Control Gecko With Your Fingertips: GTA Chinatown Wars on iPhones [Video Game Review]

This post is both for iPhone critics as well as lovers. Who says, iPhone can only play touchy-touch puzzle games? You are totally on a wrong foot, if you think so. Because GTA is not a game for every gamers and when iPhone is loaded with GTA, it makes a very interesting combination that is both addictive and also dangerous [Warning to parents: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for iPhone and iPod Touch is a crude, violent, decidedly R-rated game. So don't let the kids catch you playing it, OK?]. Yes, you heard this right! Now Grand Theft Auto, one of the largest franchises in Video gaming, has brought the iPhone version of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

Chinatown Wars ranks among the top-rated and most popular titles ever for both Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable, and its iPhone counterpart is sure to enjoy similar success. For those unfamiliar with GTA games, Chinatown Wars plays like an interactive John Woo movie. As the son of a murdered gang boss, you must complete various missions on the sprawling, ultra-violent streets of Liberty City.

The story of the game is cleverly written and directed as the older PC counterparts of the video game. In this, you are Huang Lee, son of a Triad gangster. Your father was murdered and you must deliver an ancient sword to your uncle so as to keep the empire in your family’s name. Looks like some typical Chinese myth huh! There is more. You now find yourself drawn into the underworld with thoughts of vengeance. But what starts out as a simple revenge tale grows in scope, with a criminal world about to explode as gangs (and cops) square off for control. The Chinatown Wars narrative is strong, full of both humor and real drama.

Official Trailer [GTA Chinatown Wars on iPhones]

GTA Chinatown Wars iPhone Game

Instead of a 3D behind-the-shoulder view, Chinatown Wars returns to the top-down roots of the pre-PlayStation 2 GTA games. The art style is cartoonish and looks fantastic. The camera gives you a good view of the city around you, although when you start zipping through traffic trying to escape cops on a motorcycle you can almost get too far ahead of yourself

Chinatown Wars uses a virtual stick for on-foot movement that is just about as good as you’ll find on the iDevices.. All of the virtual buttons (gas, shoot, kick, carjack) are simply too small. They work — but they are not easy to manage and often require you look at the buttons to make sure you are hitting the right one. In the middle of a big fight or a high-speed pursuit, this is troublesome until you are 100-percent comfortable with the controls. The layered menus are also not user-friendly and take some time to get used to. Too much time is spent wriggling around screen after screen of menus to adjust game options.

GTA Chinatown Wars on iPhones [Video Review]

The mission variety in Chinatown Wars is one of its strongest features. You are not just driving to a location, shooting somebody, and then returning to home base. You perform in a parade, hijack fuel tankers to turn into giant bombs, run interference during a race, and put out fires. And on top of the main story, there is a plethora of side jobs and races, including the extra content that was included with the PSP port. But most surprising is the d rug dealing. I’m not just shocked that Apple was cool with her0in (other games have been rejected for d rug- and alc0h0l-related content), but just how vital it is to the overall game. If you want to make money, you have to juggle this resource management game-within-a-game where you buy low, sell high, and watch out for busts.

The Good
- A perfect GTA game which pulls no punches.
- A beautiful huge city
- Surprisingly intuitive control system

The Not So Good
- Not enough hours in the day to play it

The Bad
- This game is crude, violent [remember, it is a R-rated game]

If you’re at all interested in open-world crime games, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is by far the best available on the platform and simply cannot be passed up. The sheer amount of content, the amazing graphics, and gameplay that will keep you coming back for more whether you choose to follow the story or rampage through Liberty City on your own is absolutely fantastic.

Now, if you’d excuse me, I’ve got $50,000 worth of her0in to unload.