- GTA: Chinatown Wars was made for the Nintendo DS, overcoming hardware limitations with creative solutions like cell-shaded graphics and a top-down camera.
- The game’s mechanics, like touchscreen quick-time events and aligned vehicle handling, kept gameplay fun despite the weaker platform.
- Though the story was lacking, Chinatown Wars honored earlier GTA games with its style and gameplay, making it a fitting tribute to the series.
Rockstar has become a behemoth over the years, but starting, they were like any other game company in the nineties. Over the years, their games have garnered massive success, taking the company away from its timid roots.
Today, we will talk about GTA China Town Wars, a game made by Rockstar to pay homage to their developmental years.
GTA Chinatown Wars
Rockstar initially created this game to be played on Nintendo’s handheld console, the Nintendo DS. The limitations that came with this small form factor and low performance were something that the team had to work around, which they did by various methods.
The game was reviewed very favorably at the time of release, but it had low sales numbers. The DS had a different customer base than the GTA games. However, this game was later ported to the PSP to increase sales.
The Graphics
As mentioned previously, the Nintendo DS’s limited performance also prevented Rockstar from using its traditional Renderware engine, which it used with all the other GTA games. They had to be creative and use cell-shaded graphics in conjunction with a top-down camera.
This perspective was borrowed from the first few GTA games, which were also ported to handheld consoles.
In addition to these stylistic choices, the cut scenes of this game were in a comic book format, with no spoken dialogue. Rockstar had thought of the use cases in which this game would be played, and they decided on text to convey the information in its story sequences.
This seemed like an homage to the original GTA games, which used very weak hardware to display the best that the studio could put out. The top-down camera harkened back to a simpler time for the series while integrating well with the gameplay.
Gameplay
Even though this game was made for a much weaker console, the gameplay did not suffer because of that. The driving felt great, the shooting was passable, and fun, quick-time events were sprinkled throughout.
In some cases, the QTEs took full advantage of the console’s touchscreen, using swipes to execute actions. This involved hotwiring cars, customizing guns, repairing items, etc.
Having played the Android port of this game, I think the gameplay is very fun. The quality-of-life features they’ve implemented, like the vehicles aligning to the roads, are very clever ways to solve the clunkiness that comes with top-down driving.
There are still improvements that could have been made, like the camera freaking out sometimes, but as far as 2009 DS games go, Rockstar knocked it out of the park with this game.
Story And Messaging
The GTA Chinatown Wars story is the game’s most disappointing part. It’s still not bad, but it is a slog (In my opinion, of course).
Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars follows the story of Huang Lee, a young member of the Triad criminal organization, who travels to Liberty City after his father is murdered. Huang is tasked with delivering a valuable family heirloom, a sword called the Yu Jian, to his uncle Kenny to secure his family’s honor.
However, after being ambushed and left for dead, Huang embarks on a mission to recover the sword, uncover his father’s killer, and restore his family’s power, all while navigating the dangerous underworld of Liberty City.
This game’s messaging revolves around themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the pursuit of power in a corrupt criminal world. Like all other GTA games, it is a parody but with some serious undertones.
Paying Tribute
GTA: Chinatown Wars is a homage to the entire GTA series up to its release, blending the top-down chaos of GTA 1 and 2 with the storytelling and immersive world-building of GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas.
It also incorporates gameplay innovations from Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories, offering a mix of nostalgia and modern mechanics. This creates a fitting tribute to the series, celebrating its evolution while staying true to its roots.
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Dayan Shahid is a skilled mechanical engineer passionate about technology. With certifications in various programming languages and subjects ranging from microcontrollers to aerial robotics, Dayan can effortlessly present complex technical topics in an engaging way. His ability to bridge the gap between theory and practical applications sets him apart as he continues to inspire others through their insightful content.
