Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars review (PSP) By Sayed Islam Published: 12/24/09 PrintEmail
What joy Rockstar has brought to us this year? To put it succinctly, Rockstar continues to impress with yet another success on their hands. The storyline in Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars revolves around the main protagonist named Huang Lee. Regrettably, Lee suffered the loss of his father. Lee is a youthful man who is looking to find his way to his uncle. On a visit to his uncle, things not surprisingly do not appear as they seem. A small group of mischievous individuals pilfer a sword from Lee. As a result, Lee is on a quest to work his way up the ranks by performing a multitude of jobs. While the narrative is not as grandiose as the full console iterations of GTA IV, it is still enjoyable.
The gameplay forsakes the traditional third person perspective. Instead, the gameplay occurs from a top down aerial viewpoint. The comprehensive map is back again, and it makes getting lost virtually implausible. Do not be fooled by the missions in the game. Albeit this is on a hand held console, they are fairly intriguing. A good chunk of the mission entails drugs (which is undoubtedly any GTA enthusiast’s dream). As a matter of fact, one of the focal points of GTA: Chinatown Wars is you guessed it, drugs. Lee can quickly accrue money at an alarming rate by selling drugs. Nevertheless, it is never as arduous or as demanding as it might seem. There are helpful tips to guide you in the correct direction. The numbers of missions easily exceed the fifty number mark. You can navigate your way from location to location through the use of your trusty PDA and GPS; furthermore, this is how you will receive information about forthcoming missions.
About the art direction, the visuals are akin to a comic book. The cel-shading graphics are a departure from what is typical, but that is not to say that the visuals lack any substantial firepower. They are above average; however, the characters can sometimes look like they are only two feet tall.
In regards to the audio, this is an area that can use some improvement. Since everything is accentuated via comic book style cut scenes, there is no voice acting. Rather than hearing actors deliver their lines, there is plenty of lines that is just shown on the screen ready to be read. Even though the game lacks voice acting, the lines are still facetious. It still begs the question: how much more enjoyable those lines would be if they were heard?
Overall, GTA: Chinatown Wars is what people have come to expect from Rockstar. Moreover, it is tough to argue against the quality of this Chinatown.
Art direction 8 About the art direction, the visuals are akin to a comic book. The cel-shading graphics are a departure from what is typical, but that is not to say that the visuals lack any substantial firepower. They are above average; however, the characters can sometimes look like they are only two feet tall. Audio 7.5 In regards to the audio, this is an area that can use some improvement. Since everything is accentuated via comic book style cut scenes, there is no voice acting. Rather than hearing actors deliver their lines, there is plenty of lines that is just shown on the screen ready to be read. Even though the game lacks voice acting, the lines are still facetious. It still begs the question: how much more enjoyable those lines would be if they were heard? Gameplay 10 GTA: Chinatown Wars is what people have come to expect from Rockstar. Moreover, it is tough to argue against the quality of this Chinatown. Presentation 9 While the narrative is not as grandiose as the full console iterations of GTA IV, it is still enjoyable. Replay value 10 Too many missions to count. Final verdict 9 out of 10
What joy Rockstar has brought to us this year? To put it succinctly, Rockstar continues to impress with yet another success on their hands. The storyline in Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars revolves around the main protagonist named Huang Lee. Regrettably, Lee suffered the loss of his father. Lee is a youthful man who is looking to find his way to his uncle. On a visit to his uncle, things not surprisingly do not appear as they seem. A small group of mischievous individuals pilfer a sword from Lee. As a result, Lee is on a quest to work his way up the ranks by performing a multitude of jobs. While the narrative is not as grandiose as the full console iterations of GTA IV, it is still enjoyable. 
