Chinatown Wars is the first GTA game in the long running series to hit the Nintendo DS.  I was skeptical to see if returning to the overhead format would work after having the series had gained its popularity after jumping to a 3D presentation.  Though the return to the previous visual perspective takes some getting used to, it works and manages to retain the feel and atmosphere of other GTA games.
   
The story starts out simple enough.  You play as Huang Lee, a man whose father passed away.  Lee is charged with the task of delivering a family heirloom to his uncle, which will solidify his position in the family’s organized crime syndicate.  Things quickly take a turn for the worse as Lee is jumped before he can make the delivery and is left for dead.  After surviving the attempted hit, Lee meets up with his uncle and is bent on getting revenge.  His uncle then puts Lee to use, performing missions for various members of the family while trying to reclaim what was lost.  The fact that the story is simple really helps out, as series vets won’t have to deal with a complicated plot while trying to get used to the new gameplay mechanics.
   

As mentioned earlier, the game is viewed from a slightly tilted overhead view.  It will take some time to get used to.  When I first started playing I kept accidentally hitting cop cars and starting pursuits as I didn’t realize what type of car I had just slammed into.  However, after 15 minutes or so of playing, it becomes easier to distinguish which cars are safe to hit if you tend to driver recklessly like I do. 

There is only one other issue to be had with the camera.  At times it can be difficult to distinguish what is ahead of you or behind you.  For instance, if you are driving fast to finish a mission, you might accidentally hit a cop or total your vehicle.  And if you are attempting to steal a vehicle, you might not know that a cop is right behind you catching you in the act.  While the camera does zoom out on its own when you are on bridges, an option to manually control the camera in this instance would have helped a great deal.   It’s not a huge hindrance nor does it make the game unplayable, but it’s a minor frustration that hopefully will be re-evaluated in any future releases.
   
The city is presented in an almost comic book-like fashion as the buildings and cars iare bright, colorful, but not overly detailed.  This is aided by the fact that cut scenes are presented with still portraits of the characters with animated backgrounds without audio.  Some people might not like it, but it works as it’s easier to get around the city, with locations standing out, and keeps the story moving at a steady pace.

   
The controls are the best part of this game.  Cars are easy to drive as the camera will rotate around to accommodate your heading.  The face buttons are used for entering cars, melee and weapon combat, and the actual driving.  The L button rotates the camera to the back of you so you don’t have to wait for it to rotate automatically.  Seeing as how this is a DS game, you might be wondering how the stylus comes into play.  One word describes it: GREAT.
   
For the first time in a long time, the use of the stylus and the touch screen are an effective part of a game and not just a tacked on and unnecessary gimmick.  The touch screen is used for a variety of actions in Chinatown Wars.  The most common use is when you hijack a parked vehicle.  Depending on the type of car, you’ll have to use the stylus to jam a screw driver into the ignition, hotwire it, or use a decoder to start the car.  It adds a sense of realism rather than just entering a parked car and starting it immediately like in previous GTA titles.   

There are other scenarios that you’ll use the touch screen in as well.  Molotov cocktails are used by dragging out the direction you want to throw them in.  Cutting open the side of a drug lord’s car is achieved by quick slashes of the stylus.  These situations are fun and leave the player wondering what will come next in terms of what the touch screen will be used for next.

The only negative experience I had at all with the touch screen was during one mission where you have to unload a vehicle from a tow truck by rotating the crank.  The car would come down as another vehicle crashed into the side of the tow truck.  No matter how much I rotated it wouldn’t come down, or let me exit the touch screen mode to reposition the vehicle.  So I had to reset the game.  Other than this one small negative experience the touch screen works tremendously well in the game and will hopefully serve as a lesson to other developers how to truly implement the touch screen into games.

  

The main interface of the game comes from your PDA.  With it, you receive emails for new missions and are able to program driving routes to help you navigate throughout the city. Your PDA also allows you to see where certain drugs are sold in the various regions of the city which is very helpful as some missions you cannot start until buying or delivering certain "goods."  The PDA is greatly appreciated in the game, as without it, I would have been stuck driving in circles for hours, unsure of where to go, as the city is fairly large. 

The game will last you a good while.  If you play casually and not rush through the game, it will last at least a week or so if you only stick to the main missions.  However, there are side missions and jobs you can pull off, too, such as buying and dealing drugs to make a profit (which really helps when you want some cash for new weapons), or stealing a taxi and pick up fares. Adding more to the game is the online options. The online features definitely add some replay value to the game, allowing players to to participate in stats uploading, item trading, and a engage in various robust multiplayer modes.