Nintendo DS Review: GTA: Chinatown Wars

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is the latest handheld version released by Rockstar Games for the DS. The game features trademark missions and mini-games played on GTA III and IV. Set in the same Liberty City, Chinatown wars offers unimaginable GTA experience with some excellent touch screen mini-games with a typical tale of gang wars.

Rockstar Games introduced a completely new star cast for all you GTA gamers. Chinatown Wars lets you play from the perspective of Huang Lee, who enters Liberty city to avenge his gangster father’s death. Well, that’s the initial script; the rest is all about gang wars, police chases and fast cars. There will also be various missions that go along with the game’s storyline and it will take you about ten hours to complete it.

GTA: Chinatown Wars has some excellent touch screen side-missions. Any attempts to steal a parked car will force you to follow a series of mini-games and of course, use the touch screen. You will have to enter an immobilizer PIN, dabble with your screwdriver and hot-wire it to steal, all with the help of your stylus. There are also other touch screen mini games including marking tattoos on rookie gang members, searching for weapons in dumpsters and using sonar to search for lost drug ships. But, the touch screen also comes into play at inappropriate situations such as switching between weapons, flinging projectile weapons etc., making it a bit frustrating for DS gamers.

Weapons in Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars include everything from bare fists to flamethrowers, shotguns, flashbangs and even swords. Occasionally you will get a chance to dabble with sniper rifles, but for using it you will have to assemble it with the help of the touch screen (pretty fun!). As you progress through the storyline, you will acquire more advanced weaponry. For using most weapons on enemies, you will have to lock on and hit the A button, but for grenades you will have to plot the direction and range via touch screen.

GTA: Chinatown Wars has everything similar to its 3D counterparts including vigilante missions, ambulance and taxi missions. But, the cream of China Town Wars is the ability to enter races, hijack drug shipments and raid ol’ warehouses. The mission rewards are lower than GTA III and IV, but missions are aplenty. You can check out the GTA: Chinatown Wars Official Site for some more Goodies and latest game info.