Hot Stuff- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Review

Converting popular console titles onto a portable format can be a tricky proposition. Developers are often forced to craft a simplified control scheme to accommodate a handheld’s restricted input system. Additionally, limited amounts of memory and processing power confound efforts to recreate the home-game experience. One company that has consistently been able to deliver on portable platforms has been Rockstar– Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and subsequent follow-up, Vice City Stories have skillfully captured the vibe of their console brethren.

This year’s Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS masterfully preserved that trend. The game thoroughly disobeyed the typical limitations of Nintendo’s hardware, and presented a well-crafted diversion that incorporated many of the fundamental components of a GTA title. Now, Rockstar has ported Chinatown Wars to the PSP, offering players additional missions, an augmented soundtrack, as well as an enhanced graphical output. Gamers who previously overlooked Chinatown Wars now have the ability to enjoy the definitive version.

Although the title’s narrative doesn’t stray far from precedent set by the GTA series- the protagonist is a newcomer who climbs his way through the underworld, there is enough intrigue to maintain the attention of franchise veterans. As the game opens, impetuous Huang Lee arrives in Liberty City to settle affairs related to his father’s recent death. As soon as Lee steps off the plane, his traveling party is murdered, and a family heirloom is stolen. Narrowly escaping death, the central character begins working for the family’s new patriarch- his scheming uncle, Wu “Kenny” Lee.

The elder Lee, and a handful of others characters assign over seventy missions for Huang that range from the requisite ‘drive here’ and ‘blow this up’ tasks to more comical and complicated tasks. The title often throws small variations to maintain novelty. One mission required players to sabotage a street racer’s vehicle. After stealing the car, and applying the necessary amount of damage through an amusing mini-game, the hot rod’s handling was subsequently devastated. While attempting to return the vehicle back to the racer’s home, the barely drivable automobile nicked a patrol car, and initiated a heated pursuit. Sequences of events like this are common to the GTA series, and happen in Chinatown Wars with a magnificent frequency.

Those worrying about title’s transition from less powerful hardware can put their fears to rest. Chinatown Wars forgoes the third-person viewpoint of contemporary GTA games for an overheard perspective recalling the series origins. The omniscient viewing angle keeps the framerate high and allows players to see their immediate surrounds with clarity. While the camera can get unwieldy when driving in reverse, it typically frames a majority of on-screen action competently. Small touches like a night/day cycle, and sporadic rain that causes Liberty City’s denizens to utilize umbrellas, help craft the game’s universe.

Two small setbacks prohibit Chinatown Wars from reaching its full potential. The first emanates from the game’s incorporation of a handful of mini-games. While transferring drugs, hot-wiring cars, and making motolov cocktails worked well on the DS’s touchscreen, using the triggers and control pad feeling woefully inaccurate. Sporadically, the semicircle turns of the analog nub weren’t recognized in the gangster tattooing diversion. Secondly, the game’s dialog shifts between sincerity and silliness with habitual frequency. Perhaps, if the game had included voiced conversations, the game’s altering attitude could be more easily discerned.