Grand Theft Auto: Vice City/Regional Differences

This is a sub-page of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Oh dear, I do believe I have the vapors. This page contains content that is not safe for work or other locations with the potential for personal embarrassment. Such as: G-Spotlight images.

To do: Show more in-depth comparisons with the regional differences.

Regional Differences

Japanese Version changes

• When starting up the game, the player will be greeted to a screen which vary between three versions stating they must be 18 or over to play it, with the CERO rating displayed on it. This is the first time that the screen appears and would be included in the Japanese Xbox and PC versions of Grand Theft Auto III, and future releases.
• Some of the font has been changed to support the Japanese language.
• Two new skins have been added, which are called Tache and Wild, which would be released in the Mac OS port of the game. Oddly, those skins are found in the Android version's files despite not supporting them.
• The wheel rim texture for some of the vehicles like the Police was changed, likely because it resembled too much of the real-life Fiat Punto's equivalent. Strangely, this was only done on the PlayStation 2 version of the game, where the other Japanese versions use the original design due to the texture being placed into the wrong file called MISC.TXD instead of wheels.TXD.
• The text for the player needing to complete the biker gang missions now lasts for four seconds rather than one.
• Exclusive to the Windows version, the fire texture is yellow and bigger.
• This version uses the alternate, normally unused models for the Vercetti goons.
• Blood droplets don't appear on the screen when the player uses a chainsaw against a pedestrian.
• In "Martha's Mugshot" the chauffeur is now invulnerable and will not leave the limo under any circumstances.
• The Cubans in "Trojan Voodoo" will no longer leave their cars under any circumstances but are not invulnerable.
• The Top Fun van in "Bombs Away!" is no longer immobile.
• In "Love Juice" the player can no longer trigger the picking Mercedes up cutscene with a one-seated vehicle therefore softlocking the game. Instead the game will tell the player to get a two-seated one.
• In "Cannon Fodder" the player leaves the car slightly before the Cubans instead of right after. The mission marker has also been slightly moved.
• The "Pole Position" mission complete cutscene lasts slighty longer.
• In "All Hands on Deck" the Infernus no longer spawns inside the mall to prevent a bug.
• Certain English strings are different (e.g. Mission Passed reading Mission Completed)
• Instead of showing a letter representing a controller button, the Japanese version shows an image of the button.
• Only one language option (Japanese, that is)
• Uses reverse controls for buying weapons on both PS2 and PC.

Changed Graphics

Due to CERO regulations regarding sexuality in video games, some of the graphics had to be edited to remove all form of partial nudity and sexual themes.

• The posters and polaroids with Candy Suxxx were replaced by pictures of (rather creepy looking) kittens and flowers.

International	Japan

• Curiously, four of the kitten posters are taken from newer real-life stock photos from the internet as well as three of them having enlarged eyes, contradicting the game's 1986 setting.
  • The top left image is the Runaway Kitten photo, that was posted on the internet.
  • The top right image is from the now defunct Pixvirtual website. It was originally a gif where the kitten made a scary made while their eyes turned red.
  • The bottom right image of a cat, became infamous on the internet due to it resembling a Fizzgig from the movie The Dark Crystal.
• That also includes the image of Candy given by the player as a reward.

International	Japan

• The spotlight graphic for the mission G-Spotlight was changed.

International	Japan

Changed Cutscenes

All scenes involving characters doing cocaine and drugs were cut short in the Japanese version, in The Shootist and No Escape? missions. The opening cutscenes for G-Spotlight and Martha's Mug Shot were edited, too.

To do: Replace with videos, considering that the camera angle is changed.

In G-Spotlight, the first few seconds of Candy complaining about not being to swallow "it" were edited out.

International	Japan

In Martha's Mug Shot, Candy's moaning was cut out except for one little bit where she replies to Tommy.

International	Japan

German Version

All of the censorship that was carried onto the German version of Grand Theft Auto III remains here, except now the missions Messing with the Man and Dirty Lickin's were removed. Because of the two cut missions and the removal of the rampages, the stats were also edited to match the censored version. This does not apply to the 10th Anniversary Edition or later digital releases, as it now has a USK 18 rating.