Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Review)

I did not have high expectations when i bought this game at a cheap price at Games Basement, for this game after the success and high standards of the entire Grand Theft Auto series; it was very difficult to try and understand how they could take Grand Theft Auto to the Nintendo DS platform. Simply said I was made to eat my words. This game is the quality that you would expect and want from a Grand Theft Auto series; without doubt you could say that it is the best in the series yet.

Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars is based around the character Huang Lee, who has returned to Liberty City in order to return the sword to his uncle, Kenny. Though on his way to deliver it, the sword is taken from him and he is tossed aside for dead. Now, Huang Lee has to try and get back the sword – causing havoc throughout Liberty City.

The graphics of the game are not what you expect to see on a Nintendo DS Lite console; they are better. The cut scenes of the game are truly authentic and the nice simplistic graphics make them enjoyable to watch. Rather than having to sit there through the cut scenes all the time, if you are not interested in the storyline, it is nice and simply to skip the cut scene. Though the actual game play is not 2D, it enters realms of 3D game play which shows the growth they have been able to make on the Nintendo DS platform. The map within the game is the same in which you see on Grand Theft Auto 4, which for recurring Grand Theft Auto players makes the game nice and relatable; as well as making it easy to navigate around the city.

The touch screen on the Nintendo DS brings a new aspect to the game of Grand Theft Auto; it is not just sitting there useless, as in many other Nintendo DS games I have played. The touch screen is where your GPS is, where you can find your brief, where you can complete tattoos or do scratch cards. It allows you to choose your weapon or throw bottles of petrol in which you have filled earlier using the Nintendo DS touch screen.

A large amount of excitement comes from using the touch screen as it allows you to be in the game; actually doing the deeds in which need to be done. Though, as you imagine the keys on the Nintendo are the main use for controlling the game, no key is wasted and each is needed to perform a specific action. The ease of use makes playing the game far more enjoyable. The control of the character in car, walking or boat etc is all easy to manoeuvre due to the controls of the Nintendo DS.

The game play of Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars is just as brutal as any of its previous games in the series. The screams of the pedestrians or crashing of the cars is just as enjoyable as if you were playing Grand Theft Auto on any other platform. Though the best addition to the game has to be the cop chases; as in any other Grand Theft Auto game you can keep driving in order to eventually evade the cops. But the new feature is that you can attempt to destroy the cop cars chasing after you. For example, if you have two stars you would need to destroy two cop cars to take yourself down to only one star wanted level. This extra level of aggression makes the game far more enjoyable, rather than just trying to run away and hide!

Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars is everything you want and need from a Grand Theft Auto game; except now it is portable. Trying to find fault with this game is virtually impossible; from its storyline to its actual game play, it is perfect. Whether you are a Grand Theft Auto player already or not this game is definitely worth adding to your collection.

Becky Kingston