For this post we’re gonna focus on Vice City and highlight the top 10 hardest missions in one of the franchise’s standout entries. So grab your shades cause we’re heading back to the 80s for some of the wildest missions with Mr. Vercetti himself.
10. Alloy Wheels of Steel
Starting out the list is a good old-fashioned bike race with the gang. Depending on your motorbike riding skills, this mission has the potential to cause untold frustration and rage. The pressure of riding fast while cars and other obstacles pop into view as you’re rapidly approaching is hard to manage at the best of times. So you’ll be doing a lot of practice here for sure. The reduced pop-in view range of this older GTA game really adds an extra unwanted challenge to all of the driving missions, especially when you’re on a motorcycle trying to weave in and out of traffic. But this is definitely a fun one to complete once you get the hang of it.
9. G-Spotlight
Parkour is usually something you associate with running and jumping over obstacles at a high speed. Well this mission is exactly that, but with vehicles. Except this version isn’t so much fun. Given that it’s incredibly satisfying to keep up with momentum, this mission will have you flying off the side of a building all too frequently. If you don’t stop to re-align course in between building jumps, this mission will make you want to see how good your controller is at flying out of the window. Thankfully there are some guides online to help you out.
8. The Driver
Driving in the GTA universe is usually fairly easy, mowing down innocent bystanders and making crazy jumps and all that. But when you’re running a mission with a race against the clock(or the cops) it can be infuriating. What this in-game driving isn’t exactly known for is supreme handling and realistic maneuvering. This is what makes car missions so challenging. Not only does your opponent Hilary seem to have a speed advantage, the police are onto you as soon as you set off. One thing the police in Vice City aren’t known for is a mild and friendly manner dealing with criminal activity, so expect to be repeatedly rammed off the road as you try to win this race.
7. Dildo Dodo
If you’re starting to see a theme emerge with the hardest missions so far, it’s because vehicle handling has the potential to ruin your day. It’s often the cause of failure in most missions whenever I’m playing. Dildo Dodo has you controlling a seaplane over the open water. That sounds like it would be a pleasant, scenic way to explore the city right? It’s much more frustrating than that. In what is probably one of the most common flying mission types around, you have to navigate your way around an aerial course twisting and turning to make sure you fly through the colorful circles. It helps if you use some cheat codes to get a Dodo first, practice flying, then come back to this once you’re comfortable.
6. Loose Ends
So finally we come to the first mission on this list not requiring dodgy vehicle handling. In ‘Loose ends’ you’ll find yourself single-handedly clearing out the grounds of an ice cream factory. At times you’ll find agents popping out of nowhere, and they will not delay in firing on you with an intensity that’s just hard to withstand. Proving that hard doesn’t necessarily mean frustrating, Loose Ends is often touted as one of the more enjoyable missions of the game. I mean, if you don’t mind falling to enemy gunfire a handful of times before completing the mission, then yeah you’ll have fun trying to battle through this one.
5. Hit the Courier
Combining driving and shooting into a really interesting mix, ‘Hit the Courier’ definitely has the potential to ruin your day if you’ve never played it before. First you’ll have to drive over to the docks to intercept a load of counterfeit plates(car plates?). The courier arrives by helicopter which is easy enough. Then you’ll have to clear out docks of enemies, some of which are up high up in cranes and others lurking around tight corners. The hardest part of this shootout is that you’ll have to be on your toes and try not to get ambushed. After killing the courier comes the best (worst) part: flying back with the goods by helicopter. Understanding how to control this helicopter without going down is by far the most frustrating part. At least you don’t have to worry about protecting Lance or any of that baggage.
4. Bombs Away
Back to undeniably insane vehicle mechanics, ‘Bombs Away’ doesn’t require you to fly a normal-sized plane here. Because that would be too easy. Instead you have to fly a mini RC plane out of the back of a van. In theory a really fun mission cause you just remote control a plain that you’ll fly over the water dropping bombs on targets while avoiding gunfire. Pretty cool! The only thing is, you’ll be fighting with the handling of a tiny plane and chasing moving targets while consistently taking damage – not quite the most fun mission when you sit down and play it.
3. Death Row
Aptly named for the amount of times you will want to die in this mission. ‘Death Row’ is a timed mission that’ll have you pulling your hair out. Racing to the junkyard to save Lance, you first put your driving skills to the test as you speed through the city taking any shortcut you can while avoiding cars and buildings. Made more difficult by constantly checking Lance’s health meter and taking your eyes off the road, this section is followed by a one-man attack on the junkyard where Lance is being held. Fight your way through a horde of enemies to save Lance before time runs out, or your patience.
2. Keep Your Friends Close…
As you might expect from the final mission of the game, ‘Keep your friends close’ is no walk in the park. In what proves to be a Godfather-esque shootout in a big mansion you have to take on the mafia and defend a safe to complete the main story objectives. Given the fact there is very little cover in the mansion, you’re going to be out in the open and exposed to gunfire for the majority of this mission. Wave after wave of mafia members will come at you with a vengeance and you have to hope you’re fast enough with some great accuracy here. Or you’ll probably have to try this one a number of times. That said, in the end you’ve taken out the boss man Sonny Forelli and you get access to his mansion. What more could a drug kingpin ask for?
1. Demolition Man
In at number 1, the hardest mission of GTA: Vice City is undoubtedly ‘Demolition Man’. Something that seems to be universal in all games that allow air travel: the infuriatingly difficult to control helicopters. And GTA: Vice City is no different. Demolition man requires you to place 4 bombs at different locations in a construction site within a meager 7 minute time limit. Already the mission sounds pretty darn difficult, right? Well you also have to fly the helicopter inside the building site while construction workers chase you with everything from ineffectual hammers to fully automatic rifles. I have no clue why they have rifles but either way you’ve got 7 minutes here. I’d wish you good luck but I have a feeling you’ll need more than that to clear this mission on your first try.
