It has only been a couple of days since the release of Rockstar’s mobile port of the original NDS and PSP title; Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. Within this past two days, the game has rocketed all the way up to the number slot, beating previous favorite Call of Duty: World at War Zombies (a game based on the bonus Zombie mission from the PC version of Call of Duty: World at War).
The Grand Theft series has seen plenty of success on the consoles and on the PC. While previous installments for handheld platforms have met with only a moderate degree of success such as the “City Stories” series (Vice City Stories, Liberty City Stories); the new Chinatown Wars installment focuses on a redesigned world with a redesigned visual look.
Unlike previous portable GTA games based on the old GTA III world, Chinatown wars follows the city layout of new GTA IV version of Liberty City. Even more radical in this version is the used of Cel shaded 3D graphics, a long leap from the old traditional 3D look.
Gameplay wise, the game focuses using the touch screen commands for handling event commands such as breaking into a car (which varies according to the type of car, basic hot wiring for jacking old models, and some light hacking for the newer vehicles with electronics) and disarming or arming bombs. As one might expect, the iPhone version plays a lot more like the NDS version as both devices have touch screen controls; the PSP version uses a different system.
As to be expected of Rockstar Games, GTA: Chinatown Wars’ story is delivered straightforward gangster movie approach with heavy language and mature themes. The plot is nothing new for fans of the genre –an action adventure with layers of intrigue and betrayal. The nice thing about Rockstar’s delivery is that most of the characters are both notable and memorable. If you have not gotten this game yet and you are itching for some fun and action, then this app should be next on your download list.
Tags: Apple-iPhone, Apple-iPhone-3G-S