Thursday 28 March 2013

The Greatest GTA Characters

Insane missions, unbelieveable fun, gripping stories and legendary characters. Calling cards of the GTA series. In anticipation of GTA V later this year (September 17th), it's time to relive and celebrate the best of GTA's truly epic characters!

SPOILERS AHEAD

List Time!


 
10. Phil Bell
Phil Bell is a Major supporting character from GTA IV. Phil is the unofficial consigliere of the Pegorino Family in Alderney. He primarily ran their front operations, but was also involved in some wetwork - he accompanied Niko Bellic on three violent missions for the Pegorinos. Towards the end of the game, the Pegorino Family gets too much police attention, leading Jimmy Pegorino to believe the family has several rats. He contemplates which one of his capos he should kill - Phil and Ray Boccino each secretly suggest to Pegorino that he kill the other. Jimmy eventually decides to kill Ray. At the very end, whether Deal or Revenge is chosen, Phil chooses to leave organized crime for good in favor of a simple life in a small town. He calls Niko to wish him all the best and they leave on good terms.

9. Phil Cassidy
Phil Cassidy is a character in Grand Theft Auto series who appears as major character in GTA: Vice City Stories, GTA: Vice City,and minor character in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, and Grand Theft Auto III, chronologically.

In all of his appearances, Phil is featured as a war veteran and heavy artillery arms dealer, selling the protagonist military-grade weaponry such as Grenades, Rocket Launchers, Miniguns, etc. He presents himself as ex-military, regularly talking about his exploits in Vietnam. Cam Jones claims that he was never actually in the army, and army records indicate that Phil was repeatedly turned down for service due to his alcoholism and unstable personality. Ray Machowski refers to Phil as an old military buddy, but from Nicaragua rather than Vietnam.

He is voiced by the one and only Gary Busey in GTA Vice City, and Vice City Stories.

8. Packie McReary
Patrick "Packie" McReary  is a character in Grand Theft Auto series who appears as a main character and a friend in Grand Theft Auto IV, a cameo character in The Lost and Damned and a supporting character in The Ballad of Gay Tony. Packie is a 29-year old member of the McReary crime family and the youngest brother of the McReary clan itself.
Packie, on the surface, portrays himself as strong and without feeling. But when drunk or otherwise confiding in Niko, he is shown time and time again to be suppressing deeply painful emotions. For example, he will lament that "the world is ugly and unkind", question what being a man is all about, and contemplates suicide. He doesn't seem to seriously consider immediately and directly killing himself, but does glamourize the idea that he will die young of a drug overdose. Compared to Niko, Packie is equally capable of violence and criminal activity, and feels less guilt. He does, however, still hold certain moral standards; If you kill too many hostages during the mission Three Leaf Clover, the mission will fail and Packie would say that he doesn't take this bloody money.

7. Yusuf Amir
Yusuf Amir is a character that appears as the tritagonist in The Ballad of Gay Tony and mentioned in Grand Theft Auto IV. Yusuf is a wealthy real estate developer and is arguably the funniest GTA character. He wants to franchise Gay Tony's nightclub Maisonette 9, and hires Prince's bodyguard Luis Lopez as a mercenary. He takes a very fast shining to Luis in particular, seeking to impress him with his possessions and sometimes white lies (for example, in High Dive he claims that one week ago he was exhausted from test driving "sexy cars" and for two weeks, flew to Vice City with prostitutes). After only meeting Luis twice in Sexy Time, he is quick to say that they are like "brothers". Towards the end of the game, he gives Luis his gold-plated Super Drop Diamond (with a powerful gun in the glove compartment) and brings his machine gun helicopter to aid Luis in a large gunfight, somewhat rare and profound of his otherwise selfish nature.
Yusuf is very relaxed and carefree man. He almost never worries about the problems in his life. Yusuf is also very cheerful and hyperactive. He also likes to annoy his friends, as he likes to use the word 'nigga' when greeting Luis, much to the latter's annoyance.

6. Ricardo Diaz
Ricardo Diaz was a character who appears as a main character and the tertiary antagonist in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and as a main character in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
Diaz is the leader of his own gang and, by 1986, is the drug baron of Vice City.
Sometime in between 1984 and 1986, Diaz establishes himself as the drug baron of Vice City and finishes the building of his mansion. His drug habit continues and he has become far more paranoid. Diaz sets up a number of foundations across Vice City and Latin America, although the Vice City Police Department believe them to be a front, whilst they also suspect him of eighteen murders. Diaz has also established a protection racket in the city. Diaz, continuing to use information from Gonzalez, has a drug deal between the Forelli Family and the Vance Crime Family ambushed, stealing both the drugs and money.
He later appears at one of Juan Cortez' parties, which was also attended by Forelli representative Tommy Vercetti. Cortez begins to investigate the deal and discovers Gonzalez' involvement and has him killed. Cortez openly suggests that Diaz may have been involved, but does not accuse him.
Cortez does employ Vercetti and Lance Vance to protect him in a deal with the Cubans from Haitians, which results in Diaz hiring the two for other jobs. Diaz first has the two deal with the Streetwannabe's, who have been stealing three percent of his profits, first following a gang member to an abandoned home and then attacking the home, killing a number of the gangs members. Later, Diaz has the two steal the fastest boat in the city and then use the boat to purchase drugs from a dealer, before escaping the other potential buyers. Lance eventually decides to avenge his brother’s death and kill Diaz. His plan backfires, however he is rescued from torture by Vercetti. The two of them later assault Diaz' mansion, killing all of his men and Diaz himself 

5. Mike Toreno
Michael "Mike" Toreno is an undercover agent from a "government agency," unknown, but his later dialogue rules out the FBI. Toreno disguises himself as a drug supplier for the Loco Syndicate. In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas he appear as a main character, and is voiced by James Woods.
Philosophically, Toreno is a highly cynical American imperialist. He primarily uses CJ as a courier, saboteur, and assassin. Though he knows of Tenpenny and Pulaski's dirty dealings, Toreno does not use his power to stop them — he tells CJ in one mission, "we have to make decisions, kid. You know, I try to set bad people on other bad people. And sometimes, I let good guys die." Toreno, like Tenpenny, seems to have gravitated toward committing heinous acts in the name of a greater good, but unlike Tenpenny, Toreno is not corrupted by his power. He equates maintenance of the American socioeconomic system with the continued survival of the free world. Toreno, like many major characters of San Andreas, appears in The Introduction.

4. Ken Rosenberg
Ken Rosenberg appears as a central character in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (set in 1986) and a main character in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (set in 1992). He is also mentioned in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (set in 1984).
Ken Rosenberg is voiced by William Fichtner and is based on David Kleinfeld, played by Sean Penn, from the 1993 film Carlito's Way. The two characters are defense attorneys, 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.

3. The Truth
The Truth appears as a main character in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
The Truth is an aging hippie who lives in Flint County and had previously owned a cannabis farm there.
As a conspiracy theorist, The Truth is apparently well aware of conspiracies surrounding the government and related organizations (including law enforcement agencies and the police), which causes him to question CJ after doing missions for Mike Toreno. Truth also owns a van dubbed "The Mothership", although he claims to travel via his astral goat, Herbie, and is acquainted with mechanics Dwaine and Jethro, along with electronics expert Zero.

2. Tommy Vercetti
Tommy Vercetti appears as the main protagonist of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (set in 1986) and mentioned in The Introduction, a prequel of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (set in 1992).
Tommy is a former member of the Forelli Family, and the leader of the Vercetti Gang, based out of Vice City.
Tommy Vercetti is voiced by Ray Liotta, who has also starred in the blockbuster film Goodfellas. Tommy Vercetti is depicted as both intelligent but temperamental, easily angered and quick to resort to violence. He has no hesitation about killing, though many of his victims are in turn trying to kill Tommy as well, or have done something that requires to be killed. The story does not require Tommy to kill any innocent people. Tommy does also show a softer side as seen with his relations with Mercedes Cortez and Earnest Kelly, whom he views as a father figure due to his childhood memories of working with his father at a printworks. At some point prior to 1971, Tommy joined the Forelli Family. He continued to work with the Forelli Family, working his way up the rankings and, presumably, becoming a made man. In 1971, Sonny Forelli, growing apprehensive of Tommy's growing power, attempted to set up an ambush for him, under the guise of a hit in Harwood. However, Tommy not only survived, but killed all eleven men sent to kill him. He was arrested and convicted of eleven counts of murder, but since he kept quiet and turned no evidence on the Forelli Family, they used judicial connections to spare him the death penalty or life imprisonment. Tommy remained in prison for fifteen years, never informing the LCPD of any Forelli Family secrets. This earned him the monkiker "The Harwood Butcher".
Tommy Vercetti continued to run the criminal underworld after Vce City; during that time, Tommy's relationship with Ken Rosenbergbecame increasingly strained due to Ken's cocaine addiction. Tommy eventually got Ken into rehab at the Fort Carson Medical Center in Fort Carson, San Andreas, and refused to speak to Ken after he finished rehab.

1, Officer Frank Tenpenny
Officer Frank Tenpenny is a corrupt police officer of the Los Santos Police Department (LSPD) and the head of C.R.A.S.H., he serves as the main antagonist in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Tenpenny claims that his approach to the job is about "percentages" and that his philosophy calls for overlooking some crime to achieve a greater good. It appears that he believes what he says, but in reality Tenpenny and his unit are corrupt to the core and terrorize gang leaders in a fashion much like a gang themselves, except with the power of law enforcement behind them. They can kill indiscriminately and are skimming the profits from the rival gangs. Tenpenny himself is a polluting influence, convincing good cops to aid him in his pursuits.
With Big Smoke ruling Los Santos as its crack kingpin under C.R.A.S.H.'s control, Tenpenny's reach is expanding. Despite this, the FBI is becoming interested in the wave of drugs crippling the city. CJ finally outlives his usefulness to Tenpenny and Pulaski, who are becoming edgy and less tolerant of loose ends by the time CJ reaches Las Venturas. There they have him acquire an FBI dossier. After this he drives CJ out to the desert, where Tenpenny attacks Hernandez for cooperating with Internal Affairs and orders Carl to dig his own grave. He then leaves CJ and Hernandez for Pulaski to watch so he can "get drunk and get laid", so he is not present to see CJ murder Pulaski.
Upon taking back Madd Dogg's mansion, CJ learns that Tenpenny has been charged with racketeering, corruption, possession and use of narcotics and numerous sexual assaults. However, as all the prosecution's witnesses have either been killed by CJ or otherwise gone missing, Tenpenny is acquitted, which ignites a riot in Los Santos reminiscent of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Tenpenny seeks to escape Los Santos and the riot by plane (supposedly fleeing San Andreas) with a suitcase full of drug money. Tenpenny emerges just as CJ has killed Big Smoke and tells him he has new recruits in the force who are ready for him to "open their eyes" to his way of thinking. Tenpenny starts a fire in Big Smoke's Crack Palace downstairs, hoping to kill CJ in the blast, then flees in a fire truck. Carl's brother, Sweet, however, hangs on to the firetruck's ladder; CJ catches him in his car and continues the chase.
At the last cut scene of the "End of the Line" mission, Tenpenny's fire engine runs off an overpass, where it lands in a wreck right in the heart of Grove Street. A bloodied and broken Tenpenny crawls out calling for backup. Realizing no one is coming, he curses the police force, claiming that with "fifty of me", Los Santos would be saved, before dying from his injuries. CJ and the rest of his crew examine the body to make sure he's finished, but Sweet makes sure no one touches him so officials will blame a traffic accident for his death. Before they walk away from the body, The Truth tells CJ that he "beat the system" after Truth had been trying for 30 years. CJ then leans over, points his fingers at Tenpenny's body and smugly says, "See you around, officer." Tenpenny's corpse is reported on the radio to have been mutilated and stripped by the homeless, before officials found it once the riots had ended

People who just missed out on this list include: Sal Leone, Big Smoke and Carl Johnson.