Chapter 899: 'I'm Going to See What's Happening on the Streets'

As the game's content gradually unlocks and its main and side quests unfold before players, the more they can appreciate the charm of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Despite being a crime-themed game, the various characters within it do not evoke disgust from players.

Characters of all stripes even offer a profound satire of various chronic societal ills in reality.

For example, Carl's brother Sweet is a completely different person from Carl. He dislikes new things and distrusts outsiders, much like an old stubborn traditionalist.

So when he heard that his sister Kendl's boyfriend was actually a Latino kid, he immediately became furious, wanting to break them up, making the sibling relationship very strained. He even wanted Carl to sabotage Kendl's date.

However, Carl, who had been hustling in Liberty City for many years, had a completely different personality from his brother Sweet. He knew that to achieve anything substantial, he needed to make many friends. Therefore, he didn't follow Sweet's instructions to cause trouble. Instead, he decided to get to know his sister's boyfriend first before making a decision.

And Carl wasn't disappointed. Kendl's boyfriend Cesar, though a member of a Latino gang, was extremely passionate and loyal. He even later saved Carl and his brother Sweet's lives.

With Carl's help, Sweet's gang had regained its former glory, reclaimed much territory, and significantly increased its prestige, but there were many hidden dangers.

Specifically, Sweet's two most trusted lieutenants, Big Smoke and Ryder.

From in-game dialogues, it's evident that, unlike Sweet who adamantly refused to touch drugs, Ryder himself was a severe addict, constantly erratic, while Big Smoke also expressed no opposition to the drug trade, considering it a legitimate way to earn a living, not shameful.

On the day Sweet and his crew decided to ambush their sworn enemy, the Ballas gang, Carl received a message from his sister Kendl's boyfriend, revealing that Ryder and Big Smoke were both traitors.

One had long colluded with the Ballas, while the other had hooked up with corrupt officers like Tenpenny, who blackmailed Carl into doing their dirty work.

Ultimately, the ambush was a complete failure. Not only did the gang members suffer heavy casualties, but Carl and Sweet were rounded up by the arriving police. However, Carl was not imprisoned; instead, he was left in the wilderness by the police. To Tenpenny, Carl had been very helpful during this period. They naturally wouldn't discard such a useful tool-man.

Moreover, Sweet's brother was now in their hands, which further ensured that Carl wouldn't lose control. It was an unexpected bonus!

But it was from this point that Carl's thrilling and exciting story in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City truly began to unfold.

Through his brother-in-law's introduction, Carl participated in an underground car race and met a highly distinctive character: Wu Zimu.

This man, dressed in a black suit and black sunglasses, was the Triads' boss in San Fierro, always appearing calm and composed.

However, this wasn't the most astonishing thing for Carl. What truly surprised Carl was that this boss, who was drag racing with him on the mountain roads, was actually blind.

Despite his blindness, Wu Zimu was completely unbothered by his disability, and his subordinates were highly cooperative, paving the way and navigating for him so he could earnestly do what a sighted person could.

This sense of contrast made Wu Zimu one of the most beloved supporting characters in the game. Especially after befriending Carl, Wu Zimu helped Carl multiple times and eventually invited Carl to be a partner in a casino.

When Carl asked why he helped him, Wu Zimu calmly replied, “I'm blind, but my heart isn't.”

Of course, what resonated most with players was the game's portrayal of the blend of illusion and reality.

If Nebula Games' previous title, Persona, used the concepts of Palaces and Shadows to reveal the dark side of society and human nature, then Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was a direct satire.

All the cities and locations in the game had real-world prototypes.

Furthermore, the various side stories comprehensively demonstrated hypocrisy. Ordinary people, celebrities, journalists, gang members, and even police officers all exhibited this hypocrisy.

For instance, Mike Toreno in the game, unlike Tenpenny, was not corrupt. He genuinely wanted to make the country better, but even though he knew about corrupt officials like Tenpenny, he couldn't stop them through legitimate means.

So he could only resort to blackmailing Carl into helping him, just as he said:

“You still don't understand, do you? They're all white knights and heroes. We have to make decisions, kid. You know, I try my best to have bad guys kill bad guys, but sometimes, I also let good guys die.”

The entire game is filled with irony and dark humor, like a mirror, satirizing some of the ugliness in reality with an absurd, blackly humorous approach.

Irony, playful mockery, exaggeration, and broad descriptions of societal phenomena imbue the entire game with deeper meaning. It touches on democratic freedoms, rights and obligations, social conflicts, racial conflicts, unemployment and crime rates, the ugliness behind prosperity, and cultural clashes in lifestyles among people from different social strata.

Setting aside its exhilarating and rich gameplay, the story and core of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City become quite heavy. Especially when Tenpenny was eventually indicted on various charges but acquitted due to lack of evidence, triggering a city-wide riot in Los Santos, it reminded countless players of the major riots that occurred in Los Angeles historically.

Fortunately, although Grand Theft City's story was full of satire and jest, the ending of the Los Santos storyline ultimately satisfied countless players.

As protagonists under Nebula Games, the death rate of characters has always been remarkably high. Moreover, being crime-themed games, many characters in the earlier Red Dead Redemption and Payday didn't meet good ends.

So, for Carl's fate, many pessimistic players had already preemptively ordered him a coffin.

However, the game ultimately gave them a huge surprise.

At the game's end, Carl single-handedly shut down the drug manufacturing dens and killed the traitor Big Smoke. Facing Tenpenny, who suddenly appeared, took Big Smoke's ill-gotten gains, and boarded a fire truck intending to leave Los Santos, Carl and his companions chased him, causing him to lose control and crash onto Grove Street. Tenpenny tragically died on the spot from severe injuries in the car accident, bringing the major riot in Los Santos to a close.

Finally, Carl's companions along the way were discussing their future days in the house where it all began. His brother Sweet pondered how to expand the gang's influence, his sister Kendl considered continuing to manage her business in San Fierro, and other friends he had met along the way also arrived at his home, chatting about their experiences during this time, filling the atmosphere with joy.

Carl, however, had no particular plans. For him, it was enough for his family and friends to be safe and sound.

Looking at his celebrating family and friends, Carl simply dropped a line: “I'm going to see what's happening on the streets.” (End of Chapter) <>