Even with a fraction of the power of its home console brothers, Rockstar's DS debut is - as Apple would say in its iPod ads - one of the funnest Grand Theft Autos ever.
Chinatown Wars returns to GTA IV's Liberty City, which is rather surprisingly replicated completely on DS bar one island. Spoilt rich kid Huang Lee, following his father's death, travels to "the worst place in America" to deliver an ancient sword to his Uncle Kenny, thus ensuring his family's control of the Triad gangs.
Things don't go to plan and you're robbed and left for dead, leaving the family heirloom in unknown hands. It's now down to Lee (you) to reunite the family and recover his dead father's sword from the gangs of Liberty City.
Off the bat Chinatown Wars feels like a new take on the original 2D GTAs, although the 3D town has to be seen in motion to be believed. Sticking to the formula, cops, traffic and pedestrians all go about their daily routines, while flashing chevrons beckon you inside Burger Shot and Ammu-Nation.
GTA: Chinatown Wars
Official trailer
1:20Sniping trailer
GTA: Chinatown Wars
Official trailer
1:20Sniping trailer
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A 3D re-imagining of the series' retro past would probably have been enough, but the DS's touch screen injects a fresh take on many a GTA hallmark. The simple task of hotwiring a car has now been transformed into an inventive touch sequence involving screw drivers, wires and immobiliser codes.
The stylus also comes in use in other areas; lobbing a Molotov cocktail or grenade is done by positioning your pointer on the lower screen for the perfect throw trajectory. Even simple mishaps like plunging your vehicle into water are made fun with a windscreen-smashing escape routine.
Chinatown Wars thankfully excels in its excellent mission design compared to some of GTA IV's by-the-numbers missions. Its little brother opts for a more action-packed, streamlined set-up, which means you spend less time immersed in the itty-bitty details of the world and more time blowing shit up.
You'll be sabotaging opponents' car engines before a street race (jamming a fish in the radiator) and in another you'll be fitting a tracking device, piece-by-piece, onto a cheating wife's car.
Some of our favourite early missions (not too spoilerific) include sneaking onto the back of a loaded truck to lob goods onto a perusing triad car with the touch screen, and another that had us hijacking an ambulance in police custody, driving carefully so as not to initiate a defibrillator touch screen scramble. There isn't any real 'go here, drive this person there' repetition that occasionally made the console versions veer into dull territory.
That's not to say there's any less of a GTA experience here. The size of the city and depth of content on offer is immense. Rockstar North could certainly learn from Leeds' excellent pacing.
Chinatown Wars isn't without an issue or two though. Fiddly combat lock-on - GTA's Achilles' heel - often decides to target the dog down the street instead of the bloke shooting you in the face, which can be frustrating in massive battles and changing weapons with the stylus on the touch screen is too time consuming during heavy fire fights.
What it loses in HD glory it more than makes up for in attitude, reclaiming some of that tongue-in-cheek silliness lost in recent current-gen and PSP series entries. Obscene weapons like the chainsaw and mini-gun are back, plus the arcade-enthused blood bath that is the Rampage challenge, which dares you to cause as much carnage as possible within a time limit.
Central to this new fun-filled slant is the re-jigged police pursuit system. Instead of sticking a big 'police radius' on your map, Wars simply displays the number of pursuing police cars on the HUD - more cars for more stars - and once you've successfully smashed them off the road and slipped past the eyes of others, your wanted level will disappear.
This way you're encouraged to take on the coppers in crash-filled ram-offs, rather than swimming in an empty canal for ten minutes hoping no one spots you. A subtle but effective 'auto straighten' assist makes these high-speed police chases even more effortless on DS.
But perhaps the most controversial and key addition to GTA's DS outing are the new drug-dealing mini-games. We call them 'mini-games' but they're actually an integral, compelling part of Chinatown Wars' story - and they work brilliantly.
Using your touch screen PDA to seek out rival gangs' drug dealers, you can flog and sell dodgy substances to build your property empire and make a ton of cash in the process. Like San Andreas' turf wars mechanic, the drug dealing gameplay can quickly become an addictive and absorbing game in itself, and we've had some dodgy looks in the office upon complaining aloud that "nobody wants to buy our f***ing heroine".
Each gang has their preferred buy-and-sell substances, and you'll often get e-mail alerts when a visiting dealer is desperate to flog or acquire a certain commodity (this is where you'll make the most cash).
Buying the Irish gangs' speciality, Acid, and then offloading it to the hungry Midtown Gangsters for a profit is a quick way to grow your dollar, for example. But stockpiling a certain drug when a dealer's doing special rates and then selling it on at "a high price" (as the Merchant from Resi 4 would say) is the most rewarding strategy. It's so good we'd love to see dealing taken on by the next home console episode.
Multiplayer modes consist of co-op and versus-style game types similar to GTA IV's which, while being a good blast with a lot of players, ultimately lack the scope and ambition to drag you away from the masterful single-player game.
92% of the time Chinatown Wars is a brilliant, inventive top-down GTA experience, which is why it comes most highly recommended to any over-18 (but probably under 65) DS owner.
Buy Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars - Play / Amazon
good score wasnt sure what to expect im quite surpriesed it worked out this way the psp ones were very good but im still not sold on this one maybe play it on a mates ds cus i dont have one lol
I've preordered the game now, as it's looking better and better each time I see it and hear about it. The multiplayer modes and Social Club feature should be great additions to the game.
So your saying that GTA on DS is better than Killzone 2 for PS3?
madness...
People gonna do this every time a game gets higher score than KZ2? Good god, get over it......... (In my view since when was 8.7 a bad score? People just have to have '9' games these days or its nothing.......)
Want to know one of things that has really me disappointed in Gaming this gen?
When a game scores less than a 9 its considered a failure. This is new to me, as I was always under the impression that I could really enjoy a good 7 or 8 rated game. It says a lot about society that people need to have this perfect game, and anything that falls below a 9 is an instant failure and the game will be slated online by a rabid community that live or die by a Metacritic score.
So your saying that GTA on DS is better than Killzone 2 for PS3?
madness...
GOD FORBID HE SAID BETTER THAN A PS3 GAME OH MY GOD IT CARNT BE BETTER AS PS3 IS ALLLLLLL THAT AND THEN SUM
FANBOY SHUT UP
FPS ON A DUALSHOCK= LAME AND CLUNKY
FPS ON WII = PERFECTION
DS GTA = HANDHELD GREATNESS
GTA PSP= GENERIC CRAP WITH LONG LOADTIMES
FACT = UR OWNED
IMAGINE A DSi version with the extra power and cams bring it on rockstar
Unfortunately, some people refuse to believe that a game created with limited technology could be better than something on a high-end, cutting edge machine. It's all about playability.
sorry, uh...wiigodboy... yeh,yeh im a fanboy ...wiigodboy ...wtf. SHUT UP
Im sure you havent even played a psp gta or any ps3 because you probably dont even own one. ..you just keep feeding out jealousy cus you know deep down inside a psp/ps3 is not crap, just following the usual garbage every ninty fans do is utter pathetic...
go play 'How to train a Dog' on the 'dsi's extra power' or play some sh**ty excerise game /... they dont have games for 'hardocore gamers' if you must!?! Wii is only good for getting my nan off the couch.
So your saying that GTA on DS is better than Killzone 2 for PS3?
madness...
GOD FORBID HE SAID BETTER THAN A PS3 GAME OH MY GOD IT CARNT BE BETTER AS PS3 IS ALLLLLLL THAT AND THEN SUM
FANBOY SHUT UP
FPS ON A DUALSHOCK= LAME AND CLUNKY
FPS ON WII = PERFECTION
DS GTA = HANDHELD GREATNESS
GTA PSP= GENERIC CRAP WITH LONG LOADTIMES
FACT = UR OWNED
IMAGINE A DSi version with the extra power and cams bring it on rockstar
DSi doesn't have any "extra power". It's a re-release of a five year old machine created for idiots such as your self to run out and purchase for the 3rd time.
In it's entire life span I'd say this is possibly the first DS game which has appealed to me. The rest of the games were designed for my 9 year old sister.
So your saying that GTA on DS is better than Killzone 2 for PS3?
madness...
GOD FORBID HE SAID BETTER THAN A PS3 GAME OH MY GOD IT CARNT BE BETTER AS PS3 IS ALLLLLLL THAT AND THEN SUM
FANBOY SHUT UP
FPS ON A DUALSHOCK= LAME AND CLUNKY
FPS ON WII = PERFECTION
DS GTA = HANDHELD GREATNESS
GTA PSP= GENERIC CRAP WITH LONG LOADTIMES
FACT = UR OWNED
IMAGINE A DSi version with the extra power and cams bring it on rockstar
DSi doesn't have any "extra power". It's a re-release of a five year old machine created for idiots such as your self to run out and purchase for the 3rd time.
In it's entire life span I'd say this is possibly the first DS game which has appealed to me. The rest of the games were designed for my 9 year old sister.
Fair enough if nothing on the system has taken your fancy till GTA, but b******s to it being for 9 year old girls. That's utter garbage. You can say what you like about Nintendo, but you cannot say that the DS doesn't have variety and games for everyone.
I'd like to see your 9 year old sister master the intricacies of either Advance Wars. Or for that matter, the Phoenix Wright trilogy, any of the Castlevania's, Metroid Prime Hunters, Trauma Center 1+2 and the large sackful of excellent RPG's. Dragon Quest 4+5, Chrono Trigger, FF:Rings of Fate, Revenant Wings, Phantom Hourglass, Partners in Time, Suikoden Tierkreis, Blue Dragon and more besides.
The DS is a real gamer's system, which also happens to have enough simple shovelware to satisfy your 9 year old sister.
So your saying that GTA on DS is better than Killzone 2 for PS3?
madness...
GOD FORBID HE SAID BETTER THAN A PS3 GAME OH MY GOD IT CARNT BE BETTER AS PS3 IS ALLLLLLL THAT AND THEN SUM
FANBOY SHUT UP
FPS ON A DUALSHOCK= LAME AND CLUNKY
FPS ON WII = PERFECTION
DS GTA = HANDHELD GREATNESS
GTA PSP= GENERIC CRAP WITH LONG LOADTIMES
FACT = UR OWNED
IMAGINE A DSi version with the extra power and cams bring it on rockstar
DSi doesn't have any "extra power". It's a re-release of a five year old machine created for idiots such as your self to run out and purchase for the 3rd time.
In it's entire life span I'd say this is possibly the first DS game which has appealed to me. The rest of the games were designed for my 9 year old sister.
Fair enough if nothing on the system has taken your fancy till GTA, but b******s to it being for 9 year old girls. That's utter garbage. You can say what you like about Nintendo, but you cannot say that the DS doesn't have variety and games for everyone.
I'd like to see your 9 year old sister master the intricacies of either Advance Wars. Or for that matter, the Phoenix Wright trilogy, any of the Castlevania's, Metroid Prime Hunters, Trauma Center 1+2 and the large sackful of excellent RPG's. Dragon Quest 4+5, Chrono Trigger, FF:Rings of Fate, Revenant Wings, Phantom Hourglass, Partners in Time, Suikoden Tierkreis, Blue Dragon and more besides.
The DS is a real gamer's system, which also happens to have enough simple shovelware to satisfy your 9 year old sister.
It's a lot like the wii. Filled with mini games and cheap ports / remakes.
So your saying that GTA on DS is better than Killzone 2 for PS3?
madness...
GOD FORBID HE SAID BETTER THAN A PS3 GAME OH MY GOD IT CARNT BE BETTER AS PS3 IS ALLLLLLL THAT AND THEN SUM
FANBOY SHUT UP
FPS ON A DUALSHOCK= LAME AND CLUNKY
FPS ON WII = PERFECTION
DS GTA = HANDHELD GREATNESS
GTA PSP= GENERIC CRAP WITH LONG LOADTIMES
FACT = UR OWNED
IMAGINE A DSi version with the extra power and cams bring it on rockstar
DSi doesn't have any "extra power". It's a re-release of a five year old machine created for idiots such as your self to run out and purchase for the 3rd time.
In it's entire life span I'd say this is possibly the first DS game which has appealed to me. The rest of the games were designed for my 9 year old sister.
Fair enough if nothing on the system has taken your fancy till GTA, but b******s to it being for 9 year old girls. That's utter garbage. You can say what you like about Nintendo, but you cannot say that the DS doesn't have variety and games for everyone.
I'd like to see your 9 year old sister master the intricacies of either Advance Wars. Or for that matter, the Phoenix Wright trilogy, any of the Castlevania's, Metroid Prime Hunters, Trauma Center 1+2 and the large sackful of excellent RPG's. Dragon Quest 4+5, Chrono Trigger, FF:Rings of Fate, Revenant Wings, Phantom Hourglass, Partners in Time, Suikoden Tierkreis, Blue Dragon and more besides.
The DS is a real gamer's system, which also happens to have enough simple shovelware to satisfy your 9 year old sister.
It's a lot like the wii. Filled with mini games and cheap ports / remakes.
Have you played any of the games I've just listed? You are obviously blind to the truth. Very few of of the games above are remakes, and those that are are stone-cold classics that have been dormant for ten years or so. Absolutely none are mini-games.
Regarding the articles thoughts on the drug dealing mini-game...
I wouldn't be suprised if a drug dealing mechanic comes in the next episode of DLC, since Luis has ties to the dominican drug dealers gang, as stated in the previous game/installments.
(Can't wait to play this though, am stealing the missus's DS to have a go on it... SHe'll have to make do with Fable for a bit.)
Could a similair storyline be produced and implemented as a DLC for the 360. Lost and Damned was brilliant. I like the thought of extra DLC's rather than a whole new game thats why. Good to see GTA hit the DS though, shame I got rid of it years ago.
Has nobody else played this, bar ChazG93? It's a brilliant game, a full-sized portable GTA that you can play in 5 or 10 minute bursts. Yes, it's better than the one you love so much, and it's on the DS!- get over it! You'll be glad when you do.
I don't agree with the strike against the weapon switching mentioned in the review, citing it as too time consuming during heavy firefights. It doesn't take any time at all; only two taps of the thumb. And even then, the action pauses when you're selecting weapons anyway so this isn't really an issue at all.
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Liberty City looking fantastic on DS
