Genre: Action
Developer: Rockstar
Publisher: Rockstar
Players: 1
Retail Price: $40
Availability: PSP, Nintendo DS
Moving Grand Theft Auto to the third dimension was beneficial to the series, to put it lightly. The freedom it bestowed upon players propelled it into the mainstream stratosphere from its previously niche homebase, and it reached levels of cultural notoriety not seen since the Mortal Kombat and Night Trap Senate attacks of the early-to-mid 90s. It also sold, like, a bajillion copies. Millions of people are now in love with the series, but those who preferred the series’ humble two-dimensional beginnings were left in the dust of success. It looked like they’d never see another entry in the vein of the original games. Surprisingly, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was created and released for the Nintendo DS, and the combination of userbase and series popularity should have all but guaranteed untold sales. The game fizzled instead. Rockstar then did what any respectable developer would do when a game fails to sell: They brought it to a place where it would.
Playing Chinatown Wars is like reuniting with an old friend you haven’t seen in a few years. It’s great to catch up on how things used to be, remember their tendencies, why you were friends in the first place. While you don’t have the sprawling height of the city to behold, exploring an expansive map from a bird’s eye view is just as enthralling. All of the city’s dark corners and seedy alleys may lose their atmosphere from way up there, but it’s nice to be able to see what’s around the corner when exploring for upgrades and shortcuts. Targeting enemies is once again reliable and easy and mowing down pedestrians is as fun as ever.
Driving a tank through the middle of a city is one of life's simple pleasures
Of course, your old chum has likely seen some changes as well, some of which may be positive, and some you may find jarring. The DS version had some touch-screen elements which have translated here to button presses and analog whirls. It honestly works well. Removing the screws to access the wires when stealing a car is done by rotating the analog nub, as is turning the ignition on a stolen car. Actually connecting the wires is done with the shoulder buttons. It’s a little annoying to have to play a tiny minigame every time you jack a car, but it is a little more realistic. You can dispatch enemies with hand-to-hand combat in this game as well, though the ability to perform combos is laughable in the face of a pistol and proves to be an unnecessary addition. Another one of the less positive alterations is that the camera now rotates to whatever direction you’re facing. This can confuse the driving controls when just getting into a car, and it also makes it easy to get lost if you don’t have a route laid out on the map with the GPS.
The GPS is, in all honesty, one of the most useful tools in the game. Because of the aforementioned spinny camera, it’s easy to become disoriented when all of the buildings kind of look the same. It’s easy to lose sight of the road if you’re constantly watching the tiny map for directions, but sometimes you don’t have a choice. This works wonders for missions, as you’re never left guessing if you should have taken that last left turn. It’s also good if you become lost while exploring, as the main landmarks are always marked for your convenience.
The missions are varied and diverse, as they are in most GTA titles. One mission may have you selling drugs, another delivering stolen cars. The common thread is that just about everything you do in the game is, unsurprisingly, illegal. Restoring the honor and prestige of the main character’s family business is certainly not a task completed overnight, and the game will likely last you several. Rockstar did a great job making the game pick-up and play, as most missions don’t take that long to complete. The problem is that before each one there’s usually a boatload of text and story. Sure you can skip them if you don’t care or have already been through it, but it really is a bit much at times.
Make no mistake about it, Chinatown Wars is a full-fledged Grand Theft Auto title. It might not feature the style and flash of its 3D brethren, but it makes up for that by paying homage to the games that started it all. The camera might prove mildly troublesome and the story long-winded for a portable title, but these aren’t things that should prevent fans from enjoying the journey.
