Review: ‘Grand Theft Auto’ debuts on iPhone
You’d think the iPhone debut of one of the world’s biggest video game franchises in history – Grand Theft Auto – would arrive with more of a bang, but the folks at Rockstar Games quietly dropped this gem into the iTunes App Store last week. So, how does it fare?
While not a flawless adventure, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars ($9.99, rated “Mature”) is a competent port of last year’s impressive Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable versions.
Developed by Rockstar Leeds for iPhone and iPod Touch, Chinatown Wars stars Huang Lee, a wisecracking rich kid out to avenge the murder of his mob-boss father and retain control of the Hong Kong Triad in Liberty City. This includes taking out rival gangs (with more than 20 different weapons), hijacking and destroying vehicles, evading the cops and attempting to retrieve a stolen family heirloom.
Similar to the original GTA games from the late 1990s, the action is seen from an eagle-eye perspective, so the vehicles look like Matchbox cars and on-foot fighting scenes aren’t too graphic because of the cartoon-like visuals. Still, it’s a blast.
The 188-megabyte download takes advantage of the iPhone and iPod Touch’s strengths, such as enhanced graphics on the 480×320 screen, and a touch interface that lets you use your fingertip to access your PDA, tap waypoints on your GPS, flick through emails or set a timer on a bomb. If you want to bypass a cut-scene, simply press and hold on the screen.
But this same touch interface might frustrate gamers in missions that require quicker dexterity, such as evading or chasing enemies on foot or while behind the wheel. The “virtual” (onscreen) analog stick and action buttons take some getting used to, and aren’t always responsive, and are therefore not as effective as the real buttons on the Nintendo DS or PSP.
Another downside: Chinatown Wars on the iPhone and iPod Touch lacks the head-to-head and co-op multiplayer modes offered on the Nintendo and Sony portable platforms.
That said, this version does offer a heroin-dealing side game (hint: buy low, sell high), more than 100 minutes of music spread between the five in-game radio stations (plus you can import your own tunes from your iPhone or iPod Touch) and, as with the other versions of the game, it’s possible to replay any of the completed missions by visiting the corkboard in your apartment.
For $10, fans of GTA games can’t go wrong with this pocket-sized adventure. Despite some finicky controls and no multiplayer, it’s well worth the price of admission. In fact, it’s the first “must-own” app of 2010 for mature players.
Here’s a look at the GTA Chinatown Wars iPhone trailer:
Sync readers, have you played the game yet? What are your thoughts on its pros and cons?
dude… this is old news.
Dizzle, it doesn’t matter how old it is, when you can play GTA on the iPhone, that is a good day. This game rocks, and makes it worth the price of the iPhone alone.
And funny how this is considered “old news” when it just came out last week…lol…that, and I wanted to play the game for a few days before I reviewed it…!
Marc