ust when it seems that the DS’ lifespan has reached its end and that no more innovation can be produced, in walks the other, lesser-hyped Grand Theft Auto sequel: Chinatown Wars. This handheld adaptation looks good on paper, but players have no idea what they’re in for. The camera change (top-down), cel-shaded graphics and bad experiences with other DS action games will inevitably create a degree of skepticism. But once you start playing – once you feel the thrill of driving, the intensity of combat, the joy of completing a mission and the simple pleasure of getting rich, it will be hard to form a thought other than that this game is unbelievably amazing.
First and foremost, Grand Theft Auto is a driving/action series. It succeeds because the vehicular controls are the best in the biz; without them, the franchise wouldn’t have gotten this far. Though you don’t have analog sensitivity helping you drive in Chinatown Wars, the D-pad works pretty well. Like any GTA, most of the cars offer unique handling properties. Sports cars are tight and fast, muscle cars are moderately fast but slippery, and trucks are slow but very powerful. There are many other handling variations within the car lineup, and though it’s not on par with the console versions (did you really expect it to be?), the variety is extremely impressive.
Drawing upon the power of the DS, the act of stealing a car is no longer as simple as breaking in and driving away. When a car is already in motion, the gameplay remains the same: tap the X button to wrestle with the driver and hope you’re able to steal the car before he drives away. But if parked, the vehicle won’t start on its own. Thus, you’ll have to hotwire the engine, drive a screwdriver through the keyhole, or use a number-matching device (a computer that tricks the engine) to start the car. In any case, the touch screen is used to perform these actions, allowing the player to feel like he’s a part of the car-stealing excitement. Things are particularly intense – and dangerous! – when a cop runs up just before the engine starts.
As anticipated, the police are once again a major part of the GTA experience. However, this time you are given the luxury of surviving by fighting back. In previous GTAs, your only recourse was to run. If you hurt a cop in the process, your wanted level would increase, reducing your chances of a successful escape. In Chinatown Wars, you’ll still be penalized for shooting cops. But this time you can reduce your wanted level by ramming police vehicles into objects. The resulting gameplay is deeper and more aggressive – the kind of experience you’d expect to see if Criterion (makers of the Burnout series) and Rockstar teamed up.
Chinatown Wars is potentially the DS’ longest game, thanks to a meaningful quest that is packed with unique missions. Become an assassin, deliver car bombs, plant explosives and take out rival gangs. Find a sniper rifle, put it together with the touch screen (an act that is too cool for words), and use it to finish an enemy. Control machinegun-equipped boats and jet skis, battle helicopters with a rocket launcher, and participate in bonus Rampage missions (found in specific areas of Liberty City) where bullets are unlimited.
Delightfully Distracting
In between fighting scum and running from the cops, Chinatown Wars introduces a new gameplay element that is scarily addictive: drug dealing. You won’t sell directly to users, thank goodness. But by searching the city for men in dark alleys (marked on the map as blue dots initially, then blue briefcases once discovered), you’ll be able to buy and sell coke, heroine, acid, downers, weed and ecstasy to dozens of other dealers.
With e-mail taking the place of the cell phone in GTAIV, you’ll receive messages not only regarding the main missions but also to announce who’s buying or selling drugs at a better price. In the real-world, the whole thing is disgusting, but in this fictional setting it’s quite amusing. Cops show up all the time, turning your latest deal into a speedy chase; if caught with drugs, they – along with all weapons – will be confiscated.
Since this is a game, you don’t have to worry about the real-world consequence of serving 10 years in prison. But you do get some of the real-world benefits: dealing drugs is the quickest and easiest way to earn money in a GTA game, allowing players to buy up every safehouse and every weapon they desire and still have money left over. Weapons, by the way, can now be delivered right to your doorstep thanks to a new Ammu-Nation service.
Obviously, Chinatown Wars isn’t for kids, so not every DS owner will (or should) have the joy of playing it. That said, every player of appropriate age must play this game. Chinatown Wars is the best handheld release on any platform since God of War: Chains of Olympus. In fact, that’s the only title that can compare. If you love the GTA franchise and want a GTA-sized experience on a handheld, Chinatown Wars will turn you into a zombie – an addicted, unproductive, can’t-stop-smiling zombie that never wants to put the game down.
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