Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars review

The DS didn't have a GTA game and what Rockstar released earlier in the year proved the little console had a lot to offer, however the PSP already has two great GTA titles so what does Chinatown Wars offer over its 3D counterparts?

Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars continues on the long lineage of storylines from the series. You play Huang Lee who is travelling to Liberty City following the death of his father who was the Triad boss of the city. Upon arrival you are ambushed, assumed dead and dumped in the cities river. From here you will meet a strange range of personalities whilst acting out revenge of your father’s killer. Huang Lee is not your usual GTA main character as he seems a little wet behind the ears and cocky, learning the hard way throughout the game how things are done in the fabled Liberty City. The game map is huge, with the city split up into areas, each with its own distinctive style. Missions are spread all over the city, the main storyline missions are marked with initials of your contact and are all classic GTA affairs with loads of fighting, collecting and racing around the city street and alleyways. To open the game a little there is the drug dealing side game. Early on you are given a stash bag to hold your gear in. Drug dealers are dotted all around the city, each one having their own specific drugs on offer and it's your job to purchase their wares like acid, weed and downers for a cheap price and sell for a profit elsewhere. The game is classic GTA through and through with the snappy dialogue and familiar modes like the ability to jump into a taxi to earn fares, pay and spray and ammu-nation (with Internet ordering) making welcome returns. To get around the huge city you need some wheels, you can run but it can take ages to get from one place to another so a motor is essential. If you see something you fancy just run up and press triangle to either car jack or break into it. The car jack is easiest as you just throw the driver out of the car and drive off but breaking in requires a little more skill. A range of minigames will pop up depending on the car, some will be a simple screwdriver in the keyhole whilst others are more technical by using a code breaker to unlock the immobilizer. The DS had the advantage of the touch screen to do this but Rockstar have handled this well on the PSP with the simple use of the shoulder buttons and some control stick wiggling. There is a huge range of vehicles like slow cars, sportsters, trucks and motorbikes. Each handle differently and the inclusion of the PSP control stick makes them easier than the DS version to control. The motorbikes are a bit of a gamble on the road though as whilst fast they are twitchy as hell and you will find yourself crashing more than driving. With all this theft, killing and drug dealing you are never far from the long arm of the law. If caught up to no good the police star meter will appear in the top right of the screen and depending on the severity of the crime you will get more stars. When trying to escape you can either try and outdrive them which will take ages or go for a more rough approach and ram them off the road. Once done just hang back a bit for the heat to cool off. Just as important as the constant action are your safehouses. Here you can check up on your emails, stash your drugs and also replay completed levels as a time trial and upload them to the Rockstar Social Club. If on the road you also have the very handy PDA. This is similar in presentation to the XMB on the PSP and with this you can save, change radio stations and use your map. The map allows you to bring up contacts, safehouses and other points of interest and set up markers so you can get directions via the GPS on the bottom left of the screen. You can also check emails which is vital when drug dealing as the dealer will notify you when they have a deal for you. Again you can shortcut from the email and have the map highlight where they are and give directions. There are going to be obvious limitations when comparing the two handheld consoles but the PSP does have the upper hand when it comes to raw power, control stick and a larger play screen. This makes it slightly easier to control vehicles and therefore more of a pleasure to play. The adjustable camera view is always from above but with different angles, you can even go to the classic top down view that started it all in the original games. The game has had a serious overhaul since the DS version, giving the game a grittier feel befitting Liberty City and avoiding the cartoonier look other than in the cutscenes. GTA Chinatown Wars is faultless but I am surprised that Rockstar missed out on a trick with a memory stick install. Whilst the load times are commonplace for the PSP, they can be a little long at times, though that said owners of the PSP should be used to this by now and it is not by far an issue with the final game. There are not many companies that take the PSP seriously so thank god for Rockstar who continue to offer great games for this powerful handheld device. GTA Chinatown Wars is another must have for the PSP and even worth a go if you own the DS version due to its improvements and extra content.

Rating: 9.5/10

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