Review: Grand Theft Auto – Chinatown Wars (DS)

Grand Theft Auto finally explodes onto the DS – but is Nintendo’s handheld big enough to survive Rockstar’s crime epic? We hot-wired a copy to find out…

After the success of GTA4 across PS3 and Xbox 360, as well as the superb ‘The Lost & Damned’ DLC, hopes were high for Chinatown Wars, the very first Grand Theft Auto game made specially for the Nintendo DS. No doubt raising some eyebrows with concerned parents with it’s 18 rating, the DS has historically not catered for more adult games….relying instead on kiddy-friendly fare such as Hannah Montana: the movie, Mario Kart and Pokemon.

However, Rockstar has done an admirable job in bringing ‘Liberty City’ to life on the dual screens…with all the trademark humour, slick presentation, fun missions and an immersive world that has shifted millions of games around the world. The question is….are Nintendo DS owners going to want to play it?

From the moment you load up the game, you know this has been lovingly made….the Rockstar logo using both screens to show a suitcase swapping baggies of ‘powder’ for cash. Once into the main game, which follows a young Triad gang member fighting for respect in a pseudo-New York, you realize the scale of what they’ve achieved here.: the entire city from the best-selling PS3/360 game is here to see….with recognizable features and landmarks (albeit in a more top down, cell-shaded graphical style). They’ve even added in jet skis….perfect for an aquatic drive-by!

Indeed, the developers have crammed so much into the game it’s actually quite hard to see where you’re going. The lower screen acts as your radar and interactive area – where you might have to hot-wire a car, smash a window to escape if you drive into the water or rub away a scratchcard to boost your income. This is interactive gaming at it’s best. The music is also very well done….electro gurus DangerMaus pumping out chunes or elswhere a suitably cool soundtrack. 

Like a mini Uzi, this GTA is handy for a quick burst….but not that practical for a major session. The controls, whilst very responsive especially when driving, get a bit clunky when fighting (there’s a notably high body count in this game) and it’s more fun driving about and exploring than sticking with the story.

This does feel different to the other versions of GTA on more powerful handhelds, such as Vice City Stories on the PSP. Overall, you can’t help but think that whilst a superb technical achievement (with alot of bang for your buck), this franchise just fits better on other consoles. So, GTA: Chinatown Wars is a sweet game, but perhaps it’s just fighting in the wrong ‘hood. If popping caps is your bag though, then check it out gangsta. Respect.

Overall Score: 7 out of 10

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 25th, 2009 at 11:14 am and is filed under Nintendo DS, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.