Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Got up, fed the cat, stole three cars and bought some coke, 26 Mar 2009
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
I am probably not the typical player of this type of game, I am a 40 something female who normally plays stuff like Professor Layton, Scrabble, My Health Coach and My Spanish Coach...so why Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars?
It may be explained by the fact that I caught the GTA San Andreas bug when I owned a Playstation 2, when I sold the console on because it simply stopped getting played due to lack of time, I also sold San Andreas, with genuine regret because I had spent a lot of time playing it and really enjoyed it (as far as I got). The DS was the perfect solution to me, because of its size and transportation advantages - being able to take it away in my camper van (with charger), at home whilst the other half is on the computer or watching TV and even to work to play in my lunch break if I wish - meant that I had more time to enjoy playing games.
When I saw that Rockstar were bringing out a GTA game for the DS I thought "Yippee!" as although I love my more conventional well-behaved games, it is always fun to have a walk on the wild side!
To me, as an adult who has never been in trouble with the law, this game is simply a great exercise in escapism - a bit like watching the early Die Hard Films. The other day I got up, had breakfast, fed the cat, stole three cars for Uncle Kenny and bought some coke which I then sold on for an enormous profit. After going shopping and having lunch I recruited some triad gang members, pinched a taxi and picked up some fares for fun. Then it was time to get the dinner on. GTA Chinatown Wars is fun and a bit of a laugh, and not to be taken seriously under any circumstances.
Game play wise, I had been concerned about the possible limitations the DS's size may have presented, but so far I would say it copes well with the obvious necessary downsizing required and I have quickly adjusted. The mapping/routing system makes getting around easier than I expected although it is taking me longer this time to get used to where I am on the map as a whole. I don't feel 'familiar' with the city yet, although I have only been playing a few days so probably just need to give it a bit more time, although you could argue that having the routes planned out makes one a little lazy when it comes to orientation.
Stealing many cars has the added feature having to either 'hot-wire' the vehicle or input its security code, courtesy of the stylus, this makes challenges such as an early one, of having to steal three cars in 'six hours' - actually more like six minutes - far from a doddle and requiring some serious planning and co-ordination - for me in any case.
To summarise, I am pleased with it so far and look forward to playing the rest of the game but maybe as an older player, I personally would be careful not to rush the experience and make sure I take breaks from it from time to time, to do other things, like write this review!!!! and head back to the real world.
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34 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Really Good, but with a few niggles, 15 Mar 2009
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
I managed to get hold of a preview copy of this game and have been playing it solidly for the past few days. I can tell you right now that its a typical old school GTA game, so if you are a fan of the series, then you will love it.
Without going into too much detail about the story you are a basically a Chinese gangster, spoilt the fruits of a succesful upbringing. Your goal is to avenge the death of your father, in order to secure your inheritence rather than for any noble reason, and as the story progresses you see your character fleshed out with the usual Rockstar sense of humour.
The game is geniunley funny at times, but because all the dialouge is text based, it can be a little hit and miss. One of the great things about previous GTAs is the voice acting, so it sometimes feels a little stale without it. You cant really complain considering the hardware though, and there is some voice acting but its mostly just a couple of words from passers by on the streets. It is funny when you run someone over and they scream 'Nooo, im still a virgin!' though.
Rockstar have really taken advantage of the DS controls, and have thrown in a good number of minigames to keep you occupied, unfortunatley with mixed results.
Some of them are great, obviously there are the drug dealing games that have been widely reported, but there are also neat little touches like being able to buy scratch cards and use them on the touch screen to get power ups and things. You can also rummage around in bins to find guns if you want. You can also whistle into the DS microphone and your character will hail a cab. Its mainly all really well implemented and immerses you into the whole experience very nicely.
The problem is that one of the big touch screen moments comes in hotwiring cars. This is great when its a quiet part of the game and you have the time to do it, but if you are running from the cops and you have to unscrew bits of the car with the stylus and then hotwire it manually while the police come flying at you, it becomes really frustrating. Especially when you are so used to just getting into cars and driving off like in previous GTA games.
Its also annoying when you kill a big gang of guys and the leader gets in a car and drives off. You may as well just restart the mission if that happens as by the time you've got a car up and running, he'll be well gone.
Escaping the cops is also a bit different from normal. You can still go in a pay and spray (Which are easy to find thanks to the excellent PDA system), but you can also lose the cops by driving towards a wall and turning at the last minute so they smash into it. This is a pretty cool addition to the game and makes police chases much better in my opinion. Its also worth mentioning that the car handling is very good and the camera actually keeps up with your car better than in GTA4.
The combat in the game is also executed pretty well, and is actually better than its home console counterparts in some respects. Obviously the excellent cover system from GTA4 is absent, but you can lock onto targets with R1 and shoot them with 'x', and the hand to hand combat is dealt with by using different combinations of buttons which are very easy to pull off. The controls are really good overall to be honest, there doesnt seem to be anything overly gimmicky, it all seems necessary and worthwhile (Apart from maybe the car hotwiring as I mentioned earlier).
The whole thing is presented very well, you carry a PDA which is a little like the mobile phone from GTA4, but it carries much more information. From the PDA screen you can view a map of liberty city and plot your route to wherever you want to go onto your sat nav, which is really useful and means that its impossible to get lost. You also get emails from people which open up different missions. The whole thing is well set up and very easy to use.
Overall, this is an excellent game and one of the best so far on the DS. It just falls short of classic status due to a couple of frustrating niggles, but all in all I would highly recommend it to anyone who has a DS and is old enough to play it. Absolutley superb.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best DS Game ever!!! Small Cartridge, Big World, 7 Jun 2009
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm new to the whole GTA experience, and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is the first ever GTA game I've played. I've always been on the Nintendo camp, and loved Zelda in the 90's. This game reminds me of my other favourite game on the PC of the 90's, Command & Conquer: Red Alert. Except this one is so full of realism and humour.
Last year, I completed Zelda Phantom Hourglass, which was a great game, but Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, surpassed even Zelda. I really think it has to be the greatest DS game ever. If this was a Mario or Zelda game, we would have hailed the creators 'game gods'!!!
I cannot say how this compares to the other GTA games in the other consoles, but if this is anything to go by, I'm hugely impressed. There are too many nice touches to mention. It's amazing how a tiny cartridge can contain such a huge experience. You can drive lots of different cars, bikes, fire engine, ambulance, taxi, boats and jet skis. You can also operate a crane and bulldozer. It's a shame you can't fly. The storyline is believable and gripping. Although the main story can be completed in 15 hours, it is only 45% of the game. There are so many more bonus missions to do to get 100% completion. Some of the missions can be very difficult especially if you gain 3 'wanted' stars. I usually have to go through the mission at least twice to succesfully complete it. Perhaps, I'm not used to the hectic pace of the game, as I'm so used to the leisurely pace of Zelda. I have to admit I activated some of the in-game cheat codes to help me complete some missions. I've found the following in-game cheat codes to be the most useful: Restore full armour (L, L, R, A, A, B, B, R), Restore full health (L, L, R, B, B, A, A, R), Reduce 'wanted' level (R, X, X, Y, Y, R, L, L), Great set of weapons (R, Up, B, Down, Left, R, B, Right). It's great that there are in-game cheat codes, so you don't need to use 'Action Replay'. I love the mission where you have to drive a porn star in his limo to his audition and he has a few girls at the back to get him ready! You can see the limo swaying from side to side and hear the girls moan! It's also great to be able to replay all the completed missions to try and improve one's time.
I like the top down camera angle, from behind your character. This viewpoint suits the DS perfectly. The use of the stylus and touch screen is ingenious: Hotwiring a car, throwing explosives, selecting weapons and even putting together the sniper rifle. The actual movement is handled by the D-pad, whilst running and shooting is handled by the buttons.
The missions in Chinatown Wars are just so varied and interesting. I just love to replay some of the missions over and over again. One mission saw me collect a sniper rifle from a balcony, construct it, then shoot the targets in a given time. Another mission saw me perform a dragon dance to escape my enemies.
The 'AI' is also quite clever. If you continually break the law in full view of the police, your 'wanted' level increases. You can then decrease your wanted level by running and hiding, but where is the fun in that! Instead, you can also lower your 'wanted' level by ramming the police cars till they blow up. Once the police car is destroyed, your 'wanted' level decreases by one star. It's brilliant fun.
You have the option to buy and sell drugs to make a profit. You can then use the money to buy safe houses. You can also earn extra cash by driving a taxi, police car, fire engine or ambulance. Alternatively you can always steal the drugs or money by killing people.
The cars in Chinatown Wars all handle very differently. The different cars and bikes handle differently. The bigger the car, the slower the acceleration and the worse the handling. At night, the headlights come on, but if you damage the right front of the car, the light goes off on that side! The level of detail doesn't stop with the cars either. The city is also highly detailed not just visually but behind the scenes too with a day and night cycle, weather system that affects car handling when it rains and 'AI' interaction between the city dwellers. Some of the comments that they come out with are just so funny.
This is a fantastic game; it's certainly my favourite game on the DS. I can't wait for the next instalment. It really is a great game, worth a purchase whether you are a fan of the series or not. I have certainly become a fan!
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Suitable for 18 years and over. Not for sale to persons under age 18. By placing an order for this product, you declare that you are 18 years of age or over.
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