GTA Chinatown Wars: PSP Edition

[Havok83]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6212319...dlines;title;2

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars received effusive critical praise when it debuted on the Nintendo DS in March. However, high marks from critics didn't translate to equally high sales, with the M-for-Mature-rated top-down shooter/minigame compilation selling just 90,000 units in the US during its opening month, according to the NPD Group. That figure is an extraordinarily low one, considering the DS's massive installed base and the strength of the franchise.

A commonly floated theory for Chinatown Wars' lackluster start is that mature games simply don't sell well on Nintendo's platforms. That theory may soon be tested, as Rockstar Games today said that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be available for Sony's PSP this fall. The game will see release via traditional retail discs, as well as a digital download through the PlayStation Network for Sony's newly unveiled UMD-less PSP Go, which will be available in the US on October 1.

As with the DS installment, Rockstar Leeds is leading development on the PSP edition of Chinatown Wars. Rockstar notes that the PSP game won't just be a port of its DS counterpart, with the publisher promising enhanced widescreen graphics, as well as improved lighting and animations. Chinatown Wars on the PSP also offers new story missions, though up-and-coming Triad gangster Huang Lee remains the portable title's protagonist.

Though Chinatown Wars was the first installment of Rockstar's acclaimed franchise to release on Nintendo's portable, the GTA series is no stranger to the PSP. In 2005, Rockstar released the well-received GTA: Liberty City Stories, which returned players to the New York-inspired scene seen in GTAIII. The following year, Rockstar brought GTA: Vice City Stories to the PSP, a well-regarded title that took place in the same humid Miami-mimicked streets of the original GTA: Vice City.

 

[Havok83]

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is a DS exclusive no more; Rockstar Games announced today the touch screen-enabled trip through Liberty City is arriving on PSP later this year. Lower-than-expected sales may have been a primary motivator here, but is moving the game to PSP the right move? Chinatown Wars is not the GTA experience Rockstar has delivered on the platform before -- in fact, prior to Chinatown Wars' release, Rockstar told the press there were specific reasons GTA was different on each platform.


Gordon Holl, founder and president of Chinatown Wars developer Rockstar Leeds, was interviewed by a number of publications, where he discussed the reasons Chinatown Wars looked and felt so different from Rocsktar's previous GTA handheld games.

"The PSP "Stories" games were designed as an exercise in delivering a fully realized GTA experience for the hardware, which we've always felt has been more of a "portable console" in some ways. Their production was no easy task, and we feel we truly broke through the idea of what kind of console-like experiences you can take with you." -- GameSpot

"For the DS, however, we're working with something that feels less-so like a portable console. Thus, the thinking would have to be a bit different behind the design of the game, and since the hardware obviously has some very different capabilities in terms of what it can do, the amount of work that would have to go into building a fully realized GTA experience that could stand up to what we've done on consoles would have to be incredible. This is essentially the reason why we've moved onto DS, it was the challenge that we knew it would be." -- GameSpot

"Everything we created for this game came, first and foremost, from a desire to make a really playable GTA experience on this hardware. The interpretation on the DS may be different than that of the PSP or Xbox 360. For example, we want to tell a fun and emotive story. On the PSP or console versions, we'd get in mo-cap and vocal actors; on the DS, we've gone for the graphic-novel approach, but we still work with the same guys creating the stories, characters, and dialogue, so it's still GTA in spirit. In other areas, having the touch screen has enabled us to push the player's experience further than could ever be done on other hardware. In one mission, you have to make your way up to a rooftop and take a guy out with a sniper rifle. It's so satisfying building the rifle from a suitcase of parts with the touch screen; it rounds off the whole feel of that mission." -- 1UP
Given these comments and the expectations Rockstar's created with previous PSP GTA titles, do you think we'll see them heavily rework Chinatown Wars' presentation to match up?



http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/6...-Building-Grand-Theft-Auto-On-PSP-And-DS.html

 

[Tron Bonne]

Not really surprised, I know the other two PSP GTA titles were fairly successful and I figured that a version Chinatown Wars would make its way onto the PSP

 

[Electro UK]

I think this is pretty awesome news. I mean I was going to buy Chinatown Wars at some point, but now I can get the awesome PSP edition.

 

[BatMatt]

Awesome

 

[Havok83]

yeah the game looked interesting but with no DS, I didnt have much interest. Will defiently give it a try when its released for the PSP. I cant wait to see the enhancements they add to the visuals

 

[Soapy]

Unfortunate, but not unexpected.

 

[Electro UK]

Meh, its not really like on handhelds exclusives even count as exclusives. You don't hear anyone boasting to Xbox fans that we're still getting Peace Walker on PSP etc. Infact I'd love to see how DS ports of some PSP games would benefit the game.

 

[Superhero 101]

I still wouldn't get this game. If its on the PSP or DS

 

[StrainedEyes]

I still wouldn't get this game. If its on the PSP or DS

Why? It is a fantastic DS title.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I'm surprised that San Andreas Stories hasn't happened yet.

 

[Soapy]

I doubt all of San Andreas would fit on a UMD. Of course, now with the PSP Go it might be a realistic possibilty.

 

[Electro UK]

San Andreas was too big for PS2 really with all the dead spots etc, PSP is not a good idea.

 

[Havok83]

I doubt all of San Andreas would fit on a UMD. Of course, now with the PSP Go it might be a realistic possibilty.

They could cut part of it out. Alot of SA was big empty spaces

 

[TLH]

It's an impressive game for the DS because it delivered a large open world and the core GTA experience, but I don't see it having the wow factor on the PSP. Minus touch screen controls it probably won't be all that great to be honest.

 

[Electro UK]

I actually think the top down perspective is more fitting for Chinatown Wars on PSP than the older GTA PSP games. Plus I don't think the touch controls really add anything over just pressing buttons. But we'll see. I'd probably buy this day 1 despite dislking the main GTA series.

 

[StrainedEyes]

I actually think the top down perspective is more fitting for Chinatown Wars on PSP than the older GTA PSP games. Plus I don't think the touch controls really add anything over just pressing buttons. But we'll see. I'd probably buy this day 1 despite dislking the main GTA series.

The touch controls in Chinatown Wars are fantastic. There's a bunch of mini games you play like filling up molotov cocktails or assembling sniper rifles. It adds a lot to the game.

 

[Electro UK]

Oh really? Okay I'll shut up then. Still, I think it'll be awesome on PSP.

 

[Havok83]

First screenshots ahve been rleased. This actually looks good. Official release date is Oct 23

http://kotaku.com/5346933/what-gta-chinatown-wars-looks-like-on-the-psp/gallery/

 

[Superhero 101]

Looks okay

 

[Havok83]

Anyone check this out? Rockstar did a really good job with the title. It looks great and plays pretty fun.

 

[TLH]

Pales in comparison to the PSP based GTA games. This title only really impressed me because it was on the DS -- a huge free roam environment with tons of content. On the PSP it's just average IMO.