When “Grand Theft Auto 3” was released in 2001, it was a revolution in video gaming. The open world of lawlessness allowed players to fully control the destiny of the silent protagonist, Claude. Players could get caught up in a world of crime–looting, killing, assaulting, and driving like an absolute maniac, and players couldn’t get enough of it. I don’t want to be the type of person who tries to view a property through the moral lens of 2022, but “Grand Theft Auto III” has aged like an avocado cut in half and exposed to the air. 

The following year, Rockstar Games released “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City,” which took everything that made “Grand Theft Auto III” groundbreaking and, while still questionable in its depictions of violence, sex, and racial insensitivity, perfected the gameplay that the franchise would be known for in years to come.

“Vice City” transported players to a crime-ridden paradise inspired by 1980s Miami, clearly pulling references to both the show “Miami Vice” and the cocaine-fueled masterpiece that is “Scarface.” The game introduced players to Tommy Vercetti, a criminal looking to move up the ranks and become the city’s greatest drug kingpin while dealing with rival gangs, the war on drugs, and a surge in glam metal popularity. Most notably, however, Tommy Vercetti actually had dialogue, and “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” marked a turning point for the series. The addition of a protagonist voice allowed for a deeper connection to be made between player and character, and Liotta turned Tommy Vercetti into an icon.