Game Recommendation: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Time for another videogame recommendation, and surprise surprise, it's another game for the DS. I think I said this before, but the DS is honestly one of the best investments you can make if you're a gamer; there are TONS of great games for it, and they're relatively cheap.

The newest Grand Theft Auto game, Chinatown Wars, is exclusively for the DS, and it's kind of incredible. It's top-down, just like the old-school GTA's before 3 came around and revolutionized gaming, and yet doesn't feel compromised in the slightest. It has a huge story, even huger city, and a great variety of missions and random things to do. It also has a solid soundtrack, very funny writing (I'll list the best line later on),and the graphics are very good for the limitations that the DS has.

The most important thing though is the gameplay, and this is where Chinatown Wars really shines. Because of the stylus, the game becomes way more involved than any other GTA game in terms of the technical side of crime (in one mission, you actually have to assemble a sniper rifle left in pieces for you on a balcony), and the driving and shooting and targeting has all been streamlined in a very logical and smooth way. Again, the variety of missions is excellent (in one mission, you escape a police chase by stealing a dragon outfit and parading down the streets of Chinatown dressed as said dragon, following an exact order of steps so as not to arouse suspicion), and there is a new, incredibly fun and involving aspect of the game called drug dealing, where you buy drugs from various dealers throughout the city and try to make a profit based on what the market is for certain drugs at certain times.

All in all, this is a huge, extremely fun game that feels like what the old GTA's (1 and 2) should have been. You really don't notice that it's top-down at all, which is a testament to the developers. I can't recommend the game enough. Also, how can you argue with a game that features this line from a Chinese mob boss after you complete a mission:

"Though you've got a really dysfunctional personality and could do with a good beating, you have shown some talent today...and for that, I nearly admire you. Thank you."