Phil Cassidy
In the video games Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Phil Cassidy is a bitter war veteran who offers the player some military-style weapons in order to gain a parity (equal footing) with the tougher levels of law enforcement that are unlocked later near the final missions. Flame-throwers, for example, make cars and people catch on fire to create riots and chaos throughout the streets. Rocket launchers finally make destroying airplanes and helicopters a possible dream (although some helicopters can be destroyed by numerous Uzi blasts, which can be purchased at Ammu-Nation along with the other "normal civilian" weapons).
Character
In all of his appearances Phil is featured as a heavy artillery arms dealer, selling the protagonist heavy weaponry which can devastate easily, among those grenades, rocket launchers, miniguns, etc. In all games he claims to have served in the military, however, as it turns out, he was never in the army since he was turned down many times due to his bad temper and heavy drinking.
Aside of being a weapons guy, Phil is featured as a heavy drinker. He brews his own alcoholic beverage, a dangerous and highly explosive drink known as "Boomshine" which Phil started brewing and selling in Vice City circa 1984. Phil says during a phone conversation between him and Vice City protagonist Tommy Vercetti that due to his heavy Boomshine drinking, Phil can't see out of his left eye.
The third of Phil's most notable character features (this one not being present in Vice City Stories) is that he has one arm. In his appearance during Vice City Phil still has both arms, but in the last mission he appears, a bomb goes off next to him and his arm is blown off, in all the games that Phil appears which are chronologically after Vice City, Phil has only one arm. His fate is unknown in GTA IV whether he is dead or not.
Role in The Games
GTA III
In the mission Arms Shortage, corrupt LCPD cop Ray Machowski commissions Claude to go and meet Phil at his shop, since some members of the Colombian Cartel tried to extort weapons out of Phil. Phil and Claude attack the Cartel men as they arrive and kill them, stopping them from stealing Phil's weapons.
GTA Vice City
Protagonist Tommy Vercetti hires Phil to pull off a bank robbery in mission The Shootist. Phil is the one who suggests Tommy should employ Hillary King as a getaway driver in mission The Driver. After the robbery (The Job), Phil invites Tommy to work for him in order to get fixed with massive fire power, after Tommy kills Phil's rival at gun dealing, Pedro Garcia, Phil invites Tommy to check out his Boomshine bombs, however, one of them malfunctions and explodes next to Phil, blowing off his left arm. Tommy then drives Phil to a war surgeon to get patched up.
GTA Liberty City Stories
Phil appears during the mission More Deadly Than the Male as Toshiko Kasen's gun dealer.
GTA Vice City Stories
Here, Phil is introduced to Victor Vance through Sergeant Jerry Martinez. Phil is Jerry's gun dealer and Jerry sends Vic to help Phil get rid of some Cholos giving him trouble. Through Phil, Vic meets Phil's sister Louise Cassidy-Williams and Phil's brother in law Marty Jay Williams.
After pulling off some jobs for Marty and eventually killing him, after he tries to pimp Louise, Vic returns with Phil and saves him from Jerry's goons who want to finish him for betraying Jerry. After being saved by Vic, Phil promises to stay sober from now on, however, he begins to drink again when Armando Mendez kills Louise. Phil, wanting revenge with the Mendez Brothers, gets drunk and blows up the entrance of Fort Baxter so Vic can steal a Hunter helicopter to attack the Mendez compound.
In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Phil is sporting a handlebar moustache. Between 1984 and 1986 he has shaved this off.
Mission Appearances
GTA III
GTA Vice City
- The Shootist
- The Driver
- The Job
- Gun Runner (Boss)
- Boomshine Saigon (Boss)
GTA Liberty City Stories
GTA Vice City Stories
- Cleaning House
- Conduct Unbecoming
- Cholo Victory (Boss)
- Boomshine Blowout (Boss)
- Truck Stop (Boss)
- Marked Men (Boss)
- Blitzkrieg Strikes Again
- Over The Top