Secrets in GTA Vice City

The following is a list of secrets, easter eggs, and hidden trivia references in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Easter Eggs

• At Escobar Inernational Airport you can usally see about 2-4 cars racing . Its near the first entry were they race around the planes. It helps if you get a fast car and drive it there.
• In Downtown Vice City near the Vice City News building there is a window where the player can jump through and the player will find the "Easter Egg Room" which is basically an actual brown easter egg on top of a pedestal.
• While the player flies through Starfish Island the player may see a pool that is shaped like the Rockstar Games logo.
• Inside the Apartment 3c when the player enters the bathroom the player may see a tremendous amount of blood and a chainsaw available for the character. This is a possible reference to the famous movie Scarface.
• Get a boat, and go near the bridge heading to Starfish Island. Look under the water and you'll see a fat man wearing cement shoes at the bottom of the sea.

Secrets

 If you go out to the edge of the runway in Escobar International Airport and keep looking ito the distance, you will eventually come across some shadows of boats. These are known as "Ghost Ships". They appear and after about ten seconds, they disappear.

References to previous games

Locations

• Marco's Bistro in Saint Mark's, Portland Island, Liberty City appears during the opening cutscene and An Old Friend. Marco's Bistro was the only remaining turf of the Forelli Family during Grand Theft Auto III and was where Claude killed Mike Forelli using a car bomb during Mike Lips Last Lunch.
• Harwood from Portland Island, Liberty City is mentioned during the opening cutscene and during the games climax, Keep Your Friends Close... when Tommy Vercetti is referred to as "The Harwood Butcher".

Characters

• In Tommy Vercetti's room at the Ocean View Hotel there is a poster featuring [[[Grand Theft Auto III]] protagonist Claude.
• Donald Love, a main character from GTA III, appears during The Party and Two Bit Hit.
• Lazlow, the host of Chatterbox FM in GTA III, returns as the DJ for V-Rock.
• Toni, the DJ of Flashback 95.6 in GTA III, returns as the DJ for Flash FM.
• Fernando Martinez, a guest on Chatterbox FM during GTA III, returns as the DJ for Emotion 98.3.
• Phil Cassidy, a minor character in GTA III (appearing during Arms Shortage) appears during the missions The Shootist, The Driver, The Job, Gun Runner and Boomshine Saigon.
• Morgan Merryweather, the DJ of Double Clef FM during GTA III, returns as a caller to K-CHAT, talking to Claude Maginot.
• Freddy, a caller to Chatterbox FM in GTA III, returns as a caller to K-CHAT, talking to Gethsemanee Starhawk Moonmaker.

Gangs

• The Forelli Family appear during the game, including the family Don Sonny Forelli during the opening cutscene, An Old Friend and Keep Your Friends Close.... Forelli mobsters also appear during the mission Cap the Collector. The Forelli Family also appear during the missions Dead Skunk in the Trunk in Grand Theft Auto III and Mike Forelli, a high ranking Forelli mobster, appears during Mike Lips Last Lunch.
• A Forelli Family mobsters refers to the "other families", which is a reference to the Sindacco Family and the Leone Family. The Leone Family appeared as a prominent gang in GTA III and were the first gang to employ the Grand Theft Auto III protagonist Claude.

Other

• Avery Carrington's instructions to Tommy Vercetti during the mission Two Bit Hit is almost exactly the same as those given by Donald Love to Claude during the mission Waka-Gashira Wipeout in Grand Theft Auto III. Carrington instructs Love to write down what he is saying to Tommy: "Now, nothing brings down real estate prices quicker than a good old-fashioned gang war - 'cept maybe a disaster, like a biblical plague or something, but, that may be going too far in this case". Love, in GTA III, states "Nothing drives down real estate prices like a good old fashioned gang war, apart from the outbreak of a plague, but that might going too far in this case".

References to other games

• Dick Tanner, from the mission Autocide, is a reference to Tanner of the Driver series.
• Marcus Hammond, Franco Carter and Charlie Dilson, from the mission Autocide, are references to Mark Hammond, Frank Carter and Charlie Jolson from The Getaway.
• Nick Kong, from the mission Autocide, is a reference to Nicholas "Nick" Kang Williams from True Crime: Streets of LA.

Real-world references

Characters

• Tommy Vercetti is likely based off Tony Montana from the film Scarface. The two both end up in exile, both rise to power in Miami using great amounts of violence, both build an empire from a large estate and mansion, both have short tempers and are prone to violence, both work as contract killers, and both killed their collaborators and took their ex-bosses' empires.
• The appearance of Tommy Vercetti is likely based off Mr. Blond from the film Reservoir Dogs. The two characters also share the fact that they both spent time in prison for their bosses in common.
• Sonny Forelli's temper is similar to that of Santino "Sonny" Corleone from The Godfather trilogy. Corleone has the idea of becoming involved in the heroin trade, whilst Forelli has the idea of becoming involved in the drugs trade in Vice City.
• Ken Rosenberg is likely based off David Kleinfeld from the film Carlito's Way. The two characters have a similar appearance and both are rendered increasingly paranoid and incoherent due to their cocaine addictions. The offices of both characters are also almost identical.
• Ricardo Diaz may be a reference to Miami Vice character Ricardo Tubs. Tubs was played by Philip Michael Thomas, the voice actor of Lance Vance.
• Gonzalez may be based on Nick the Pig from Scarface.
• Mr. Black and Leo Teal are likely references to Reservoir Dogs, as both mans names are colours, as are the code names of each of the robbers in the film.
• Jimmy, an actor appearing in Just the Five of Us, may be based off Gary Coleman and wp:Emmanuel Lewis, both of whom look much younger than their actual age.
• Dick, one of the four Love Fist band members, states that he is a fan of Duran Duran.
• Hilary King may be based on Neil McCauley from the film Heat, as both are involved in the criminal underworld and both live a solitary existence that forbids attachment and stresses mobility.
• Kent Paul is a reference to Kent in the United Kingdom, as stated by Paul himself.
• Umberto Robina's appearance may be based off his voice artist, Danny Trejo.
• Steve Scott is a parody of wp:Steven Spielberg, as are the films he directs at the InterGlobal Films studio.
• Alex Shrub may be based off former American president George W. Bush and former Florida governor Jeb Bush. A shrub and bush are both plants, whilst the nickname shrub was given to George W. Bush by author Molly Ivins. Shrub's voice is also similar to that of George W. Bush.
• Laura Shrub's name may be a reference to former American First Lady Laura Bush. Laura Bush's husband, former President George W. Bush, was given the nickname shrub by author Molly Ivins.
• BJ Smith's name is similar to that of OJ Simpson, whilst they are both also former football players.

Missions

• Mitch Baker, leader of the Bikers, agrees to provide security for the Love Fist concert in Vice City during the mission Hog Tied. This is a reference to the Hells Angels providing security at the Altamont Speedway Free Concert, which was headlined by The Rolling Stones.
• The death of Hilary King and possible death of Cam Jones during The Job may be a reference to the film Heat, in which a shootout with police results in the deaths of Michael Cheritto and Donald Breedan.
• The mission Publicity Tour, where Tommy Vercetti drives a Love Fist limousine whilst the band members deactivate a bomb, is based off the film Speed where Officer Jack Traven is forced to drive a bus at over 50mph to stop a bomb detonating.
• The events of Keep Your Friends Close... is similar to the ending of Scarface, involving a shootout in the protagonists mansion, although Tommy Vercetti survives the shootout, unlike Tony Montana.

Other

• The interior of Ricardo Diaz' mansion, later taken by Tommy Vercetti after the mission Rub Out, is similar in appearance to the mansion owned by Tony Montana from Scarface.
• The film Bite, starring Candy Suxxx, is a parody of the film Jaws series.
• The film Closer Encounters, starring Candy Suxxx, is a parody of the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
• The song "Freaks Come Out at Night" by Whodini is played in the background during the mission The Job, although it does not appear on any of the games radio stations. The song does, however, appear on Fresh FM in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
• The song "Burnin' For You" by Blue Oyster Clut is played in the background during the mission Boomshine Saigon, although it does not appear on any of the games radio stations.

Adult humor

At night in a building, you can see lights shaped like a penis.

References

Vice City Easter Eggs