to control the chopper and can simply focus on killing the enemies. The mission also helps the story advance, as Tommy’s relationship with Diaz changes, but the protagonist decides to continue normally rather than acting rashly. This leads to more missions, and Tommy ultimately takes down Diaz, becoming the key underworld player in Vice City.

3. Demolition Man

This mission isn’t memorable because it’s fun or is part of the narrative in the long run. Instead, Demolition Man tasks Tommy with controlling an RC Goblin helicopter to place bombs in four different places. The objective is to place the bombs in such a way that they can take down an entire building.

Demolition Man is one of the most infamous and frustrating Vice City missions because handling the helicopter is highly unreliable because of awkward controls. Paired with the time limit and enemies attacking the helicopter, the mission becomes really challenging. The mission is remembered because of how hard it was to keep up with the timer while controlling the helicopter and also looking out for enemies.

4. Death Row

This is a mission where Tommy has to rescue Lance because the character couldn’t control himself and tried to take his revenge on Diaz solo. Lance is being held at a junkyard, and Tommy must fight his way through Diaz’s men. Tommy saves Lance but expresses his anger because the character’s actions ruined the protagonist’s plans. This is where Lance explains that his revenge wasn’t just for the drug deal, but also for Diaz causing his brother’s death.

This GTA: Vice City mission is memorable for multiple reasons, with the main one being that Lance’s motivations are clear. The character had a more personal reason for taking revenge on Diaz. However, this mission is also why things speed up, forcing Tommy and Lance to decide to take down Diaz before he can retaliate against the duo.

5. Keep Your Friends Close…

 

This is the bittersweet ending of Vice City, as Tommy kills Sonny and a traitor, effectively establishing himself as the undisputed kingpin. The mission starts off with Sonny coming to Vercetti Estate to get his money, but Lance rats out Tommy. Once Sonny knows that Tommy is giving him fake money, a shootout ensues.

What makes the mission memorable is that the story started with a betrayal, and Tommy had to find out it was Diaz who ruined the drug deal. The story also ends with a betrayal, as Lance tells Sonny everything. However, Tommy is able to get his happy ending by killing both Lance and Sonny.

6. Rub Out

The mission that establishes Tommy as the new player in Vice City’s criminal scene. Tommy and Lance meet outside Diaz’s mansion, and the two fight their way through the enemies. The front entrance is locked, which makes the duo find alternative means to get inside. Diaz is waiting for Tommy and Lance, but the duo kills the gangster, taking his mansion and criminal empire.

This may be the most memorable GTA: Vice City mission, as it is the culmination of Tommy’s efforts from the start of the game to becoming the top honcho in a criminal organization. However, things don’t end here, as Tommy starts expanding and becoming more powerful. Diaz’s Estate becomes Vercetti’s Estate and is still one of the most iconic GTA locations.

7. Cop Land

This mission starts off with Tommy finding out that a bomb planted at the mall hasn’t detonated. He teams up with Lance and lures out two police officers so the duo can get police uniforms. The two then head to the mall in a police car to detonate the bomb. This is a unique mission, as it has Tommy and Lance impersonate cops to commit a crime.

This is also what makes the mission one of the more memorable GTA: Vice City missions, as Tommy doesn’t just shoot his way through. Instead, Tommy has to fool the cops, first by luring them to the garage and then by wearing the uniform and walking past the police at the mall. This mission design was elaborate and showed how far Tommy could go to protect his criminal empire.