What city is GTA 2 based on?
Unlike any other Grand Theft Auto game, GTA 2 does not directly portray a real-world city. Instead, it takes place in Anywhere City – an imaginative, retrofuturistic metropolis divided into three districts.
As a passionate GTA gamer and content creator, I‘ll analyze Anywhere City‘s distinctive design versus the real-world inspirations of Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas. Buckle up for a deep dive on why GTA 2 broke the mold!
GTA Series Typically Recreates Major US Cities
Since the original 1997 GTA, the series has built fictional cities modeled after famous US metro areas:
- Liberty City = New York City
- Vice City = Miami
- San Andreas = Los Angeles and California
This grounds the zany GTA sandbox gameplay with familiar urban landscapes. But GTA 2 developers went in an avant garde direction for the 1999 sequel…
Liberty City Captures NYC Chaos
With its towering skyscrapers, distinct boroughs, and bustling sidewalks, Liberty City echoes the nonstop energy of the Big Apple. GTA III then expanded this rendering of New York in unprecedented 3D detail.
Favorite Liberty City landmarks like the Statue of Happiness (Statue of Liberty) and Middle Park (Central Park) make these fictional streets highly authentic.
Vice City Embodies Miami Spirit
What happens when you mix white sand beaches, Art Deco architecture, and criminal cocaine empires? You get Vice City – GTA‘s flashy interpretation of Miami in the 1980s.
Besides the bright pastels and palm trees, Vice City transports players right into Miami‘s seedy underworld of the time. Unforgettable missions like the Malibu Club raid or Ocean View Hotel shootout capture South Florida‘s breezy danger.
San Andreas Spans Cali Vibes
From the ritzy mansions of Vinewood (Hollywood) to the working-class hoods of Los Santos (Los Angeles), San Andreas stretches across the Golden State‘s enviable landmarks and subcultures.
With country roads, desert towns, legal weed farms, and even Area 69 (Area 51), San Andreas squeezes tons of Cali flavor into its sprawling state landscape.
GTA‘s Fictional Cities Alongside Their Real-World Counterparts
Why Ground Fiction in Reality?
Basing GTA locales in reality brings instant familiarity to the gaming chaos. Players feel like they already know their way around these urban jungles.
It also allows the satire and commentary to bite harder regarding issues like crime, inequality, and capitalism in US cities.
But the series broke from tradition when designing Anywhere City…
Inside GTA 2‘s Retrofuturistic Anywhere City
Instead of another New York/Miami remix, GTA 2 creators imagined:
A twisted retro-futuristic city with 1970s styling meets 1990s grime combined with weird pop culture references
This resulted in the game‘s distinctive Anywhere City – split across three districts tinged with dark absurdity:
- Downtown District – gleaming corporate towers where greedy companies monopolize business
- Residential District – decaying neighborhoods of average citizens just trying to get by
- Industrial District – grimy factories billowing toxic smog into the already-polluted sky
Let‘s explore what makes each zone unique.
Downtown District – Chrome Towers Belching Smog
In Downtown, sparkling skyscrapers with curved facades dominate the landscape as wealth concentrates among the elite.
But look closer at the glitzy high-rises and you‘ll notice:
- Smog oozing from vents on roofs
- Dangerous heavy equipment stored openly on balconies
- Garbage littering neon-lined streets
This hints at the crony capitalism and disregard for anyone but the ultra-rich.
The gleaming yet grim Downtown district
Residential District – Struggling Citizens
In the Residential zone, beaten-down apartments and modest homes house Anywhere City‘s normal residents as they struggle to survive:
- Long lines for rationed food and water
- Curfews enforced by roving guards
- Makeshift living spaces carved into old factories and stores
The everyday citizens here have seemingly been left behind…
The decaying Residential district
Industrial District – Gritty Polluted Factories
Finally, colossal factories belch nonstop contamination into Anywhere City‘s already smog-filled sky across the Industrial district. Features include:
- Massive smokestacks oozing green waste
- Dirty brick warehouses with broken windows
- Sewers bubbling up thick toxic sludge
Clearly not many environmental regulations restrict big business here. Welcome to late-stage capitalism.
The grimy, polluted Industrial district
Anywhere City By District
| District | Description | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown | Glitzy corporate towers where wealthy concentrate power | Skyscrapers with curved facades, neon-lined streets filled with garbage from elite |
| Residential | Declining apartments and homes for average struggling citizens | Rationed food/water, enforced curfews, makeshift living spaces |
| Industrial | Gritty factories constantly polluting the air | Huge smokestacks oozing waste, toxic sewers bubbling up sludge |
This table summarizes how Anywhere City splits between zones catering to the ultra-rich versus failing to provide basics for regular people.
Why Anywhere City Stands Out
Unlike the reality-grounded cities of previous games, Anywhere City leveraged GTA 2 designers‘ creative freedom to build something more metaphorically original.
Commentary on Class Struggle
Anywhere City‘s striking disparities reflect rampant 1990s corporate power affecting ordinary citizens. This screamed for satire and commentary.
Having distinct districts also facilitates contrasting gameplay – from white collar crime in posh Downtown high-rises to factory sabotage amidst Industrial decay.
Design Evolution from 2D to 3D Liberty City
From a development standpoint, Anywhere City marked an experimental transition toward GTA III‘s revolutionarily immersive 3D sandbox.
So while not based on any true metro area, Anywhere City‘s ambition advanced the series‘ technical capabilities.
Lasting Impact on GTA Style
Finally, Anywhere City introduced more absurdist humor by parodying broad socioeconomic issues rather than specific locales.
This goofy yet provocative tone persisted into later franchise entries like GTA V. So Anywhere City still left its mark.
The Bottom Line
Rather than recreate a famous US city, GTA 2 embraced creative liberty to forge Anywhere City – a fictional stand-in for the exaggerating class divides of unchecked capitalism.
Its District zones cater to wealthy elites versus neglected average citizens. This established a new mold for the franchise that balanced humor with relevant satire in pioneering sandbox freedom.
So that covers my insider perspective on Anywhere City‘s unique role pushing GTA toward over-the-top social commentary along with greater urban freedom than ever before. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
