Image courtesy of TechShout
So I have written about the announcement of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (GTA:CW fro now on) arriving on the App Store, and of the issues running it on the first-gen iPod Touch. Now I’ve played it, and am ready to review it and let you know how it plays!
The Hype:
* Contemporary Liberty City is a massive world complete with pedestrians, weather and traffic patterns, five different radio stations and four different sprawling boroughs to explore.
* Mature storyline with over 70+ story missions; plus dozens of side quests, collectibles, contextual mini-games and the all new mission replay feature.
* Addictive drug dealing side game adds street economics to the mix with 6 different drug types, 80+ drug dealers and a supply / demand driven narcotics economy.
* Take your game online for head-to-head and co-op multiplayer mayhem and Chat, trade guns and commodities with your friends, and more on the Rockstar Games Social Club.
* Utilizing superior audio and visual processing power, Chinatown Wars is reborn with noticeable boosts in graphic and sound quality.
The Reality:
Over at VGBlogger where I also do reviews, it seems we have been playing this game for a year … perhaps because we have! We started with discussion review (between editor Matt Litten and myself) of the DS version, followed by Matt’s look at the PSP release. Now I am looking at the recently released version for the Apple iPhone (and iPod Touch). As we both agree, regardless of platform, this is an absolutely excellent game, and something everyone should try. As for whether you should head to the iTunes App Store and drop $10 for this new version, read on and find out!
If you have major questions about the game, I suggest starting with our discussion, then checking out Matt’s take on the enhancements that the PSP version brings. The PSP version added some bonus missions and is graphically superior, but personally I have been split over which release I preferred. For the new version, let me step through some quick comments, using the same ‘5 Things’ Matt did in his look at the PSP version:
1. Installation & Compatibility:
In general, unless a game is released that will specifically utilize a specific hardware feature such as the GPS or Compass, new games released on the iTunes App Store will work on any iPhone or iPod Touch that is updated to the latest OS revision (3.1). I have had almost no issues with any game working properly, so I didn’t even read the iTunes App listing in detail (I know, my own fault), so I didn’t see the requirement for an iPhone or 2nd Gen iPod Touch. Since I have a first-generation Touch, the game refused to install on my system and I figured I was out of luck.
Fortunately I came across a method that allowed me to unpack the game from the ‘wrapper’ and drop it back into iTunes and then install it to my iPod Touch. This method got around the hardware warning but still honors the ownership rights, which means I could feel good that I wasn’t doing anything that would break the DRM of the game itself. So once I got past that I was able to play without issue.
2. Graphics:
Matt mentioned how much better the PSP graphics looked than the DS, which I certainly agree with despite some criticisms about the transparency that I noted in the comments. The iPhone version definitely takes its cues from the PSP release: everything Matt mentioned about a total graphical overhaul was brought to the iPhone version. But what I find interesting is that for all of the commentary we have heard about the iPod Touch as a better and more powerful gaming system than the PSP, I found that the graphics were definitely not as crisp those on my PSP Go. Not that they were substantially worse, they just didn’t pop with as much contrast and clarity as the PSP version and sometimes even felt blurry. At night I had some issues seeing things clearly, and too many things felt indistinct.
3. Soundtrack vs. Game Size:
Rockstar giveth, Rockstar taketh away. The PSP version featured an expanded soundtrack with better quality, and while this version maintains the quality, it features a greatly reduced track list. Of course, as some have pointed out, since Rockstar gives you the ability to use your iPod music you actually have an infinite playlist, but once you have gotten used to the PSP version you will definitely feel something missing. Not a huge deal by any stretch, just something to be aware of.
A bigger omission is environmental noise. When you play the DS or PSP version, as you roam the streets there is always something going on, someone yelling at you or others. On the iPhone there is nothing but silence. If you have never played a different version you might not notice, but coming from 9 months of enjoying both versions of this game, it immediately felt sterile to me.
A major reason this was done was to slim down the install size of the game. The game supposedly requires more than 620MB of space to install and occupies nearly 200MB on your iPhone once installed. That is still pretty large for an iTunes App Store game, but is much smaller than the 755MB Myst took when released. I would gladly have traded a few MB’s of storage for more environment.
4. (Out of) Controls:
I really felt that the mini-games were designed for the DS touch screen, as I mentioned in the comments to the PSP review. And I still feel the same way – these were designed for a stylus, not an analog stick and not for finger control.
There is one control change that has frankly boggled my mind: the DS game used the microphone for you to hail a cab by whistling. The PSP version removed that feature since there is no microphone. When I first saw that the first-generation iPod Touch wasn’t supported I assumed it had reinstated the microphone usage, but that isn’t the case. Another silly omission – even if they just made it optional.
But the mini-games are only a small portion of the game, and Rockstar makes use of two sets of virtual controls for running and driving. Running uses an on-screen analog stick with controls to attack and slide on the right side of the screen. When you approach a vehicle a car icon appears, allowing you to enter the car (or steal it as the case might be). Driving changes the left-side control to a left-right steering control with the accelerator, brake and attack controls on the right. In general I found that the controls worked well enough but were fairly imprecise and it was too easy to end up running into stationary objects when either running or driving. As I played more I got more precise, but I never found the controls as comfortable or usable as either the DS or PSP.
5. Overall Impressions:
In terms of my personal preference of how I would rate the three versions of GTA: Chinatown Wars, I would do it as follows:
– The DS version has the best overall gameplay
– The PSP version has the best graphics
– The iPhone version is the best value
Of course, let me reiterate that I think all three versions of the game are excellent, and think that you should get the game for whatever platform you are using the most. The iPhone version is at the upper end of the current iTunes App Store pricing spectrum with its $9.99 price tag, but is still considerably cheaper than the other versions. The DS version sells for $20 (but is generally available on sale for ~$15), while the PSP version sells for $30.
Where to Buy: iTunes App Store
Price: $9.99
What I Like:
+ Nice graphics
+ Decent controls
+ Full port of excellent game
+ Cheaper than DS or PSP versions
What Needs Improvement:
– Doesn’t support 1st gen iPod Touch
– Graphics not as crisp as PSP
– Cuts down on included music and eliminates environmental voices.
– Doesn’t use microphone
– Expensive for an iPhone game
Originally reviewed for VGBlogger.com
