Great Game Gets Better
Earlier this year, before Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (CW) was released exclusively on the DS, there were many who doubted its ability to capture the classic GTA feel on such an underpowered handheld system. Unfortunately, despite a majority of critics, including myself, heralding it as an amazing GTA game, CW on the DS’s sales still failed to match its quality. It seemed as though the majority of the DS’s user base were just more interested in younger-skewed and simpler games like Nintendogs and Brain Age rather than a mature, compelling, and lengthy GTA experience. Thankfully, the fantastic CW has been given a second lease on life with the PSP version of the game, which will hopefully find more success this time around given the more GTA-friendly PSP crowd.
CW puts players in the shoes of Huang Lee, a spoiled rich kid living off of his father’s success as a high ranking member of the Triads (Chinese mafia). After his father’s death he’s called upon to deliver a symbolic family sword to his uncle, but things begin to go wrong immediately upon his arrival in Liberty City. After getting robbed, shot, and left for dead, Huang finds himself mingling with the seedier side of Liberty City in order to survive and find out who was responsible for his father’s murder. It is certainly a compelling tale and one that is absolutely full of great dialogue exchanges between Huang and the various characters with whom he comes into contact.
New to this version of CW is Melanie Mallard, a wannabe reporter trying to create her own big break into mainstream journalism. To make her dream a reality she is attempting to make a documentary where she exposes the Triad involvement in Liberty City’s drug trade, which is where Huang comes into the equation. So, in a series of escort missions, you’ll need to take her through the ins and outs of the drug world, all the while protecting the camera hound from the things she so desperately wishes to film. One of the more memorable Melanie missions has you tossing samples of a new drug to random junkies on the street. This new drug tends to make its users extremely addicted, insane, and violent which results in hordes of jonesing druggies chasing after you in hopes of securing their next fix. In short, it was a fantastic GTA level full of both humor and challenge.
One of the best things about the DS version of CW was that it really played to the strengths of the system it was on, and for the most part the same can be said of the PSP version. This version of CW maintains the same visual style found in the original, which is a great cel-shaded/animated look. However, on the PSP the visuals appear much cleaner and pop so much more because of the higher resolution screen. The fully 3D world found in the game also feels more alive due to some much improved lighting effects that are instantly noticeable, especially when playing at night or during a rain storm. This makes the pulsating glow from distant police lights or even self-made Molotov fires that much more dramatic.
The larger and wider screen of the PSP also lends itself well to the vehicle-based gameplay found in CW. Whereas driving on the DS could sometimes get a tad frustrating due to the inability to see oncoming vehicles and/or buildings in your path (somewhat due to the overhead view as well), it is comparatively easier on the PSP. You may still find yourself hitting the occasional pedestrian or even sideswiping a cop car or two on accident, but getting around in a vehicle seemed worlds better in this version. Making driving even easier is an option that allows you to lay your GPS directions directly over the city’s streets, cutting down on having to look back and forth between the GPS in the corner of the screen and your fast moving car. Plus you also have the ability to use the more accurate analog nub to steer, although if you prefer the D-pad you can always switch between the two in the game’s options.
However, as far as the majority of gameplay is concerned the two versions of CW are on equal footing, except for this version’s additional content. You’re still able to tool around GTA IV’s Liberty City (minus the Alderney island), finding a slew of drug dealers to buy and sell narcotics from in order to net large sums of cash. Police chases still consist of Burnout-style takedowns as opposed to just trying to run and hide from the law until they forget about your crimes. Guns can still be purchased online and delivered to your nearest safehouse in order to fuel more bullet-oriented mayhem. Also, every mission in the game is replayable, in case you wish to go back through specific missions or just improve on your original outing’s performance. Players can still hook up with friends locally (not online) to battle it out amongst one another in numerous multiplayer modes. Everything you’d expect to be in a GTA game is here and works at least equally as well as it did in the DS version, except for one thing.
I’m of course speaking about CW’s mini-games. On the DS these seemed fairly novel and were mostly enjoyable due to their intelligent use of the system’s touch-screen. Although the PSP doesn’t have a touch-screen, these mini-games are still found in this version of the game. Instead of using touch-screen controls, you’ll need to use the analog stick, X button, and left and right buttons in order to perform the same tasks. Unfortunately, while these mini-games aren’t terrible, they lose something in the translation due to the lack of a touch-screen. It’s a small gripe, and one that doesn’t really detract from the enjoyment of the game, but it does make the mini-games feel somewhat out of place.
With the increased storage provided by the UMD as opposed to a DS cart, the PSP version of CW has also seen an increase in its music. While the soundtrack still isn’t filled with a ton of licensed music that everyone recognizes, it suits the game very well and sounds great. CW on the PSP has over one hundred extra minutes of music scattered between six additional stations (eleven in this version compared to five on the DS) that help to make the soundtrack more diverse. In fact, the audio as a whole even sounds a bit crisper; from the standard blasts of gunfire to the overheard conversations of random passersby.
Fans trying to squeeze every last bit out of this great title will also want to make sure to check out the Rockstar Social Club. After signing up for an account you’ll be able to play some in-browser Flash games in order to earn extra cash, unlock special vehicles, and even unlock some new missions in CW. The flash games are nothing too deep – for example, trying to catch items in a laundry cart or shooting flying food in order to make the perfect omelets – but they’re enjoyable enough considering they’ll net you some exclusive in-game content. There are also a ton of other features to check out like maps that show the locations of the game’s drug dealers, security cameras, rampages, etc. that definitely come in handy when going for one hundred percent completion.
Overall, CW for the PSP is a slightly better version of the game than the DS original. Although the mini-games do feel a little out of place without touch-screen controls, everything else is just as good if not better than it was on the DS. This isn’t to say the DS version is bad, because it too is a phenomenal title, but the PSP version just ever so slightly edges it out when you consider all of the new additions, visual polish, and tweaks that were done for it. You honestly can’t go wrong with either version, and now that it’s on both available handhelds, there’s no excuse to not have a great time with one of the best GTAs on the market.
RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.8 Graphics
The cel-shaded visual style of CW looks even better on the larger, higher resolution PSP screen. 4.6 Control
While the mini-games lose something because of the lack of a touch-screen, the analog nub makes driving and running around feel more precise. 4.7 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The sound here is a little crisper than in the DS version and there’s a hundred-plus minutes of music added to the soundtrack. 4.8 Play Value
With additional new missions in this version of the game, there’s even more to love this time around. 4.7 Overall Rating – Must Buy
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.
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