Last week, a bizarre little game called HeliCity Demolition Man offered a full unlicensed remake of GTA Vice City's most infuriating mission. Now it seems publisher Take-Two has taken notice, and - get your surprised face ready - done its best to scrub the knock-off from the internet.
Cheap knock-off games hit digital stores all the time, but HeliCity Demolition Man stood out for the specificity of its inspirational material. It's a full remake of that Vice City mission where you need to pilot an RC helicopter to destroy a building, faithful to the layout, UI, and background elements of the PS2 classic. It was $2 and seemingly an easy platinum trophy, likely intended as its two biggest selling points.
Now, if you head to the original PS4 store page, you'll get naught but a "this probably isn't what you're looking for" error message. Trying to check out the dev's original trailer on YouTube confirms what you could probably guess: "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Take-Two Interactive." It's certainly possible that these takedowns are from some copyright troll - takedown claims aren't exactly thoroughly investigated by platform holders - but the obvious answer seems likely here.
The weird part, however, is that HeliCity Demolition Man hasn't actually been scrubbed from the face of the internet. The PlayStation Store still offers HeliCity Demolition Man Transparent Avatar Bundle which is - you guessed it - a collection of avatars alongside the game itself. It's a random assortment of anime images and, for some reason, an image of a crocodile in a suit labeled "Croccodile." Get it before it's gone, folks.
If you're looking for games like GTA, there are certainly more robust options out there.
