VIDEOGAME REVIEW- GTA Chinatown Wars (DS)

*A bit old, but still gold…enjoy!*

Grand Theft Auto – Chinatown Wars (Nintendo DS)

By Simon Reed

Personally, I did not enjoy GTA on the PS2, PSP and PS3 as much as I wanted to, as everything felt like too much of a chore. Phoning people, taking virtual women out for dinner, watching televisions in the actual game…I just wanted to, you know, play a videogame! Not participate in a ‘Let’s kill and cause chaos’ type expansion version of the Sims (as cool as that sounds).

So that’s why Chinatown Wars is a breath of such sweet, fresh, air. There’s no forced side missions, no pointless characters, just good old destruction and killing. And after years of over complication of the formula, that’s something to be celebrated wildly.

The story follows Huang, who, on his way to Liberty City, is passing on a symbolic sword to his Uncle after his father, a Triad boss, was mysteriously killed. But soon enough there is an ambush, the sword is stolen, and Huang starts to work with several gangsters and crazies in order to get it back.

Scripting wise, the game is not as razor sharp and witty as previous iterations, but the plot is suitably complex with many characters truly vile and dislikable. And I mean that in the best way.

Missions are short and perfect for portable play (helped by an auto save function), but never do they feel slight or simplified, with many as memorable as anything in previous GTA’s. One set piece for example, involves racing an oil tanker to a destination, while oil spills from the back, making sure any police that dare chase you get doused in flame. Another involves making sure journalists do not take pictures of your boss, by dealing with them by any means necessary. It’s pure 18 certificate carnage, and it’s a joy to behold.

A top down perspective, along with a cartoony visual style (similar to the Gameboy Colour’s Driver), may bring disadvantages, such as a limited view of the road ahead, along with the loss of the gritty feel many enjoyed in GTA4, but everything works perfectly in sight of the DS’s limited technical capabilities.

Overuse of the touch screen for many tasks can be awkward, such as throwing projectiles, but it also helps to immerse you in the game, and the game is certainly improved, and not weakened, by their inclusion.

Overall, the size of the game (after finishing the main plot you have not seen even half of what the game has to offer), the confident design and the way it simply wants to be played and enjoyed makes this a must have DS title. And there aren’t many of those around at the moment.

(5/5)