History Main / ViceCity

* Maranatha, Florida in the titular unfinished web novel ''{{Maranatha}}'' and the on-going graphic novel series ''ComicBook/HeathenCity'', both by Alex Vance.

* Maranatha, Florida in the titular unfinished web novel ''{{Maranatha}}'' and the on-going graphic novel series ''HeathenCity'', both by Alex Vance.

* In ''{{Series/Arrow}}, Starling City is ridiculously corrupt. The cops and judges are mostly on the pad, the administrators of the local mental hospital exploit their patients for profit, the leading candidate for mayor is secretly a costumed supervillain, and the city's wealthy elite are [[spoiler:plotting to destroy the TheCityNarrows with an earthquake machine]].

* Some of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo also qualify.

->''And the pistol's red glare\\
The bombs bursting in air\\
Gave proof through the night\\
That UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}'s still there!''
-->--'''A NewYork Newspaper'''

Vice City is a sprawling urban town, [[WretchedHive infested with crime]]. You can find every bad example of humanity here -- thieves, car jackers, gangsters, assassins, drug rings, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking jaywalkers]] -- and will probably get the chance to partake in all of it yourself.

->'''Harvey Dent''' (on television): Together, we can make this city safe for decent people!
->'''Jack Napier:''' Decent people shouldn't live here. They'd be happier some place else.
-->--''Film/{{Batman}}''

** It's slowly gaining back the reputation in modern times, due to murder and shooting levels on the rise. Even worse, some journalists recently had somebody referring the city as ''[[DudeNotFunny Chiraq]]''.

** It's slowly gaining back the reputation in modern times, due to murder and shooting levels on the rise. Even worse, one recent news article had somebody referring the city as ''[[DudeNotFunny Chiraq]]''.

** It does now, albeit one that is still severely troubled. And Mogadishu is actually livable place nowadays with most modern comforts available. Some other parts of the country, however...

Here, there is law, but it bends to the wallets of the powerful criminals, or the temptations of the law enforcers. Much less chaotic than some {{Wretched Hive}}s as the vice in the city is caused by organized corruption rather than greed induced every-man-for-himself-ism. [[PoliceAreUseless The police are often noticeably ineffective]] in ViceCity, [[OptionalTrafficLaws only getting off their asses to stop a criminal who is running over little old ladies]] ''repeatedly'' in the middle of the street. [[CardboardPrison They'll only incarcerate the offender for a few seconds]], too.

* In the ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' series, the first two games have Stilwater, while the third and fourth have Steelport. They range between ViceCity and WretchedHive.

** Or at least it is now. ''[[ComicBook/BatmanYearOne Year One]]'' and ''TheLongHalloween'' show that organized crime and police corruption were prevalent, and, after TheMafia was taken down, the "freaks" took over.

* Downlode in ''SinisterDexter'' is a massive city run entirely by gangsters.

* [[PunnyName Pair-O-Dice]][[hottip:*:”Paradise” – yes, IronicName]] in Francine Rivers’ ''Literature/RedeemingLove'' is a shabby, makeshift town whose primary population appears to consist mainly of backwash miscreants delirious with GoldFever, and prostitutes. Lots of prostitutes.

* Hialeah, Florida also qualifies.

->'''Harvey Dent''' (on televsion): Together, we can make this city safe for decent people!

->'''Harvey Dent:''' Together, we can make this city safe for decent people!

* In the ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' series, the first two games have Stilwater, while the third has Steelport. They range between ViceCity and WretchedHive.

* ''Manga/BlackJoke'': Japan has been made the 51st state of the United States and prostitution has been banned in Tokyo. An artificial island, the Neon Island, has been built in Tokyo Bay for gambling and prostitution and is a place swarming with organized crime.

* [[VideoGame/PokemonColosseum Pyrite Town]]. Even for a LighterAndSofter work like ''Pokemon'', Pyrite is a Vice City within a WretchedHive - it's the only city with police officers in all of Orre, and despite them the hoods freely roam the streets! Let's not forget that this is a city ''[[EnsembleDarkhorse Miror B.]]'' ruled over during his days as a Cipher Admin...

* In the original ''[[{{Bioshock1}} Bioshock]]'', the underwater metropolis of Rapture was founded precisely to ''escape'' urban decay. Unfortunately, the discovery of a PsychoSerum on the sea floor created a drug market, which the Mayor refused to police. The drug eventually became the biggest economic force in the city, as every citizen was now hooked on it.

* UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} in the 1920s was notorious for rampant corruption, gang activity, and prostitution.

The setting used in most WideOpenSandbox games, particularly the "true crime" ones of the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' variety (one of which is the {{Trope Namer|s}}). The city may be based on a real one, such as the ones seen in the ''Spider-Man'' games, but mostly it will be a [[NoCommunitiesWereHarmed loose amalgamation of various cities]], so the designers don't have to worry about adhering to the laws of geography.