dan houser thinks vice city's writing was awful but ray liotta carried it

Caught a GamesRadar piece where Dan Houser talks about Vice City's script and it's pretty blunt. He basically says the writing was awful. Not mincing words. But then he credits Ray Liotta for making Tommy Vercetti work anyway.

Houser said Liotta brought a level of authenticity to Tommy that the writing alone couldn't manage. That tracks. Vice City's dialogue has some rough lines, but Liotta's delivery made Tommy feel like a real guy who'd been through some stuff. You buy the character because of how he says things, not always what he's saying.

It's funny because Vice City is still one of the most beloved GTA games. The vibe, the music, the neon. But the actual script? A lot of it is just okay. Liotta gave it weight. Without him, Tommy might have come off as a generic mob guy.

This makes me think about GTA 6 and how Rockstar's approach to writing and casting has evolved. They've had some incredible performances since then. But there's something about Vice City where the actor elevated the material more than usual. Houser admitting it now is kind of refreshing. Most people would just let the nostalgia do the work.

Anyway, I'm not saying Vice City is bad. It's a classic. But hearing the co-founder call the writing awful and credit Liotta for saving it is the kind of honesty you don't get often. Makes me appreciate Liotta's performance even more.

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Source: GamesRadar+ · Curated content.