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GTA: Chinatown Wars (Nintendo DS) | 
| From: Rockstar
Category: Video Games
List Price: £29.99
Buy New: £7.95
as of 3/9/2010 17:39 CDT details
You Save: £22.04 (73%)
New (23) Used (17) from £5.99
Rating:  reviews
Sales Rank: 774
Format: Unknown format
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: crime-action-games
Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Media: Video Game
Edition: Normal
Operating System: No Operating System
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.7 x 0.9
MPN: GTADS
EAN: 5026555042451
ASIN: B001GG7DRK
Release Date: March 20, 2009
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is the highly anticipated first game in the GTA franchise designed for play on the Nintendo DS. But although it comes in a small package, this is a full-fledged game that stands on its own. With an all-new, deep story that approaches the familiar sights and sounds of the infamous Liberty City from a different perspective, an innovative control system and multiplayer options, Chinatown Wars captures the tone and flavors of the long-running GTA series in unique ways that both longtime players and those coming to it for the first time will find hard to put down. - Use the DS' touch screen as a PDA device to set GPS waypoints, change radio stations, communicate via e-mail with in-game characters and order weapons on the Internet.
- Largest DS game ever, features include a world full of pedestrians, weather and traffic patterns, five different radio stations and four different sprawling boroughs to explore.
- Endless gameplay, complete with mature storyline 70+ story missions, dozens of side quests, collectibles, contextual mini-games and the all new mission replay feature.
- Nintendo Wi-Fi mode allowing for head-to-head and co-op multiplayer mayhem.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Got up, fed the cat, stole three cars and bought some coke March 26, 2009
Pendleton Girl (Buckfastleigh, Devon, UK)
60 out of 62 found this review helpful
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.
Very good considering hardware limitations March 22, 2009
D. Wilkinson (Mexborough, South Yorkshire)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
You are Huang Lee, you have just been "Welcomed To America" in no uncertain terms, and you have work to do!
As with GTA games on other platforms, you can take and drive an assortment of vehicles as you go about your "business": chasing down opposing gang members, hunting for weapons, trying to make/take money, seeking vengeance and running from the police.
The DS controls for this game can take a bit of getting used to, for which you do get some help by a default option that aims to keep your vehicle on the road. The soundtrack inevitably lacks some of its big brothers' sophistication but the music is suitably atmospheric, backed up with suitably pithy comments from people you hit! The main characters do not "speak" though: as is common on the DS, dialogue takes the form of rolling comic book-style captions below drawings of the characters, which can get a little slow/annoying if you have to attempt a mission several times in a row.
The 3-D graphics are detailed and well executed within the limits available - especially the DS' screen size. The in-game GPS is easy to use and gives a handy means of locating important places and routes to follow - even updating in real time if you miss your turning (which, believe me, you often will). Just do keep your eyes on the road as well!
If you have enjoyed GTA games on other platforms and are looking for one you can carry around with you on your DS, this will not disappoint.
 Really Good, but with a few niggles March 15, 2009
The Milkman (UK)
39 out of 46 found this review helpful
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.
A new perspective on Liberty City February 18, 2010
D. Linton-smith (London, England)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Gta on the ds is a very incongruous experience, a return to the 2d top down of the ps1 series rears long forgotten problems, dodgy camera angles, unwieldy movement, restricted perspective and unworkable lock on controls hamper the experience. Combined with the perplexing rational to incorperate d-pad, face buttons and stylus to do different things which need to be switched between at a moments notice means you develop serious gamers claw. The story isn't up to scratch, feeling like a straight to dvd script with instantly forgetable characters. The "commodity" trading is face meltingly dull but essential for a few hours atleast as it seems the residents of Liberty are a bit cash strapped too.
Combat lock has been a sore point for the series since its inception but lacking any way to distinguish who you want to aim at, combined with stiff movement angles, means working around it rather than with it. The restricted view means you get more wanted levels than normal and the incorportation of touch screen minigames may please the first few times but having to manually fill molotovs when all you want to do is blow things up begins to grate. If you've played any GTA before you'll sprint through missions without breaking a sweat due to the patronising difficulty. Options to replay missions and inmrove stats adds' replay but theres no reward other than slowly staving off bordem.
As an extension to the main game it dissapoints, as a nostalgic throwback it infuriates, but as an alternative to the insiped shovel ware filling DS section shelves everywhere? beggars cant be choosers.
Very pleasantly surprised January 13, 2010
R. J. Solomons (London)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I didn't hold out too much hope for this format, as I just could not see how they could pull of a decent version on such an unusual and small system as the DS. However, the glowing reviews gave me reason enough to give it a try, especially as it was available at such a reasonable price.
Bottom line... I love it! It works, boy it works!! Buy it, play it, love it! The designers of the DS game have not left any stone unturned in ensuring this format is every bit as playable, in some cases even more so, than any of the larger console versions.
Happy gaming!
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