Escapist Editorials

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Hands On

It's an impressive game, but questions remain. As well as the game organizes itself for the player, through the PDA and easy mission reloads, will this game be able to straddle the line between immersive experience and pick up and play accessibility that the DS is now famed for? Because the graphics are more iconographic than realistic, will people be able to experience the same vicarious thrills the other GTA's provided by so clearly showing chaos in three dimensions? Will the game, with its contextual touch screen games, feel like a violent collection of mini games or will the feeling that you belong to something bigger, a feeling that defines the GTA series, remain intact? Will anybody be particularly interested in the more limited online offering of the game, which is presently focused on sharing secrets and stats? These are questions that only the final release will answer. It's clear that this game is taking some major risks; the GTA hallmarks are there but this doesn't feel quite like any GTA you've played before. It's a new type of game for Rockstar as well as a new gamble, one that will likely pay off.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars releases March 17th in North America and March 20th in Europe.