A little bit about the reviewer
I'm an avid Gamer, I use The PS3 Console, PSP System, and My PC. I like a variety of games, Racing being my preferred Genre. I sometimes feel compelled for whatever reason to write reviews on games, sometimes I don't even know why. When I do they are all my opinions, I will try to give as much info as I can, but please always keep in mind the info is mixed with my opinions. I don't work for Sony, or ANY game developer. I will always try to give as much info as possible, so you can hopefully judge for yourself.
I'm an avid Gamer, I use The PS3 Console, PSP System, and My PC. I like a variety of games, Racing being my preferred Genre. I sometimes feel compelled for whatever reason to write reviews on games, sometimes I don't even know why. When I do they are all my opinions, I will try to give as much info as I can, but please always keep in mind the info is mixed with my opinions. I don't work for Sony, or ANY game developer. I will always try to give as much info as possible, so you can hopefully judge for yourself.
WARNING EXPLICIT CONTENT!!
Violence, Drugs, bad words, & SEX. These are things we have come to expect from the GTA series, GTA ChinaTown Wars has plenty of it all. However the selling of Drugs in ChinaTown Wars uses a completely new system to the GTA series. Its quite advanced and a tad shocking to see something this simulating in something that is essentially a toy. This game is a definite no-no for the little kiddies even if they usually get to play some 18+ tittles, unless you want your Kid selling Drugs in 7th grade, DON'T let them play this game, keep an eye out for it. With that Said, My review is Speaking to the people who are old enough to play it.
First thoughts Before the Game Release
When I first heard they were going to Port the Nintendo DS GTA game over to the PSP, I wasn't impressed. The screenshots & info on it made the game seem like a GTA board game, and somewhat reminded me of the PSP Scareface tittle that was a utter flop in my book. As the game approached launch date more info surfaced, screenshots from the PSP version began to emerge and the game didn't seem any better to me. I honestly thought this was going to be a game I passed over. When the game was launched the Buzz over it went nuts, scoring 9+ all over the place with great reviews. I thought I had to check this out, if only to see what all the hype is about, & despite my initial reserves, I went and picked it up.
First impression after playing the Game
This is a "Throw Back" game to the Original GTA. Having been a fan of the original GTA I was overloaded with fond memories of gaming in the 90's. I noticed how much better it looks then the Screenshots that were floating around before launch. The image is nice and crisp. The character movements are also smooth and easy to get right into, especially if you have any previous GTA experience. I thought to myself "this might actually be a much better game then I thought it was going to be". The more I played it just to check it out, the more I got into playing it.
The Review
The Story
The Story starts off with our hero/villain Huang Lee flying in to Liberty city from Hong Kong. Huang is the Son of the recently deceased Leader of the Triads. Huang is flying in to avenge his fathers death in order to secure his inheritance, & to Deliver the Sword Yu Jiang to the New family Patriarch, Huang's Uncle "Kenny". Generations old the sword has always been in the keeping of the head of the family, as to his families traditions. A tradition his father started after winning the sword in a card game.
Upon arriving Huang is given an "American Welcome" being Jumped by 2 Gangsters who rob him of his Families Sword, and shoot him in the head. Thinking he is dead the 2 Gangsters put him in a car and drive the car into the river to dispose of his body. We grab control and have to break out of the car to stay alive.
Huang gets mixed up into the crazy world that is Liberty city learning that avenging his fathers death, even finding out WHO killed him. is going to be allot tougher then he thought, as the Triad leaders all fight to take over, Huang usually getting caught in the middle.
The cut scenes throughout the game are done in a Comic Book Style, that looks nice. Unfortunately we do have to read along as they don't speak for themselves, but its not hard to follow along and you can always skip through them if your not into watching.
Character and Vehicle controls 9/10
If you have played any recent edition of GTA then you should have no problems getting right into the controls as they are mapped pretty much the same, with an alternate mapping option available. The controls are fluent so there should be any problems for new comers to the series (if there are any). Character Controls
The controls are smooth, however they get to be a bit of a pain during action scenes. The lock on doesn't move to the next target when your finished with the target at hand. It's also difficult to get re calibrated when enemies run or drive off screen. Once you get into the feel for fighting though it becomes easier to deal with, just remember to go into your Gun fights prepared (Armed) for them. The quick change gun menu is exactly that Quick.
Vehicle Controls
The vehicle control was one of the things I was sure I was going to hate. I was sure I wouldn't like the step back to helicopter view for driving, but I have actually come to enjoy it... Rockstar knew they had to make the driving aspect fun, and they did a good job. There is a great option for steering assist. This (when turned on) will straighten you out on the road your driving, making it easy to drive em between cars, it just makes driving a breeze. Not to worry if assist is not your thing, it can be shut off anytime you want to add a little more difficulty to the game.
Auto Drive-By
Making life a bit less stressful is the Auto Drive-By feature, that will help you immensely when taking out targets with a little South Central Style Drive-By.
Road Map
The usual GTA Road map has made its appearance in this addition to the series. It's pretty much the same as its always been, and can be fixed or rotated depending on your preference. Way points can be made and are highlighted and easy to read.
On Screen Way-points
This time around we get something the entire GTA series can benefit from, the ability to lay way point markers on the environment road. no more checking your map every few seconds to get directions, you can have arrow markers placed on the road showing you the way. this is an excellent feature making navigating way-points so much easier, especially since this is a handheld game.
PDA
The PDA is your everything. Its used to Save/Load games, check your Stats, engage in Multiplayer Mode, change game Options, access your World Map, and a few other things to help you through the game. You use its GPS function to navigate way-points, points of interest, contacts, as well as help you locate the best places to buy or sell Drugs. It has internet access for you to shop on-line for Guns while on the go, and to check your e-mails. The PDA even has a few themes for you to choose from and customize the interfaces look.
PDA Interface
The interface is simple, & navigating through it is very easy. Very much feeling like GTIV it even has a Tw@ PDA Theme. However the World Map is practically featureless. you can't zoom in or out. While it is clear and easy to read, it could of used some more features like Zoom ability.
Buying Guns
Guns are bought on-line through your PDA only, and delivered to your safe-house shortly after purchase, the delivery is then marked on your map. there are no Gun Stores to go into.
Cops
The Cops are all over the place, and ready to engage in a high speed chase if you step out line, but don't worry they don't come after you for most petty BS. You can run red lights, do illegal U-turns, even bump other cars and them, & they still wont come after you. Bump them or another car too hard, steal a car in front of them, or shoot off your gun around them, and its on!
Disabling Cops
When being chased by the police you can easily disable the police cars chasing you by forcing them to crash into cars or barriers etc, it doesn't take much, when they are disabled they will be marked by a red X.
Loosing Cops Wanted Stars
As you keep committing crimes and your crimes get more severe you will gain a higher wanted level represented by Stars. The higher the star count the more cops come after you and the harder they come to get you. To drop a Star from your wanted level you need to disable the same number of cars to drop each star. If you have 3 stars it will take disabling 3 police cars to drop down to 2 stars, and so on. If you have one Star disabling 1 cop will lose the star.
Arrested / Killed
Getting arrested SUCKS! They take a bribe to let you out, on top of taking your Drug stash and guns. If you were in a mission you have the option to restart the mission after getting out. Getting killed also Blows but not as bad as getting arrested. You keep your cash and guns, but have to use the Mission restart option and get a Death in your stats.
Game Content 10/10
This game is crammed packed with content. Its sure to have you busy for a while. While the Story mode played out last around 9 hours, but there is so much to distract you from it that you should be playing for much longer then that.Story line Missions
The Story line missions go basically like most recent GTA titles. As you make contacts and do missions for them (The First being your uncle "Kenny") you will make more contacts doing missions for them, continuously pushing through the Story of the game. Failing missions also gives you the option to replay the mission, and usually gives you the ability to skip the Drive unless the Drive is pertinent.
Safehouse
You start off with a crummy apartment that your uncle pays for, but as you progress through the game you buy and win Safehouses throughout Liberty City. In your Safehouse you can save/load your game, acces e-mails, view your trophies (well sort of trophies
) & replay missions timing yourself.Mini Games
The mini games were originally designed for the DS and made to use the DS's extra screen and touch screen features. They are mini, and usually last for only a min or less. they include things like hot wiring cars (a few different techniques for different cars) making Molotov coktails, scratching lotto tickets, & more. These games translated over to the PSP's controls very well, they are great to break the monotony of the game as most people playing have run through a GTA Title or 2 and have done they're fair share of story missions back to back. The Mini Games adds something extra to the mix that fits quite nicely.
Taxi Fairs / Vigilante Missions
Steeling Taxi Cabs gives you access to taking taxi fairs for some cash. While stealing police cars gives you access to the crime database police computer, where you can access The Incident report and go fight some crimes instead of committing them.
Selling Drugs
The Drug Selling System is quite advanced. Different areas of Liberty City will buy drugs at higher prices then others, and different areas will sell drugs cheaper then others. Buy low, sell high is the name of the game.
Throughout the City you will come across dealers of all kinds, each when approached will buy & sell some Drugs. if you have anything for sale, they usually take it. However depending on what area you are in will change weather they will buy it at a price that makes or loses a profit for you. You have to shop and sell wisely. Getting the hand of this can have you making ridiculous amounts of money really fast...
Side Jobs
There are a few side jobs throughout the game, that allow you to make some money. My favorite is the Tattooing. just more stuff to add to the already large game content.
The Grafix 8/10
GTA China Town Wars is a "Throw Back" paying homage to the original GTA game in Style. They have done much to enhance the look, making the world 3d (as apposed to GTA's 2d) Still with the "Helicopter" view, only it can be slightly tilted giving more depth to the 3d environment, and the camera view will swing around to keep behind the driver (slightly) instead of staying fixed and only the character and vehicle changing directions. There is also the Movie Cam View that has become classic GTA, but as useless as ever.
World Detailing
The world Details has remained true to the GTA series, Liberty City feeling like the Liberty City we know from the more recent GTA titles. In fact the City Map itself is the same as in GTAIV only scaled down, and with a few exceptions (1 less island for example). If your very familiar with the GTIV map you will already have a idea of the games layout. Buildings, street lights, road textures and most details in the game are great, however I personally don't like the fact that things will block your view, like overhead bridges, bill boards etc. The weather effects are well done and add a great feel to the city. As do the Day and Night details.
Car Detailing
The Vehicles are reminiscent of the original GTA game but updated with the Style and feel that the series has grown into. The cars get smashed up as you crash them through the city, don't worry the Paint 'N Spray is back, and for a few bucks they will have your car good as new. Each car model has its own handling characteristics, to suit the style of car that it is, expect the muscle Cars to be torquey. The game does have bikes and you can even do wheelies with them, however they are a PITA to get the hang of.
The Character Models
While very plain and feeling like South Park Animation, they do get the job done and surprisingly dint feel cheap as you play. There are allot of cleaver ways they manipulated the detailing to suit the point of view. However it does get tough at times to get a good view for the action, even though you can most of the time reset the view to slightly behind you.
Whats New On PSP from DS / Differences
The PSP Version has quite noticeably been enhanced from the DS version, aside from the obvious conversion the Mini Games went from the DS platform to work on the PSP, the game is for the most part the same, however there is some added content.Added Content: Mel's Missions
New for the PSP edition are a series of side missions for a Girl named Mel. these are quite challenging missions and make a great addition to the game, further adding to the already large amount of content found in the game.
Multiplayer Mode 7/10
This consist of a few features. there is no on-line play but you can connect to friends as contacts through the RockStar Social Club @ Rockstar Games Social Club Home Page & share Rosters & Stats.There is a list of games you can play with friends (2 players at a time) via the Ad-hoc connection, including racing. They have a bunch of game options to choose from inside each game, and your Multiplayer stats will be recorded.
Music / Sound Effects 9/10
The Music in The GTA Series has pretty much always been top notch. This installment is no different. There is a list of stations to choose from each catering to a different style of current music. HOWEVER they only have beats, no lyrics. There is just smooth ambiance music that just seems to really fit the style of game regardless of what station your tuned into. Unfortunately there is no option to play music off your memory stick, but the music in the game is so good, you stop caring.While most of the sound effects fit perfectly into a game of this style, the engine sounds are horrible. They are a drab tone that is simply grumbling in the back ground as you drive around, this could of been much better. I'm getting headaches from the constant grumble tone.
Overall Impression & Opinion 9/10
I feel GTA China Town Wars is a Must have for any GTA fan, and a Great Game for new comers to the Series. The game is fun and has had me playing for hours at a time. While GTA LCS & VCS are still benchmark games for what the PSP can do, & for the GTA Series on PSP. GTA China Town Wars fits perfectly & doesn't feel at all like a cheap rip off, but more like a well done addition to the Series.Overal Rating 8.6/10
THANK YOU!
For reading SiNiST3R Reviews
