What GTA: Chinatown Wars Looks Like On The PSP

The protagonist in this game looks like the dragon from Bone:

bluecat2095

Not going to happen. I'd have bought it if they'd gone for the normal GTA camera

WHAT THE DUCK...What hapenned to the regular psp gta look..

@WaR_HaWk: I must admit, I came into this story just to lol at this comment.

@greenwald3132: thats expensive.

@jayislost: I actually prefer the look of the game on the DS. Higher res textures and better lighting don't do it for me; the DS version had a pretty unique look that isn't properly replicated in the PSP version from what I can tell so far.

gold163 BLOOD HEAT

I wish it was a cell shaded TPS

Desi_Otaku

@Para: I consider it the best DS game I've played, period.

Lol nice looks like they put some actual effort into this one. The DS version was "o-k" but it feels like they didn't really try and make it have good graphics. The DS is about as powerful as an N64 and the graphics for it looked much worse than PS1 could even handle.

who cares, wheres gta 5

anduin1

@Ryan Meehan: it's even better than the original GTA.
Well, in the original, the camera always points north. In Chinatown Wars, it aims in front of you when you get into a car.
And this one has full 3D graphics, compared to the DS version where many things were just 2D sprites, and GTA1 where everything (except the 3D buildings) were 2D sprites.

YayMii

@WaR_HaWk: There is so much not right with you.

@jrhawk42: Button presses. The PSP will probably combine analog stick with some buttons.

YayMii

@Tyr4nt: well i cant say its marketed to mom and kids only given the fact there are young adults and teenagers that play DS. I think advertisers target moms and kids cause they need some pressure to buy stuff like the DS where as gamers just sorta go out and buy it. Of course GTA:CTW had the issue of piracy which probably hurt its sales the most.

even though I own the DS version I might be picking this up also since one of my complaints was the DS's screen size for this game.

Still how are they going to do all the cool touch screen stuff?

@chamoo232: Indeed. GTA 1 had voice acting, so it would be nice to see it in the handheld versions, now that technology has advanced as far as it has.

dd528

Wow looks a lot better. But how will the mini-games transfer over.. gonna be weird without a stylus. Higher res itself makes game looks much cleaner.

Nickj360

@Tyr4nt: I can only speak for myself, but honestly I sell Imagine games the most. Pretty scary.

Peffse

@NeoStarr HD: Yeah, I was hoping to see that at least in GTA4 D:

Also, ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING!

danieltolin

@Thorax: Dude, i just fucking snorted reading that. You win.

@RyuuzakiBjorn: "Word," indeed, canine.

@NeoStarr HD: My thoughts exactly. It's great that the game looks better but I want to know how it plays.

@MetalOverlord0001: I hope you realize that the touchscreen controls weren't used for anything besides weapon selection and menu navigation. The camera wasn't controllable. I'm sad to say that a PSP version would be much more graceful given the analog stick. Pointing Huang in the direction you wanted him to fire was a chore if the enemy was diagonal from you.

orijimi

@pandafresh: GTA game that got 10\10 scores too. if it was a crappy game with a big name it would make sence that it didnt sold much but the game is good. the DS is just not the place to make a GTA game. I would be surprised to see another GTA made on the DS after this.

chamoo232

@gold163 BLOOD HEAT: the game was planned to be for DS only but since it didnt sold even half what they expected they decided to port ot to the PSP since both psp GTA were success. by porting it to a more powerfull console it allow them to make the grafics better and add new stuff to make it worth it.

chamoo232

@NeoStarr HD: yes but its still better.

chamoo232

@katsujinken: voice acting would be great too instead of just pictures with text for cutscenes.

chamoo232

I've completed it on DS (except the extra missions).

I don't think I'd want to play it again though, though it might feel less crampt on the PSP, it wasn't that bad on DS at all.

Hrm.

melonpans

@Strife Fox †: There was only one mission that you were in a helicopter but you could not control it. You just threw Molotovs at some enemy gang members in Happiness Island.

Brav1

@NeoStarr HD: Comment of the Week right here.

The only question I have about this version is whether it will have full licensed audio tracks on the radio stations or just looped beats like the DS version.

@Para: Agreed but look at the demographic its being marketed to: moms and kids. I mean I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that the main game being played on the DS is still pokemon.

Tyr4nt

@CharlesNelsonReilly: I don't think it looks half bad actually.

It's like the original GTA. I like it.

Ryan Meehan

@K1NG EV1L: Hmmm... considering Chinatown Wars is a more fun game than either of the current PSP games....

well, looks good, but wouldnt be worth 40 bucks

heromoua

@CaptJapan: psst, the DS cannot handle those games, sorry. The DS has its strengths but graphics and game size are not one of them.

Its a shame that GTA:CTW did poorly in terms of sales on the DS given the huge consumer base on the DS. GTA:CTW is arguably one of the best games on the DS out right now.

@[bit.ly]

greenwald3132

@beril: I didn't think it was so much the perspective as it was the control scheme overhaul that did the work when GTA3 came out. Chinatown Wars not being as big a success as the rest of the GTAs might've been because the timing of its release wasn't ripe enough.

And WaR_HaWk, the smartest person here could've been yourself, had you not misworded yourself so so badly. Hell, I'd word my major complaints about the GTA series in general much more carefully. Goddamn.

thatdamnprinny

@danieltolin: GOURANGA!

(seriously, get that the fuck back in the series)

NeoStarr HD

@Thorax: And then you step to the ri-ee-iii-eee-iii-eee-iiight!
(put your hands on your hips)
And bring your knees in tiii-eee-iiight!

NeoStarr HD

They've actually made it look more ugly.

CharlesNelsonReilly

@beril: yep, finally a smart person replied

@gold163 BLOOD HEAT: Well, pretty much every mission simply showcased a unique way to use the touchscreen, so I'm actually pretty skeptical about the PSP version.

NeoStarr HD

@pandafresh: Heh, "lazer dope".

NeoStarr HD

@ToastyUterus: So it's basically a darker DS version with bloom?

NeoStarr HD

it rather enjoy the slight wide screen look or a stretch of the original ds to the psp top down view. looks nice. not lets hope its not more than 20$

@MetalOverlord0001: lolwut?

It's not like the worldview appears on two screens or nothing. What's so specific about the DS that makes it more suitable?

NeoStarr HD

@anabbeynormality: umm, no, the graphics here are significantly better, the ds graphics are nice, but they are cellshaded, somewhat.

this game looks like it will be allowed to be alittle bit darker in some aspects, like a darker night, due to the fact it wont need the thick lines to define edges or curves.

the lighting is alot better, but in general i think the graphics in all aspects were upped, quite a bit.

@kearneybobs: Im not talking about the overall drug trading game. I'm talking about They promoted wifi and then everybody gets the game and we found out the only thing you can do is trade drugs with other people. I want pvsp online. We always get local play but why no online pvsp.

nikeforces

Something tells me that the perspective would have only worked on the DS. This just seems like a bother for the PSP.

@K1NG EV1L: it is, especially if there is no voice acting or other cinematic flourishes GTA is known for. But if they charged a reduced price then maybe its worth it. I'm not buying it otherwise

edit/ its a full 40 bucks ([bit.ly]). I won't buy it.

greenwald3132

So it's basically the DS version with bloom?

anabbeynormality

@Đipic: considering that GTA turned into a mega franchise when it went 3d I think it's pretty likely that the perspective played a big role in the sales when it went back to it's less popular roots.

beril

Thanks to everyone above who said what I was going to say, maybe now he understands.

@presto117: by behind the back you mean 3rd person, right? And how could you possibly believe it would look so much different from the original game?

Jean-François L'Her

@WaR_HaWk: Wow, you're an idiot. Or a troll. If the first two were such flops, where did they get the money to make 3?

@CaptJapan: I doubt this is possible, and if it was, it would look rubbish. I don't think Chinatown Wars's exclusivity, although temporary, looks like a middle finger to DS users. Besides, the game didn't sell on Nintendo's console. No one's fingering anyone, they're just trying to find the public for their game. It's not on DS. PSPs were shifted thanks to Liberty City/ Vice city stories years ago, so probably those who would buy such games would be PSP gamers.

Jean-François L'Her

@WaR_HaWk: /facepalm

@TaggarT6: IIRC, they're going to add some exclusive missions, but I doubt it'll expand the story that much. Even if it did it would require a lot more then a few mission to fix that wreck of a story.

omyard

It's still top down? That's etremely disappointing. We know they can do better than that, but they still insist on it. That's really upsetting, honestly.

@Crash McCloud: You can't just make a game 3D. You're taking a 2D top down game and making it 3D. At that point what you're doing is creating an almost entirely new game. Most of the assets created can't be reused.

The reason this is coming to the PSP is because it bombed on the DS and Rockstar is looking for a cheap way to hopefully make back their money on it. Not reinvest the time and money to create a full 3D version.

omyard

@pandafresh: Word.

so when are they porting liberty city and vice city stories to the ds?
or is this just more of a big middle finger to ds owners?

CaptJapan

@pandafresh: They could have taken the engine from the previous games, took the geometry from the DS game, scaled it, changed the characters and missions. Voila! Chinatown Wars in a way people would actually buy it.

This is looking like they fully 3D-ized GTA2.

Which could actually be a good thing if they can pull it off. Not holding my breath until we know how they transferred the minigames though...

@WaR_HaWk: Did you play them on the PS1? No wonder...

@krishna830: in the first week, i think GTA CW sold 50k, which is pretty crappy for a GTA game.

pandafresh

@PuppyGuarder: Yea. Level 3's graphics seem particularly tightened...

@Southrncomfortjm: LCS and VCS don't run slow at all on the psp....

pandafresh

@pandafresh: didn't it sell like 40,000 only?

man, this always happen. I buy a game on a nintendo product, only to see it get ported to a better, more powerful console. The sad thing about this, is I never get around to play much of the titles on the Nintendo products, b/c they are usually the gimp of the family...

damn, i just sold m chinatown wars for DS cause i thought this version would be behind the back. oh well, i might repurchase this, but after playing liberty city stories for a month now, i don't think i could go back to this, but at least the graphics are good.

presto117

I still need to play it on the DS...! Good though to see that they tightened up the graphics a little bit.

ShaSt One

Doesn't this make the DS version completely pointless? It's enough to convince me against buying the DS version. But I still might get both just 'cause I can. :P

gold163 BLOOD HEAT

@ThreeOneFive: San Andreas is still my fav. GTA, despite the fact i love the NYC architecture. If a SAS comes out, i'd say it'd be towards the end of the PSPS life span..which is maybe 2 years from now?

pandafresh

@Crash McCloud: well CTW is 3d...but no...to make it behind the back, its awhole new game, shooting, driving, walking, everything would need to be re-done.

pandafresh

@RockyRan: Sub-par sales. I keep hearing this and I can only assume people are dropping the '...for a Grand Theft Auto game' context. Because the only way that GTA:CW was a sales disappointment would be with that qualifier. Current estimates put it at having sold 670,000 copies and like many DS games is on a slow burn with the long tail.

As an 'M' rated title on a platform that generally doesn't target that specific demographic, it's doing pretty damn good. Yeah, it only shifted 89,000 copies in it's first month...but it shifted 75,000 in its second month. There was no sudden drop-off, like with many blockbusters. Combine that with a really bad economy and it's doing just fine. It's no Mario Kart, but Rockstar made money on it.

WizarDru

@smokeybones: i liked jacking the cars with the touchscreen, the gas station was fun, i didn't care for throwing grenades or buying lotto tickets with it though.

Im looking forward to this psp version, i think its $30 too, hopefully gamestop gets a cool pre-order bonus (hopefully not in game)

pandafresh

@Archaotic: How are they being hesitant? What you couldn't wait a week after it's announcement? Many times you have to wait longer.

@Ur-Lord-Crypy: GTA2 was my fav GTA game BY FAR. This excites me for this reason.

@WaR_HaWk: They were fun, but the controls were terrible.

@Daniel @ playreadwrite.blogspot.com: Not as funny.

@WaR_HaWk: I thought I came across some real stoopid this week, but YOU'RE WINNER !

SexeiAlexy

@nikeforces: it's dumb....you domey!!!;)
There was always the temptation to spam the drug trading aspect of that game up to the point that it almost broke the game for me. But it isn't just about drug trading. A lot more to chinatown wars, and most people who have played it on the DS will agree with that.

kearneybobs

@K1NG EV1L: You should play the game before making that judgement. The DS version is amazing. Besides, the "stories" games were just okay.

@Thorax: yea, i'd say hope to left, this game is just as fun ( i own all 3) its just top down instead behind thee back

pandafresh

@WaR_HaWk: Flops? Two of the best games of their time and still really good today, maybe but not flops.

Dave Strife

@K1NG EV1L: you obviously haven't played chinatown wars have you then....

kearneybobs

looks lazer dope, will play through again, will pay again.

pandafresh

@WizarDru: when other GTA games sell way more in the millions, including LCS and VCS on the PSP, yea, 500K is underperforming.

pandafresh

@Crash McCloud: No, that would be making a whole new game. I don't think you understand this..

@Thorax: More than a half-million in sales is poor, these days?

WizarDru

@Crash McCloud: But with the effort required to redesign the game to be like that, they may as well make a new game.

SexeiAlexy

looks awesome

@Thorax: No. Although I was hoping this wouldn't come as it really deserved to do well.

SexeiAlexy

@Ur-Lord-Crypy:

Or when it didn't take itself so seriously...oh wait IV.

Well then, nevermind.

Rachel Fogg

@Mihos: Snow White?

@WaR_HaWk: They flopped so hard they kept making sequels?

@Showmeyomoves!: What's a PSP?

@WaR_HaWk: This comment is hilarious

@K1NG EV1L: Or just a hop to the left.

@beril: Really? How can you determine that the poor sales were due to the art style as opposed to perhaps the platform it came out on or a million other possible factors?

I nominate this for a close second...

Am I the only one who saw this coming after the poor sales of the DS version?

You know, I don't think I'd get it for the PSP simply because it was originally designed for the DS.

I'm willing to bet that the only reason they're porting is because a franchise such as GTA didn't sell as well as they expected on the DS.

Wouldn't be surprised if this eventually made its way to the PS2 even...

... a striking resemblance to Will Smith, yet not exactly.

sevaeLdaeD

@thesircuddles: Worst or most inane, it gets my vote.

@WaR_HaWk: That sold millions of copies. Damn, I need to make me some flops like those.

@Showmeyomoves!: they werent classics, they were flops

@Strife Fox †: Unless you hacked the game, no. And the helicopter controls seemed lame.

@Mihos:

Like Jessey McCartney?

@WaR_HaWk: so just because i dont like topdown GTA means that i have no taste? and sorry i meant top down not 2D .
i did play GTA 1/2 and they sucked.

damn Rockstar! ppl want to go back to school and learn their terms and shit. i'mma go do dat.

THEMISSING

@Ur-Lord-Crypy: Haiku, yer doin it wrong.

PissedPS3Fan

After making liberty city stories and vice city stories this is like a huge step backwards.

K1NG EV1L

@Daniel @ playreadwrite.blogspot.com:

I agree. The story had promise, but ultimately fell short.

DePaulBlueDemon

why no animated filter?

@Archaotic: Why does porting have to have a direction? Is it different than porting it down?

@Strife Fox †: in the DS version, no

@WaR_HaWk: Play the game, it's a blast! 3D was not necessary for this version.

@RockyRan: Tons of people have this game. They just didn't pay for it.

@philsebben: I am playing it right now also. I think the touch screen parts are very well done. They will be sorely missed in the PSP version. They may revamp them, but it just won't be the same. Got any Coke?

@Ur-Lord-Crypy: Actually, it was fun running over random people back then.

@thesircuddles: Not really because they would be making the same game just making it 3D

Lol, in picture #4 he has 31 new e-mails.

wow that looks sick. I think I just stopped playing it on DS to wait for the PSP version. I'd gladly drop the touch screen garbage they are trying to pull in the DS version as well. Note to developers, just because you can, doesn't mean you have to.

TylDurden

@cheesecake000: I would cream myself for a portable version of San Andreas.

Did the original have the ability to fly Helicopters?

Strife Fox †

@Ur-Lord-Crypy: Yeah, it was running over lines of Hare Krishnas and Elvis impersonators :D

DAAAAMNATION! No donation, NO SALVATION!

danieltolin

@Showmeyomoves!: You are my hero!

Cheeseloops

@WaR_HaWk: Speak for yourself.

Svend Joscelyne

@Ur-Lord-Crypy: Umm. Neither is ANY GTA game for a lot of us. You think I paid $60 each for III, Vice City, San Andreas, and IV just to do the same thing over and over?

Will we ever see wifi in this title casue thats the only reason i'd buy it if had true wifi and not some dome drug trading game

nikeforces

Wow, that looks damn good. I love playing the DS version, but it looks awful, especially when put beside these screens.

@philsebben: I was really surprised by how flawlessly all those touchscreen parts were implemented. I thought it would get so terribly gimmicky after a while but sticking through to the end of the game showed how little they get in the way and how much they actually add to the experience in varying the gameplay and such. I wrote a review on my blog. If you bother head over there and comment when you finish up the game.

@(Zombie) Neteher: You really don't need the voice acting. In fact you need the option to auto-skip the cutscenes and stuff. Don't get me wrong the gameplay and missions were fun, but the story and characters were a waste.

@cheesecake000: That's what I was wondering! I'd much rather have San Andreas stories than a Chinatown Wars port. It was great on the DS, it doesn't need the port :(

Woot! I was hoping this was the direction it was going.

@WaR_HaWk: Damn, dude. Promoted just to be featured in ridicule on all sides. I feel for ya.

I loved it on DS and might have to rebuy it on PSP. I kind of hope a high res one comes to XBLA and PSN.

Jump4816

I didn't like Chinatown wars at all. It had that whole feeling like when an old Disney chick gets naked to show how grown up and edgey she is now.

Mihos

@Ur-Lord-Crypy: I guess you don't know much about GTA. That's all I would ever do in any GTA game ever. Name your number.

@WaR_HaWk: Reeks of troll, amirite?

@Ur-Lord-Crypy:

Yeah and only a small group of people liked the original Pre-III GTA games.

MooglesInMyFace

Funny seeing people whine,
When this is how GTA first started. It wasnt killing hookers and running over random people.

Ur-Lord-Crypy

They need to confirm voice acting, and I will get the game once again /hopes

Anyway, the graphics look crisper than the DS version. It's a bit more colorful and the effects are better(take lighting for an example)

@Rowd: I didn't say they're not improving the game, just that they're porting it up. The Samurai Warriors games on 360 got ported up from the PS2 and they were improved.

@Crash McCloud: But then they wouldn't be 'changing this one up', they would be making an entirely new game.

@WaR_HaWk: HAHA man, you are wrong on so many levels

@Archaotic: " Just as I thought, it's a direct port-up from the DS version. No wonder they've been so hesitant to show it."

"The graphics are better than the DS version, sure, but it's still not a very good-looking game is what I'm saying."

HMMM.

Rowd

@thesircuddles: I'm just saying they could have made a completely new game out of it but kept a lot the same from the DS game.

@WaR_HaWk: GTA3 was your first GTA game, huh? You missed out on two classics then.

Showmeyomoves!

@Crash McCloud: Uh... game design is a bit more complicated than that. If they wanted to make it like the Stories games, they would have to remake the entire game.

@thesircuddles: Actually I think the sales of Chinatown suggest that it is true, sad as it may be (yes I know it's technicly 3d, but topdown usually qualifies as 2dgameplay regardless of graphics)

beril

@RockyRan: You act like CW was a bad game on the DS. It was getting perfect reviews out the wazoo, if I recall correctly. And it's not really "jumping ship" if the series was a PS-based franchise from the start (which it always has been). Just like the PSP games were bound to get ported to the PS2 at some point, it was almost a given that CW would find itself on the PSP eventually.

Rowd

I'm playing this on the DS right now, I gotta say its an awesome game overall. The psp version looks much cleaner, and I am sure it looks great with the screen. but will it make up for the loss of some of the sweet touch screen parts of the game.

@AEREC: The PSP has an anolog stick?

Showmeyomoves!

can i have my money back or trading the ds version for psp at retailers now?

Blitzgrilo

They had the first two GTA PSP games in full 3D, why couldn't they change this one up from it's DS port to be the same thing?

I'll be sticking to my DS copy.

@WaR_HaWk: That's the most 3D I've ever seen 2D graphics get... oh wait, that's because its 3D, just from a top down or 3/4th view.

@WaR_HaWk: I disagree. Anything 2D or 3D post Grand Theft Auto II has been pretty good. Chinatown Wars is actually one of my favorite GTA titles.

digipen89

@TaggarT6: You mean "weak" :P

Anyways, its highly doubtful the story will be tweaked at all. That kind of fundamental change to a game requires a lot more effort than devs normally put into ports.

@yourmom2161: The graphics are better than the DS version, sure, but it's still not a very good-looking game is what I'm saying.

I can't wait for this to get crappy reviews because it 'doesn't take full advantage of the power of the PSP' and because 'in the translation it lost the innovative touch controls.'

grantanamo

Is there going to be a San Andreas Stories D:

With the far greater power of the PSP, couldn't they have dropped the camera a little further behind our characters perspective to let us see more? There are/were far too many driving missions that got frustrating because of the limited viewing angle. This was forgiveable on the ds, but c'mon Rockstar!!!

This does look a lot better though. For those who didn't play it on the ds and own a PSP, I recommend this regarldess of crappy/old school camera placement, the world really comes to life when the game's in motion, a solid portable escape:)

GtheMVP99

@yourmom2161: I agree. It's still lower end but it looks A LOT better than what was on the DS. For the PSP it still looks a little pixelated but I see a definite improvement.

digipen89

@RockyRan: "Unfortunately, the game doesn't look too hot for a PSP title."

Matter of opinion really. All depends on what the gameplay is like. I'd probably prefer this game over the other two GTA games on the PSP simply because it looks like it will run better. Also reminds me, fondly, of the original GTA games.

@WaR_HaWk: I've seen people mistake colors, perspectives and stuff but dimensions? Seriously?

@WaR_HaWk:

Not true at all.

@yourmom2161: Somehow I don't think you'd be able to convince him that it looks better. But I agree, the visuals are definitely sharper and the effects look great.

@WaR_HaWk: I nominate this for worst comment of the week.

@WaR_HaWk: Where is this 2D that you see?

I remember when Chinatown Wars was touted by Nintendo as a flagship DS title, and even Reggie used it as an excuse when people complained about no core games on Nintendo platforms that E3.

My, how the times have changed :/ First the sub-par sales, then Rockstar jumping ship to the PSP. Unfortunately, the game doesn't look too hot for a PSP title. I wonder if they'll add something that's not possible on the DS to sweeten the deal. Otherwise, I fear the PSP version will suffer from lackluster sales too.

RockyRan

Do want. Another reason for me not to buy back my DS. Graphics look very nice =3

Looks just like the DS version, which I think is a good thing. It's a nice nod to the overhead/2-D origins of the series (GTA 1 & 2). If I didn't own the DS version, I'd gladly get this.

ANy word if the story will be expanded. I had a blast with china wars on the DS, but the story was kinda week.

hopefully the driving will be better since theres an analog stick now.

@Archaotic: Actually, the graphics look quite a bit better.

yourmom2161

wow, 2D? damn it Rockstar ppl want 3D GTA not 2D.

For the first time ever GTA might actually run at a decent frame rate, perhaps?

Just as I thought, it's a direct port-up from the DS version. No wonder they've been so hesitant to show it.

I suppose it was too much to ask to expect them to completely remake the game in the GTA3 style (they'd be better off just making an entirely new game at that point), but I don't know. Doesn't look too hot to me, to be entirely honest.

Huh. I kinda want to buy and play through this again, now. Looking good.