Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars UK Review - IGN (original) (raw)

Grand Theft Auto on a Nintendo console? It's an incongruous mix for sure, Rockstar's controversy baiting seemingly diametrically opposed to the wholesome family appeal that's become Nintendo's stock in trade of late. It's no wonder that it has been five years since the two last paired and the results of that match-up – 2004's Game Boy Advance iteration of the open-world series – was decidedly patchy. Subsequently, it's no wonder that expectations for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars have been muted, with the game's initial announcement last year stoking fears of a quick-fire cash in on the runaway success of both Grand Theft Auto IV and the DS machine.
How wrong we all were – Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is as fine an entry as there's ever been in the series. Expertly straddling GTA's top-down heritage and the high production values of more recent outings, it's a game that celebrates the game's past while acquiring the refinements bought about in the latter 3D incarnations. The resultant mix is one that's likely to feel like manna from heaven for series stalwarts, and for latecomer's it's still one of the most beguiling games the DS has to offer.
Chinatown War's Liberty City is recognisably the same metropolis that framed Niko Bellic's story in GTA IV, though now viewed from a retrograde bird's-eye-view perspective. The grit and grime are obvious points of intersection with GTA IV, while the neon glory of Star Square, the low-down squalor of Broker and the high rise glamour of Algonquin retain their character despite the considerable reduction of resolution. It's all outlined by an impressive level of detail squeezed onto the DS: whether it's the neon under-glow that emanates from the high-end sports cars, the subtle shifting of weather patterns or the news-stands that collapse in a shower of paper when collided with, this is as atmospheric a rendition of urban America as that pulled off in GTA IV. The forced perspective doesn't allow for the digital tourism that helped define GTA IV but nevertheless, Liberty City is still Chinatown War's most engaging character.

But while GTA IV might be the most obvious initial touchstone, Chinatown Wars real influence goes back much further to the series' dawn, and most specifically to GTA2, the 1999 instalment that to this day remains a series highlight for many. It's there superficially in the perspective, a pseudo 2D mode rendered in a robust and at times beautiful game engine. Chinatown Wars feels like GTA IV as witnessed by Claude Speed and if the general aesthetic is borrowed from Niko's adventure then the underlying mechanics are most certainly taken from the GTA of old.

Not that it feels in any way dated – the meat and bones of gunplay and driving feel as engrossing as ever. Vehicles handle with weight and feel suitably distinct. Take a Stallion to the streets and it's a challenge keeping its rear-end in check; get behind the wheel of an Infernus and it's a feat of considerable concentration, keeping your reflexes in tune with the car's ferocious speed. Navigating the slim streets is made somewhat easier by an optional steering assist that helps stabilise the cars but with or without it the handling's a treat. The vehicle roster goes beyond four wheels as well, taking in bulldozers, bikes, boats, jet-skis and, most pleasingly, tanks.

Yes, tanks. Chinatown Wars marks a return of some of the more eccentric elements of the series that were jettisoned to service IV's more sombre tone: vigilante missions stage a comeback, as do taxi driver missions, ambulance driver missions and rampage missions among others, and when it comes to periphery activities Chinatown Wars easily trumps its high definition cousin. No better is this evident than in the all-new drug-dealing mini-game, which proves to be one of the most compelling aspects of Chinatown Wars. Representing a bustling and very much alive in-game economy, the price of narcotics fluctuates as supply and demand ebbs and flows – and keeping abreast of the shifting economy to nab a sweet deal is a constantly gratifying pleasure. It's an immense time-sink and one which kept us occupied well beyond of the solo campaign.

The story itself is a solid enough new entry into Grand Theft Auto's expanding world of crime-soaked stories, although the loss of voice acting prevents Chinatown Wars from hitting the dramatic heights the series has recently scaled. There's a maturity to the tale that's unprecedented on the DS, but on the flip side it's maturity of an extremely infantile nature. No opportunity to drop the f-bomb is passed by, while every chance to slip in a cock gag is taken and as a result the characters get lost amidst the excessively crude dialogue. Nevertheless, it's a relatively gripping and well presented story - using lightly animated and heavily stylised cut-scenes, lead character Huang Lee's tale of redemption covers the familiar series tropes, as his story takes him through every facet of Liberty City's criminal underworld.

Likewise, the missions cover familiar ground – and anyone who still cowers away from GTA's well-worn variations on driving point to point then unleashing hell is unlikely to find solace here. Although there's nothing above and beyond the usual repertoire of action in the mission set, series staples are given an additional flourish by some intelligent implementation of the touch-screen. Astonishingly, the touch-screen mini-games never feel like gimmicks, instead lending the world of car-jacking and safe-smashing an added layer of immersion.

For example, get in a parked car and the bottom screen is handed over to a small mini-game. Lower spec vehicles require simply gaining access to the ignition and hotwiring the car, while more high-spec vehicles have more complicated security systems in place, demanding a little light hacking to get the wheels rolling. Mission objectives often make similarly canny use of the lower screen: constructing a sniper rifle piece by piece, slotting together the muzzle and clip with a satisfying twist, shift and click is one particular pleasure, and it's just one example picked from dozens.

That's not the only clever use made of the hardware, for the game is considerate of the DS and its idiosyncrasies throughout. Missions are predominantly dealt out over email, which are accessible over the PDA that's hosted on the bottom screen. It's here where the map is also situated, which is a beneficiary of the waypoint system first introduced in GTA IV. From here it's also possible to select weapons, and overall the interface is smart and neat – indeed, the only problem we encountered was one with the DS itself, as never before has that inch of plastic between the two screens made itself feel so present as your eye flits from map to action and back again.

Verdict

But that’s one of few gripes about a game that makes little compromise on its journey to the small screen. Chinatown Wars takes the template of the old games and makes them feel completely new, taking the lessons learned from the 3D games and mixing them in with some nuanced use of the touch-screen. Working in perfect harmony with the DS’s unique capabilities, it’s no less than a fully featured GTA - a standalone entry that not only holds its own amongst its esteemed company but acts as a celebration of all that has come before it. The definitive GTA? That depends where your tastes lie, but either way there’s no denying this is a masterpiece of handheld gaming.

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Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars UK Review