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Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars by Rockstar Games
Product SummaryBrand: Rockstar Games Audio: English (Unknown) Published: 2009-02-28 Release Date: 2009-03-17 Platform: Nintendo DS Model: 710425353000 Color: Nintendo DS Publisher: Rockstar Games Product features: - Use the DS' touch screen as a PDA device to set GPS waypoints, change radio stations, communicate via e-mail with in-game characters and order weapons on the Internet.
- Largest DS game ever, features include a world full of pedestrians, weather and traffic patterns, five different radio stations and four different sprawling boroughs to explore.
- Endless gameplay, complete with mature storyline 70+ story missions, dozens of side quests, collectibles, contextual mini-games and the all new mission replay feature.
- Nintendo Wi-Fi mode allowing for head-to-head and co-op multiplayer mayhem.
- Free access to Rockstar Games Social Club where players can chat, trade items and commodities and compete in online tournaments and leaderboards.
Video Game Reviews of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown WarsCustomer Review: GTA Chinatown Wars For the DS - A Great Throwback Game Summary: 4 StarsGrand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is a throwback to what used to be fun about video games for me. The game is well-designed and the entire world layed out within the game pulls you in. There are plenty of funny double-entendres and the characters are interesting enough to keep you guessing. This is definitely a game I would recommend to those who may be feeling some over-load from all the kid-centric games for the Nintendo DS.
As a grown man with a regular job, my gaming time is limited. It has really been limited to two categories: puzzle and trivia games that I enjoy, or multiplayer / party games that I can play with my family, particularly my younger nieces and nephews. As such, it has been rare for me to devote much time to an RPG or mission based game because they require such a time commitment. That's time I just don't have. For GTA Chinatown Wars, I find myself wanting to make the time.
First of all, I have only played this game on the DS. For some reason, the reviews for the PSP version are combined with the DS version here. I have no experience with the PSP version of this game so all my comments are directed towards those considering this game for the DS Lite or some other version of the DS.
Secondly, I also have limited experience with the GTA franchise. Like everybody else in the world, I have played GTA4 on the PS3 and Xbox360. While there are some gaming franchises I have played extensively, GTA is simply not one of them. However, the limited time I spent playing GTA4 was enough for me to realize how different it is than this game. While the basic structure is the same, the character and story are different. Perhaps more importantly, the gameplay is significantly different due to the smaller screens and controls on the DS. Having said that, I think this game was well-ported to the DS platform. I also think my limited experience proves that this game can be picked up by anybody, even relative newbies like myself.
Originally I thought I might just mess around with this game long enough to see if it was suitable for one of my teenage nephews. I ended up enjoying it so much that I kept it for myself. That being said, I must insert my final disclaimer: I have not finished this game. I know there are some people who can play any game through over a day or two and finish every mission with no problem. I am not one of those people. Having said that, I found that even replaying missions that I wasn't able to complete was tolerable.
This game is best enjoyed if you can devote at least an hour at a time, so you can have enough time to finish a mission or two and save your status before quitting. You can certainly finish missions in less time than that, but if you don't get them the first time you will have to decide between playing through the same thing again or starting over later.
The video interludes giving you the plot and your next mission are actually pretty enjoyable. Controlling the character definitely has been the toughest adjustment for me. One of the tough aspects actually comes from the rich design layers built into the game. Driving is particulary tough with these tiny controls, but there are such a variety of weapons and moves that there's a learning curve for those not used to playing these games. It's definitely worth the time invested though.
CONCLUSION
This is the one of the best games I have played for the NDS, and definitely has more of a traditional video game feel than most DS games. I recommend it to any adult gamer, though as a gift I only think it's suitable for mature kids in their late teens.
Enjoy.
Description of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown WarsBrand new and Sealed Nintendo DS & DS Lite Game. Backed by a 45-day guarantee. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is the highly anticipated first game in the GTA franchise designed for play on the Nintendo DS. But although it comes in a small package, this is a full-fledged game that stands on its own. With an all-new, deep story that approaches the familiar sights and sounds of the infamous Liberty City from a different perspective, an innovative control system and multiplayer options, Chinatown Wars captures the tone and flavors of the long-running GTA series in unique ways that both longtime players and those coming to it for the first time will find hard to put down.  | Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Players: Offline: 1; Online: 2
Gameplay Modes: Single player; competitive & coop multiplayer via Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. |  | |  Kick some tail as Huang Lee. View larger. |  Use the DS stylus like never before. View larger. |  Reconquer Liberty via PDA. View larger. | The Story: Left for Dead in the Worst Place in America Following his father's murder, Huang Lee is given what seems a simple mission: to deliver an ancient sword to his Uncle Kenny to ensure his family retains control of the Triad gangs of Liberty City. Huang is a spoiled rich kid who expects everything to run smoothly, but his trip does not go exactly as planned. Only minutes after arriving at the Liberty City airport at the far end of town, he is robbed and left to die. Only through quickly thinking is he able to survive and make his way back to his neighborhood, but the damage to he and his family has been done. Now his destiny is to search for honor, riches and revenge in the most dangerous and morally bankrupt city in the world. Gameplay The largest DS game to date, Chinatown Wars is set in the Grand Theft Auto IV-imagined version of Liberty City, and contains most of its boroughs and neighborhoods. In exploring and exploiting this vast area, players use the game's rotatable camera to take in a 3D, 360-degree view of their environment, providing an elevated and somewhat skewed third-person perspective, that switches to first-person with the appropriate player action. Assuming the role of Huang Lee your goal is to rise up in the ranks of the underworld to challenge the Triad of Chinatown gangs that have usurped your family's position and recover the stolen heirloom and your lost honor. In true GTA fashion this entails gameplay that embraces the seedy underbelly that Liberty City is famous for. Throughout the game's 70+ missions -- all of which can be replayed even after completion -- and its myriad of side quests, players earn cash by completing jobs ranging from petty street crime, all the way up to drug dealing and assassination. As in other GTA releases, rising competence at crime raises the amount of attention received by police, but unlike previous games here players can not simply outrun alerted authorities. With each additional star added to your 'wanted rating' players must disable or destroy more of the pursuing police units to keep them off your tail. In addition to mission play, the game also contains many opportunities, such as the safe cracking and car hot-wiring mini-games and the various items and weapons hidden throughout the game that demand skill with the DS' touchscreen and stylus for success. By whatever means, once players have attained a certain level of cash and street cred they will also be able to recruit members for their own gang who pledge their loyalty by allowing themselves to be tattooed with the mark of the player's choosing. Cars and Controls Cars and control schemes play a prominent role in Chinatown Wars. All cars feature GPS functionality based on available roadways. Directions are shown on the lower of the DS' two screens as part of the in-game PDA interface, but players may take vehicles off roads wherever possible, with the GPS automatically resetting when back on the pavement. While driving players also have access to five in-game radio stations and use of their weapons. Your PDA provides efficient management tools for your growing crime empire, including quick weapons switching, a running total of available cash, in-game e-mail and Internet access and nearly instant game saves any time. The control scheme in Chinatown Wars utilizes an easy to use and comfortable to play combination of steering via the D-pad, choice of action through the face buttons and/or stylus taps and manual and automatic weapon locks and unlocks via shoulder buttons. Key Game Features: - The Largest DS Game Ever - Contemporary Liberty City is a massive world complete with pedestrians, weather and traffic patterns, five different radio stations and four different sprawling boroughs to explore.
- Endless Gameplay - Mature storyline with over 70+ story missions; plus dozens of side quests, collectibles, contextual mini-games and the all new mission replay feature.
- Street Economics - Addictive drug dealing side game with 6 different drug types, 80+ drug dealers and a supply / demand driven narcotics economy.
- Play with Friends - Nintendo Wi-Fi mode for head-to-head and co-op multiplayer mayhem.
- Bragging Rights - Chat, trade guns and commodities with your friends, and compete for glory via online tournaments and leaderboards on the Rockstar Games Social Club.
- PDA Interface - Use the touch screen as a PDA device to set GPS waypoints, change radio stations, communicate via e-mail with in-game characters and order weapons on the Internet.
Online Bragging Rights and Multiplayer Care has been taken to ensure that players can share their Chinatown Wars experiences with friends and fellow players in different ways. First, players will have access to the Chinatown Wars as well as the greater Grand Theft Auto communities through the Rockstar Games Social Club. Here they can chat, trade commodities, purchase special in-game items with in-game currency, check the leaderboards and compete in online tournaments. The DS' Wi-Fi capabilities also gives players the opportunity to take their game online as they battle for supremacy in their own little corner of Liberty City in both head-to-head and co-op multiplayer battles.
Adventure Games
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