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GTA: Liberty and Vice City Stories may be coming to PlayStation Store

by Andrew Yoon { Feb 12th 2009 at 1:30PM }

Rockstar's two PSP Grand Theft Auto games, Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories, may be getting a re-release over the PlayStation Store according to a newsletter sent by SCEE. The original games sold over a million copies each and told new stories in the locales of the classic PS2 games.

A digital re-release of these UMD games is quite enticing, especially as it should alleviate the games' most glaring flaws: lengthy load times. Downloading the game directly to Memory Stick will undoubtedly make these PSP games more accessible and palatable.

[Via PlayStation LifeStyle]

GTA Chinatown Wars features Wi-Fi connection, but offline multiplayer

by Andrew Yoon { Feb 9th 2009 at 6:33PM }

There appears to be some confusion over what multiplayer options will be included in the upcoming Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. The DS game will feature support for Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, but the connectivity does not expand to multiplayer.

Instead, multiplayer is limited to local system play. A flyer from New York Comic Con (via GoNintendo) shows the game will include competitive and cooperative modes -- although no other details were revealed.

While Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection won't be used for multiplayer, it will allow players to communicate and interact with their friends. For example, you'll be able to share favorite locations, chat live through in-game instant messaging, and trade in-game items. Stats can also be uploaded to Rockstar's Social Club site. Through the Social Club, Rockstar is promising "special contests, events, and promotions," although what those will entail is still unclear at this moment.

NYCC 09: GTA Chinatown Wars hands-on

by Andrew Yoon { Feb 6th 2009 at 5:45PM }

Grand Theft Auto's jump into the current generation of home consoles introduced a new level of depth, realism and maturity into the franchise. While Niko's story was compelling, it lacked a certain je ne sais quoi that series regulars expect. In lieu of zany over-the-top comedy, there was drama; in lieu of arcade action was a refined cover and aiming system.

These changes certainly progressed the series further, but it's hard not to miss the classic action found in earlier GTA games. Chinatown Wars, Rockstar's first real foray into DS development, is the perfect opportunity to revisit the arcade trimmings of the classic PS1/2 era of the games. Chinatown Wars is, at its best, a perfect blend of old-school gameplay with modern design philosophies.

The notion of old meets new is immediately apparent from the visuals. Screenshots don't do the game justice. The graphics are quite impressive, with full 3D models, an incredible amount of texture variety, and a very steady framerate. Of course it comes nowhere close to the fidelity of the PSP games, but the team at Rockstar Leeds has created a sharp, clean look that works within the limitations of the DS hardware.

Gallery: GTA: Chinatown Wars (DS)

Continued →

Analyst: Chinatown Wars a test for both Take-Two, Nintendo

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 29th 2009 at 10:00PM }

Analyst Dough Creutz of Cowen Group believes GTA: Chinatown Wars is as much a test for Take-Two as it is for Nintendo. Gamasutra reports on Creutz's bullish investor note, where he expresses that the title will reveal Take-Two's "ability to make inroads" on Nintendo's platforms.

On the flip side, he expresses that Nintendo wants Chinatown Wars to succeed because it appeals to core gamers, whom Creutz apparently thinks Nintendo still gives a Yoshi's turd about.

GTA: Chinatown Wars drug dealing minigame explained ... a little

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 26th 2009 at 8:56PM }

We're well aware that there's a drug-dealing component to GTA: Chinatown Wars, but the details on it have been a little lacking -- this post won't help much. MTV Multiplayer learned that players may want to sell drugs in Chinatown Wars because cash from missions won't dramatically increase in payout, unlike other GTA titles. Selling drugs is apparently one way to increase cash flow.

According to Rockstar, locations for deals are plentiful and won't detract from the action in the game. The drug economy is also affected by destruction of CCTV cameras. The more you break, the less valuable the drugs become (yes, less, it seems counter-intuitive). No word yet if Rockstar plans to have drug prices in the game reflect current standard market rates.

DS Daily: World mapping

by JC Fletcher { Jan 25th 2009 at 10:30AM }

Rockstar revealed a small, but really cool-sounding detail of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars' Wi-Fi play: collaborative map marking. Players can connect via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and share waypoints on one another's maps, marking mission locations, hidden items, awesome jumps, or whatever. The game even draws a path to those locations!

While this may seem like a minor tweak to GTA's gameplay, it certainly streamlines the experience of finding stuff in a large city -- and it could even encourage friends to explore different areas of the city and share their discoveries. Does the inclusion of new, unexpectedly well-thought-out collaborative features like this affect what you think about Chinatown Wars? Does it make you feel like the game may be more than an attempt to shoehorn GTA into the DS?

Gallery: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

New Wi-Fi mode revealed for Chinatown Wars

by Chris Greenhough { Jan 24th 2009 at 1:00PM }

Rockstar is remaining mostly tight-lipped about the Wi-Fi modes in Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, but Stephen Totilo used ~~tickling~~ the fact that he is Stephen Totilo to lure an interesting tidbit from the developer.

By swapping Friend Codes (yes, they're present), players will be able to send mapped waypoints to one another via the sorcery that is Nintendo Wi-Fi. This is executed using the miniature map that appears on the touchscreen, and works very much like the satellite navigation tech you may have in your car. By tapping on a location on your map, the game draws the shortest route to that point. You can then transmit that data to a buddy.

The idea here is that players will work collaboratively, helping each other to uncover hidden items, complete missions, and generally find their way around the very large Liberty City. This may turn out to be only one small part of Chinatown Wars' Wi-Fi play, but it's still really nifty!

Gallery: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Lost, Damned, and caught on video

by Ross Miller { Jan 23rd 2009 at 7:54PM }

Meet Billy, he's lost. Meet Malc, he's probably lost too. Possibly damned, we don't know for sure. Together, they make for one zany couple. Wonder what kind of hi-jinx they like to get into? See for yourself after break.

Gallery: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned DLC

Continued →

Licensed music, multiplayer modes in Chinatown Wars

by Chris Greenhough { Jan 22nd 2009 at 1:45PM }

Keeping track of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars has proven hellish, if only because there is so much to the game. Fortunately, we picked up some chunks of new information from Stephen Totilo's excellent write-up, so we're going to try and glue these disparate pieces into a coherent post.

Firstly, one of the more fundamental changes to the 3D GTA formula is found in the police system. As in the home console and PSP games, your "Wanted" level wavers depending on how much crime you wreak, but here, escaping the police is not an option. Instead, you'll have to wreck a certain number of police cars before your Wanted meter falls.

When you're not steering the authorities into buildings, you'll be able to take in the same slow-motion stunt jumps and 24-hour day/night cycle that were in other GTA games, and Totilo confirmed the presence of licensed music, minus the vocals; for what it's worth, one Rockstar rep described the soundtrack as "familiar." Typically, there will also be in-jokes to appreciate, with several missions named after other games, such as "Pursuit Farce" and "Street of Rage."

Most excitingly, Chinatown Wars will have multiplayer modes. Aside from the online leaderboards we already know about? We're not sure, but we look forward to finding out!

Gallery: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars preview-splosion

by Ross Miller { Jan 20th 2009 at 6:08PM }

In case you haven't noticed, there's been a glut of previews today for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. Fortunately, GTAGaming.com has collated all of them and provides selected highlights. The isometric view will be joined by a steady 30 frames per second, weather effects and day / night cycles. As for the soundtrack -- a franchise staple -- there are some instrumentals of licensed songs, but nothing to write home about. It also doesn't seem to shy away from the F-bomb, according to IGN.

The wanted level is handled very differently. While you still need to outrun the cops, you're now also required to send a few cops shuffling off the mortal before you'll lose a star. And yes folks, piloting a helicopter makes a very welcome return.

Rockstar: No GTA IV follow-up coming before holidays '09

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Jan 19th 2009 at 2:26PM }

Though work continues on the upcoming expansion, The Lost and Damned, Rockstar has rubbished claims that a full-on follow-up to Grand Theft Auto IV is planned for release by the end of 2009. The rumor, which had its origin in the latest issue of Game Informer, suggested that Rockstar North was already preparing a new crime caper separate from the two DLC episodes headed to Xbox 360.

Speaking to Kotaku, a Rockstar rep insisted that there was "no truth" to the reports, relegating the whole thing to the realms of wishful thinking. With the second episode of downloadable content scheduled to arrive towards the end of the year, we're much more likely to see a bonus-packed "Game of the Year" re-release of GTA IV. We're sure somebody gave it a Game of the Year award.

Chinatown Wars 'complete,' Rockstar makes with the deets

by Chris Greenhough { Jan 19th 2009 at 1:00PM }

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is well on course to make its March 17th release in North America, with Rockstar revealing to Edge that the game is complete. Edge saw this as a neat opportunity to write another preview of the game, spilling more delicious details into our gaping, GTA-loving maws.

Most of the new information focuses on the PDA belonging to protagonist Huang Lee, essentially a direct substitute for the cellphone used by Niko in Grand Theft Auto IV. From here, you'll be able to view sat-nav minimaps of Liberty City, look at the main map, select weapons, and receive emails. You'll also be able to order weapons from Ammu-nation, which now delivers weapons straight to your safehouse.

Speaking of which, your safehouse in Chinatown Wars is more fleshed-out than ever before, giving you somewhere to show off trophies (awarded, we assume, for completing missions). It also features a whiteboard with pictures of all your contacts -- tapping these lets you access missions. Excellently, these can be replayed, and your best performances uploaded to the game's online leaderboards.

Finally, one of the few concerns we had about the game, the ease of combat, has been thoughtfully addressed. Muzzle flare and tracer lines are both used to make things a little clearer in the heat of battle, and the exact trajectory of grenades is depicted with a green arc on the top screen. All of which sounds great -- we just hope you're old enough to play it!

Gallery: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

[Via videogaming247]

Rumor: Rockstar North prepping new GTA for holiday 2009

by Jason Dobson { Jan 15th 2009 at 10:55PM }

A sequel to a successful franchise, surely you jest!? Still, as much as another game being made in the Grand Theft Auto series is a no-brainer, if gossip found in the latest issue of Game Informer is to be believed, the inevitable follow up could be coming sooner than expected. The rumor mongers at GI write that Rockstar North is "already working" on the next GTA, with the game expected to light up cash registers during holiday 2009.

The magazine describes the as-yet-unannounced title as a "full retail game," rather than simply new DLC or a compilation of previously released downloadables. Still, juicy as this is, we can't help but find this rumor somewhat difficult to swallow given that nothing about the project has been so much as whispered before now. However, if true, it seems likely that the game would follow previous releases and adopt a subtitle similar to GTA: San Andreas or Vice City. How about Sesame Street? What's the hooker situation like over there?

Update: Rockstar denial.

Chinatown Wars receives '18' rating in UK

by Chris Greenhough { Jan 9th 2009 at 3:15PM }

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars has been granted an "18" certificate in Britain by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification, and no, we don't understand that, either).

Huge surprise, right? Well, no. We already know about the drug-dealing subgame, and any GTA game receiving a restrictive age rating is hardly news. But then Chinatown Wars is also the first DS title in the UK to receive such a classification, a landmark that is worth recording. Incidentally, no DS title has yet obtained an "Adults Only" rating from the ESRB (indeed, only six have been rated "M" -- C.O.R.E., theresia, Ultimate Mortal Kombat, Dementium, Touch the Dead, and Resident Evil: Deadly Silence); could Chinatown Wars be the first?

Also of interest: the BBFC's listing for the game reveals that the title contains 168 minutes of in-game cut-scenes. Wow!

Gallery: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

[Via MCV]

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars 'far bigger' than PSP installments

by Randy Nelson { Dec 23rd 2008 at 8:45PM }

http://www.joystiq.com/media/2008/12/gta.chinatown.war.box.jpg

Speaking to Nintendo Power, the developer of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Rockstar Leeds, revealed that while the game may be on the small screen, its scope is anything but diminutive. Studio president Gordon Hall uses the two PSP Grand Theft Auto games – which it developed – for comparison, saying "this game is far bigger."

According to Hall, Chinatown Wars outclasses the PSP games with "more odd jobs, deeper missions, and more moments of over-the-top action," adding that it features "huge interaction with the Rockstar Social Club [and] a massive [narcotics trafficking] game that would stand alone on its own." Game? Surely he means a motivational tool.

[Via DS Fanboy]

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