Less than a year after Grand Theft Auto IV's monumental release, fans
of Liberty City have yet another entry in the series to sink their
teeth into; and while it isn't as large or beautiful as other games in
the series, Chinatown Wars is a legendary portable title that has
obliterated nearly all preconceptions of the limitations of the DS. Not
only has Leeds proven mastery over the hardware, however; they've
proven mastery on how to make a compelling experience.
Chinatown Wars tells the tale of a Chinese gang war, which manages to
be wacky yet somber simultaneously. Huang Lee's father is murdered, and
it is his job to deliver an ancient sword to his Uncle to garner favor
from Chinese gangs. Upon landing in the United States, Lee is jumped
and left for dead in Liberty City's port. He now sets out on a mission
to do whatever he can in order to gain as much of his father's power
back from the psychopaths in charge of the Chinese gang Triads.
Bizarre characters and even odder dialogue try to mask the lack of
voice acting and cinematic storytelling, and the approach is a success
-- Chinatown Wars' script is entertaining, although a few of the
one-liners are hit or miss. Leeds' writers are not on par with, say,
the Ace Attorney localization team, but compared to most other games in
the system's library the narrative is quite good. There are some
serious moments that stand out in a crowd of inane dialogue and
characters (inane in a good way), but for the most part the peculiar
narrative fits the DS' fatuous image well.
Series appeal appeal largely rests on the incredible scope and
wonderful sandbox design, however -- both are which have received a
masterful translation to DS.
Nearly all of Liberty City was squeezed onto a cartridge, with an
incredible level of detail crammed into each distinctive environment
and a comic book art style that fits the goofy narrative. Excellent
physics and sound design aid in immersing the player, as well as a
decent soundtrack with five different radio stations available. The
isometric perspective gives the player a good view of the action and
makes outrunning the cops especially enjoyable -- flying along Liberty
City in a Sabre GT with police vans, patrol cars and helicopters
blasting after you is an exhilarating feeling.
Chinatown Wars' single player experience is compelling and boasts an
impressive level of variety rarely seen in action titles these days;
some missions utilize the DS' unique hardware in riveting ways,
producing an experience only the DS could provide. You'll be shooting
down rival gangs, winning races, protecting hospital patients from
heart failure and more -- all the while completing enjoyable mini-games
on the bottom screen. Despite the enormous waves of skepticism
surrounding Leeds' decision to include mini-games (often associated
with casual shovelware) in a Grand Theft Auto game, they work very well
for the most part.
Chinatown Wars also boasts a "pharmaceutical"-oriented economy. Players
can still massacre gangs, complete missions, etc for cash, but the most
efficient method of earning dough is by trading drugs. Drug dealers are
scattered around the city; desperate drug traffickers will pay more for
drugs than your average junkie, so buying from the well-stocked and
selling to the poor (in spirit) nets players a ton of money. It is a
nice addition to an already fantastic game.
In fact, Chinatown Wars' design is so incredible that there's far too
much to do and see in a mere 10-20 hours. The story mode doesn't last
very long (although you can go back and complete your favorite missions
at any time you choose), but the enormous world, wide variety of
vehicles and weapons, and variety of game options ensures Chinatown
Wars will last players a long, long time. It literally feels like a
giant playground in the palm of your hand -- who wouldn't want to take
advantage of such a treat?
The cop AI is noticeably lenient, which is a good or bad thing
depending on your taste -- crashing into cars or bumping a cop never
gets them riled enough to initiate a chase. They will notice if you are
in the process of grand theft auto, crash into them hard, are in the
middle of a drug deal or are killing pedestrians/gangs. If they notice
too much, in fact, there will be cops on every street corner in Liberty
City with vans, choppers, barricades, etc. -- fortunately, the method
of lowering your wanted level (obliterating cop cars by making them
crash) is nothing short of fantastic.
The sexy presentation is yet another stunning victory for Leeds. The
PDA (START) is home to a wealth of options, including many different
gameplay options and settings to customize the experience and mold it
around the player's personal preferences. There's also a helpful
brightness setting to help out players who may be playing on an
original DS, which does not have the same advantages as the DS Lite.
Chinatown Wars also has auto-saving, a rare occurrence on the platform.
Every aspect in the entire package works so harmoniously and is so
finely tuned that, frankly, it is overwhelming to attempt to describe
it in words. All you need know is that Chinatown Wars is an incredibly
piece of software, portable or not. This will not only be one of the
year's best, but one of the finest titles on the DS.
