Apparently the highest rated DS game ever, Chinatown Wars is making it’s way over to the PSP on October 2oth. Receiving added graphic polish in terms of textures and lighting, the bulk of the features found on the DS will make the translation to the PSP.
What I don’t see making it, obviously, is all the touch screen elements that made the DS version so unique and innovative such as scratch tickets and dumpster diving. What I would really like to see is GTA: San Andreas make it to the PSP. Check out the debut trailer down below:
A few choice words come to mind when I think about the Nintendo DS. Those words are, in no particular order: Imaginative, innovative, and children. The DS has made a name for itself with its unique brand of gaming that cannot be found on other systems thanks to its touch screen and penchant for new ideas.
Having never really considered myself an actual adult, it’s easy for me to relate to DS games to find the good and bad in them from an open minded “manchild” like perspective.
The movie tie-in G.I.Joe: The Rise Of Cobra game is definitely geared towards a much younger crowd, but contains enough simple carnage to satisfy anyone looking to blow things up.
Storyline/Plot:
In direct correlation with this past summer’s blockbuster movie of the same name (I haven’t seen it), Cobra is bent on evil and world conquest and it’s up to the “Joe’s” to foil their dubious intentions. Simple as that the, story has to be the absolute worst part of the game. Boring as all hell dialog plagues the flow of the game and really detracts from the destruction. Due to the turtle like pacing of the dialog, you can’t help but grind your teeth as you try and hurry up the scrolling text as fast as you can so you can get on with the game. I can’t imagine even anyone younger finding the story presentation one bit compelling. Anyway enough about that. On to the better stuff.
Graphics:
I know I just said “on to the better stuff” but the graphics, unfortunately, are not that. Pixeled-out to the point of chunky, the top down view, while mildly effective in the gameplay department, is not at all flattering. Some of the effects are cool, but the graphics are just plain ugly. Let me try and find something nice to say about the graphics. They compliment the storyline? Nope. Okay, the gameplay is not totally marred by the graphical limitations. That’s positive right?
Sound:
Average at best. Gunfire and explosions are the stars of the show with little to no supporting cast. Background music is your stock action adventure fare with some mixed in dialog bleeps to let you know you should be looking at the bottom screen. The guns and explosions are not all that varied between characters but it the midst of battle it is often hard to gripe on that anyway.
Gameplay:
Playing G.I.Joe is a mixed bag. The controls are accurate and it’s easy to figure out what you’re doing, but you often get hung up on objects that surround the battlefield. From enemy cover to barbed wire fences and rock formations, getting stuck on these things is a regular occurrence. Not that it hampers gameplay entirely, but you might end up losing some lives because of it.
The leveling up of characters adds a nice bit of depth and the weapons are fun to use. As you level up you unlock different colored uniforms and upgraded weapons. I ended up using my stronger characters more often because the game got harder as it progressed and therefore making the weaker characters obsolete. Vehicles and fixed weapons are also a great feature that brings some immersion to the game and some of the vehicles are throwbacks from from the early days of G.I.Joe toys.
What could have added to the immersion level would have been the use of the touch screen. It goes largely under utilized and is only used to display the map and dialog boxes. Bomb setting and defusing, inventory management, weapon load outs, and dialog options are all easy ideas that would have made the game differ from say a GameBoy Advance game. It also makes no use of the DSi camera which could have also added some innovative ideas.
Multiplayer:
Offering a local only multiplayer scenario, I didn’t get the chance to play. Simply guessing I would think that this could be a fun way to play this game because you could negate the story entirely and skip straight to the core gameplay. It would have been nice if there was WiFi connectivity so you don’t have to actually know anyone else with the same game.
Replay Value:
The game itself is very point-A to point-B with each level requiring the same basic linear objectives, but you could play through it a couple times by leveling up different characters to mix it up a bit. If you can find someone to play multiplayer with I’m positive it would add some quality replay value to this game as well.
Final Endings:
Despite all the shortcomings I mentioned above, G.I.Joe: The Rise Of Cobra is actually a fun game. A mildly lengthy single player campaign coupled with some visceral action makes for some appealing gaming. The game would have received higher marks if it weren’t for the constant dialog interruptions and weak graphics.
In the end, The Rise Of Cobra is a game for those of you who like top-down shooters in the vein of the retro Ikari Warriors with some modern twists thrown in. Give it a shot if you are looking for some simple, destructive fun.
Pros:
Intuitive control scheme makes it easy to play
Mild depth
Decent replay value if you care about playing with different characters
Talk about lazy! The Blaze NDS Lite 3-in-1 Game Selector lets you switch between 3 different Nintendo DS games with the flick of a switch. It connects to your DS via a cable that plugs into the game cartridge slot and a green LED light indicates which game has been selected. What’s cool is that is attaches to the hood of the DS Lite making it all the more portable.
Though no pricing or availability has been announced, Rockstar has divulged that ‘GTA: ChinaTown Wars’ will be a downloadable game for the PSP Go. Promising new missions, ChinaTown Wars will be a technical downgrade for the PSP Go and I don’t think that the touch screen components from the DS will translate at all. After all, that was the best part of ChinaTown Wars. From scratch tickets to sifting through dumpsters for weapons and manually stealing cars, the game was truly designed for the DS. I don’t understand why we don’t see a San Andreas Stories on the PSP Go!
New York, NY – June 22, 2009 – Rockstar Games, the world-renowned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is pleased to announce that one of the highest-rated handheld games of all time, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, will be making its way to the PSP (PlayStationPortable) handheld entertainment system. Developed by the award-winning studio Rockstar Leeds, in conjunction with series creator Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be available at retail on UMD and digitally from the PlayStationNetwork in North America and Europe this fall.
“We’re proud to extend this truly unique handheld Grand Theft Auto experience to PSP and offer a downloadable version of Chinatown Wars for PSPgo,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “Rockstar Leeds has shown incredible talent in creating games that raise the bar in terms of depth and innovation on portables, and with Chinatown Wars we have a rich, fast-paced, and incredibly addictive entry into the series.”
“Rockstar’s work with the GTA series has been an enormous part of the success of PlayStation platforms,” said Jack Tretton, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America. “We’re excited to welcome the critically acclaimed Chinatown Wars to the outstanding line-up of great games headed to the PSP platform this fall.”
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars follows the story of Huang Lee, a young Triad who travels to Liberty City after the mysterious death of his father. Within the game, players will navigate their way through the streets as they uncover the truth behind an epic tale of crime and corruption within the Triad crime syndicate, delivering the unprecedented amount of depth that has become a true trademark of the franchise. Specifically built for the PSP platform with upscaled widescreen graphics, enhanced lighting and animation; and including all-new story missions; this version of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will take full advantage of the power of the PSP system.
Could this leaked snapshot be the new Nintendo DS screen? Rumors surfaced, as we had reported, that Nintendo DS will be getting an update. If this is the real thing expect the DS to get a pretty big upgrade in terms of screen size and touchability.
