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

by Randy Nelson on Dec 23rd 2008 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]

Source

Tags: DS, grand-theft-auto, gta, gta-chinatown-wars, rockstar, rockstar-leeds

Reader Comments (59)

Wow. For a DS game this is pretty fucking ambitious. Hope they can pull it off.

Ambitious? Not really. With the simpler graphics, they're simply not directing 90% of their resources toward making the game look shinier. So more effort can be spent on what matters, the actual game.

That's the way it should work, anyway. I wish it always did.

Agreed. Those PSP games were pretty long themselves.

bm, The PSP game just used a modified GTA 3 engine. That hardly takes much resources.

If this game holds up graphically and gameplay-wise it would have been a very ambitious title indeed. It's pretty hard to cram a lot of crap on the DS without something giving.

@MassMass

But they still had to draw out fairly detailed textures and so on (compared to a DS game)

True Haggard. :)

But keeping that in mind, since they already had a decent foundation I think it compares about evenly with having to design and build a new engine with simpler graphics on a very different platform.

Once you have the engine worked out, it really isn't that hard to bust out the models and textures.

Splitting hairs, really.

Ultimately, I'd be surprised if the game is actually enjoyable enough to warrant a purchase. Rental worthy at least I'm sure.

"Once you have the engine worked out, it really isn't that hard to bust out the models and textures."

Spoken like a true programmer. Ugh.

"more moments of over-the-top action"

That phrase worries me.

Why? GTIV not boring enough for you?

Well of course we'll have "more moments of over-the-top action," future players will be of course viewing the action from the top down in game.

I can sincerely why this worries you.

I meant to say "I can sincerely understand why this worries you."

We really do need a edit feature in the comment system, >_> then again I should learn to check my comments before submitting them.

Sorry about the double post.

China Town Arracan chon chan
China Town Arracan Chan Chun.

U Mo Gwai Gwaai Fy Dee Jao?

@ jack bauer

that was the best saturday morning cartoon ever. +1

Was that the Jackie Chan one?
Cos that was cool.
One more thing!

I wonder if Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo will be a villain in this game.

Well if it's based on GTA4's Liberty city rather than GTA3's, it'd almost HAVE to be bigger. Just on that alone the city far more huge, that's just logic even without the mission.

China is here Jack Burton

What the fuck does that mean 'China is here'? I dont even know what the hell that means

Well, if i showed you a world map and pointed to China, i would then say 'China is here'.

Now when your friends call you on the phone, you can use the DS's microphone to respond! Popular voice recognition phrases include, but not limited to:
"No"
"Hell no"
"Aw hell naw"
"Fuck! I'm trying to play a game!"
"Yes?"

I'm glad to see a classic style GTA game. I'm actually looking forward to this more than I was GTAIV.

Now if we could get a classic postal, carmageddon, and Redneck rampage game for the DS it'll be my childhood all over again.

That's a violent childhood there Hawk

you played postal when you were a kid?! dang.

Redneck Rampage? That must have been a depressing childhood.

I find it pretty lame and cheesy than the kicking dude is looking at the camera.

That's the only thing about this game you find cheesy?

Yes.

this looks interesting for sure. the POV still is irking me but whatever.

That sounds great. It's gonna be a great game. Cannot wait!

Hating Sony is the new thing, I guess. Every game publisher/developer hates Sony this generation.

You are one year later pal, Hating Nintendo is the thing of this year and it's almost over. ( the year not the Nintendo hating)

yeah you're late. valve is pretty much the only company that still hates ps3.

Lol Wiinterfang! Hating Nintendo is the thing for the last 6 months. It probably was a bad thing for Nintendo to release all their big-budget franchise titles in 2 years, since now everyone hates Nintendo for not releasing any games recently, but the fact is all their big-franchise titles are out just like in the previous generations, but instead of waiting 4 years to get them all, we wait 2.

Yes, many people only really started hating Nintendo around E3, but it isn't just a passing fad. People aren't just doing it to be cool, they're doing it because for many of us who grew up playing Nintendo games, it felt like we were betrayed, in favour of the more profitable casual games.

I've never had anything against Nintendo focusing on whatever makes them money.. But at E3 especially, it felt like they no longer even care about us, and all the big game announcements afterward have felt like a forced attempt to appease us.

Does Pikmin 3 even really exist, or was it just made up after the E3 fiasco?

@slycooper: They also happen to be the only company who consistently makes amazing, well-polished games. Go figure.

I don't see why Nintendo should care about neither of us, most Nintendo fans move on when they saw Final Fantasy VII, that like SEGA caring about the so called fans that are just elitist bastard that thing that everything is crap after S3&K.

What I'm trying to say it's that we are no the ones buying those games, if 3 million hardcore Nintendo fans bough the wii for the hardcore Nintendo games that's good Nintendo give them their Zelda,Mario and Smash bros early but what about the other Kajillion casuals that bough the wii? they are the ones that make it successful, Nintendo can't just ignore them.

The next console GTA should keep the asian theme. Japanese mafia stuff? Hong Kong gangs with GTA humor. Instant win.

Publishers and developers go where the sales are. Nintendo is cleaning Sony's and Microsoft's clocks. For the time being there's little Sony and Microsoft can do.

glad i'm neither a publisher or a developer, and don't have to worry about going where the sales are. i don't do handhelds, and as far as the Wii's concerned, well, the PS360 has been cleaning the Wii's clock where it matters most: content.

Playstation has content!?!?!?!?!?! :dusts off his psp happily:

WHERE? :D :D :D

Hey, you lied... screw you.

he never said ps3. and orion, let me introduce you to my best inanimate friend, the pandora battery. it allows you to hack your psp and open it up to worlds of possibilities. you can download homebrew games made by the community or you can download emulators and play the classics. and since the psp has a small screen, the graphics don't look like total crap! heck, gba games actually look good! try it out. it's great.

So the only way to get good PSP games is by hacking it? FTL!

@orion

Its kind of ironic that your icon is the Sega Saturn.

Its also ironic that Orion is a failed movie company.

sounds like good news since this will be my first purchase of a handheld version of GTA whole reason ima buy a DSi plz rockstar dont fail us like u did on manhunt 2

Exactly what does this game have to do with the DSi?

It will work just fine on the DS lite, and you will be able to play it much sooner that way. XD

well i have this thing, i dont like buyin last gen tech so if ima buy a DS for this game id rather buy the current gen DSi

I thought that way too, but if you break it down, the DSi is kind of ho-hum compared to the lite... Less battery, a low-quality camera, no guitar hero, no gameboy advance games. I mean, if the DSi was out then sure I'd get it, but with the lite you can pick one up and get super mario or brain age thrown in with it. I'm getting mine tomorrow btw, woot! I got the blue DS with brain age (not that into super mario) and it also came with geometry wars, and i also bought advance wars, mario party, pokemon, and civilization revolution for it... its going to be an awesome christmas!!!

Im excited to play it...Sounds like The DS is starting to go for Gamers besides Kids now...Hopefully we keep getting more Mature titles...Either way it still has a GREAT game library and almost 1000 titles already...DS may end up being the second best system of all time...

Okay, I'll bite: what do you consider the best system of all time? I'd probably cast my lot for the SNES or PS2, but I've heard of people who love their Dreamcast above all others.

Older gamers might also have a lot of fond memories of the NES, which did have some terrific games, especially late in the cycle.

Obviously the Super NES was the best system of all time.

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

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Posted: Dec 23rd 2008 8:49PM Vegeta has a ps3 said

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