It’s now even harder to avoid playing Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars as Rockstar has announced that a version of the game for the iPhone will be joining the PSP version when it is released this autumn.

Rockstar president Sam Houser believes that the game is a “perfect match” for the iPhone;

“Chinatown Wars is a perfect match for the iPhone and iPod touch. We are very excited to bring this incredibly ambitious version of Liberty City, with this level of detail and immersive gameplay on Apple’s new gaming platforms,” (Source)

The best thing about this announcement is that the iPhone version won’t have to sacrifice the touch screen controls like the PSP version had to, so hopefully this version will be mostly similar to the DS version. I do have some reservations about how you will control Huang Lee (the main character), as some previous iPhone ports have used an on-screen d-pad which can often be a bit frustrating to use.

There are no screenshots yet (unlike the PSP version) but I expect it won’t be too long until we see some.

Rockstar is also bringing Beaterator to the iPhone (originally announced for PSN and PSP), a music mixer that has been developed in collaboration with Timbaland. Let’s hope that people will use earphones when creating their own tunes on the bus or train.

Both games will be out in autumn, with a firm release date to come at a later date.

Back in June I told you that Rockstar had decided to bring GTA: Chinatown Wars to the PSP. Rockstar dated it earlier this week – giving us a 20 October release date – but we didn’t really get any further information on the game or any screenshot showing what the game will actually look like compared to the Nintendo DS version. That has now changed, as Rockstar today released some screenshots of the upcoming PSP version.

If you compare it to the DS version then obviously the game is graphically better looking, but it’s nice to see they have kept the semi-3D top-down perspective instead of going full 3D like Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories were. The lighting effects look to be a lot better, obviously taking advantage of the PSP’s power over the DS. Overall it is looking a lot better, but graphics aren’t everything when we still don’t know how the game will play.

The DS version made use of the touch screen through mini-games; such as smashing the window when you get trapped in a sinking car, or sorting through rubbish to find a concealed weapon. Will these mini-games disappear from the PSP version? Or will Rockstar find another way to implement them? It won’t be the same if they simply put a cursor in that you have to control with the analog or d-pad. At least we’ll get better music to make up for it, well hopefully anyway.

I guess, as I seem to say a lot these days, we’ll just have to wait and see. Hopefully it will sell more than the DS version, which is probably what prompted Rockstar to port the game to the PSP in the first place.

The game will be available in both UMD form and by download through the Playstation Network.

I was always amazed that Rockstar managed to fit fully fledged GTA’s onto the PSP, as it’s a testament to just how far the power of handhelds have come. So, imagine my surprise when Rockstar Leeds President Gordon Hall tells Nintendo Power this;

“Chinatown Wars is much bigger than anything we have ever done before [in terms of scope]: more odd jobs, deeper missions, and more moments of over-the-top action,” Hall explained in an interview with Nintendo Power. “We have a huge interaction with the Rockstar Social Club, a massive [narcotics trafficking] game that would stand alone on its own. The list goes on and on; this thing is huge. We are very proud of all of the PSP games we have made, especially the two GTA games, but this game is far bigger.” - 1up.com

So, it’s not just bigger in terms of the map (apparently it’s just as big as GTA IV’s map, minus Alderney) but also bigger in terms of how much playtime you’re going to get out of it and, hopefully, fun. The surprising thing about all this is that it’s coming out on the DS, a handheld not known for epic scale games. Although the game is in top-down format rather than the PSP GTA’s full 3D; it’s nothing short of a miracle that Rockstar have managed to fit such a package on the humble-yet-delightful Nintendo DS.

Let’s just hope that it’s all worth it and the game actually turns out good. Personally I can’t wait to play more stories from the most fully-realised virtual city that we’ve ever seen. It’s also a game that just may revive my interest in the DS, as I’ve found absolutely no reason to pick mine up lately (save from checking on my Animal Crossing: Wild World town from time to time).

Related Posts:

Rockstar Makes the Wait for GTA: Chinatown Wars Even Longer
New GTA Game Courts Controversy with Drug-Dealing Minigame

Even though Saints Row 2 was released just over two weeks ago Volition have revealed that work is already underway on the next installment to the series.

“Well…durrrrrr Tom, isn’t that a given?”

Of course it’s obvious. The franchise has been pretty well received as a great alternative to GTA, but when Violation producer Dan Sutton says the series is “going to take a new direction” you have a right to start worrying.

Let’s look at GTA IV. It’s predecessor, San Andreas, was pretty crazy. You could do pretty much anything you could think of; like parachute off a mountain, drive a tank, fly a fighter jet etc. GTA IV stripped all this fun and went realistic, which, although it didn’t exactly make a bad game, it signified a big change in Rockstar’s direction. Saints Row now seems to have everything that GTA has taken away, so for Dan Sutton to say that a change of direction us going to happen for Saints Row 3 you can’t help but be a tad bit worried that we’ll have two good free-roaming action games with decent storylines and realistic gameplay on the market, but without the over-the-top fun which made the two franchises so successful.

Given Saints Row 2’s massively unrealistic approach (zombies anyone?) it would be a bit strange for Violation to do away with everything they’re known for in the next installment. Then again, people said the same thing about Rockstar…

In the mean time go out and buy Saints Row 2. Who cares about realism when you have shoot-outs in a hot dog costume?

Saints Row 3 Revealed - Gamespot.

One game I completely forgot about in this months must buy line-up is Far Cry 2. I must have been a bit brain dead when I wrote that post as the game is looking more amazing by the day. Plus, there’s that little fact that I’ve pre-ordered the game. Oh well, with so many good games coming out in the next few months I suppose it’s forgivable that one or two may slip your mind from time to time. I think that space in my brain must be taken up by the worries about just how I’m going to be able to afford them all.

As you can see from the screenshot above Far Cry 2 is looking absolutely gorgeous, and it’s looking like it’s going to be the best looking sandbox game on today’s consoles so far (Fallout 3 comes close, but the grim post-apocalyptic vistas are in stark contrast to the beautiful and bright plains of Africa). Long grass sways in the breeze while gazelles hop gracefully through it, until you come along and all hell breaks loose - of course! I’m most looking forward to tossing a Molotov cocktail into the long grass and watching as the fire propagates across the landscape; hopefully setting off conveniently placed explosive barrels that go on to destroy an entire village. If that sounds good then imagine doing that in multiplayer!

I’ve been secretly hoping for a new game to come along that will drag the masses (and most of my Xbox Live friends list) away from Call of Duty 4 and give them a new obsession. As much as I love Call of Duty 4’s multiplayer mode you can’t really deny that it’s getting a little tedious these days. With the PC you can add tonnes of extra life to a game by playing user created levels and mods, with the console versions of COD4 this just isn’t possible and it makes it all a little boring. Thankfully Far Cry 2 is shipping with what looks to be an incredibly detailed yet simple level editor that will hopefully get the Xbox Live or PSN population playing the game past the first few weeks. I know I’ll be playing with the map editor a lot anyway, but I doubt I’ll be creating maps that will be popular with thousands of players. In any case, it’s looking way better than Halo 3’s Forge.

One problem I have with the multiplayer is that character classes won’t be progressive. Any upgrades will simply be confined to the game you’re playing in and when you leave you’re right back at the beginning. For those players used to the excellent rank system in COD4 this may be a bit of a downer, but I guess it’s something you can live with. Instead you’ll be able to unlock ‘blood diamonds’ by killing players and completing objectives. There’s a maximum of three but each time you gain one you’ll have access to higher power weapons for whatever class you might be playing. The classes, by the way, are Commando, Gunner, Rebel, Guerrilla, Sniper, and Saboteur. Commando is your standard assault class while Gunner and Sniper are pretty obvious. The Rebel plays with fire and the Guerrilla uses close combat and ambush tactics. Finally the Saboteur is basically a scout class, specialising in stealth tactics. If you get a diamond as the Gunner class you can start using the rocket launcher, but remember that you’ll have to fight to gain it again in the next match.

Class problems aside I still can’t wait to go paragliding over the African continent; and maybe it will also be amazing to do this while people are blowing each other up below me. In any case you’ll be able to find out with me from October 24th.

While I’ve always admired Rockstar’s habit of trying to get away with as much as they possibly can in their video games I think that they may have stepped slightly over the line with this one. The above screenshot shows evidence of a drug-dealing minigame in the upcoming Nintendo DS game GTA: China Town Wars. While it’s not on the scale of the ‘Hot Coffee‘ scandal (which I never saw as that of a big deal since sex isn’t exactly as bad as walking down the street and killing innocent people. Kids should not be playing an 18-rated game anyway) it’s no doubt still going to be pretty scandalous, especially since Rockstar is releasing the game on what’s thought to be the family friendly Nintendo DS.

Dan Houser, the boss over at Rockstar, told EDGE magazine (which I subscribe to by the way, since it’s brilliant) this:

“We wanted to have a drug-dealing mini-game in lots of the GTA games,” said Dan Houser, big boss of Rockstar. “It works well with what GTA is, with driving around the map, and it gives you another thing to think about - another layer or piece of the puzzle to keep you motivated.” - EDGE

Well, nice idea Dan but I doubt that the people already incensed over the GTA franchise will see it that way - but I think Rockstar secretly likes the publicity anyway and purposely adds more fuel to the fire. Of course, it is the parents responsibility to control what their children play and the GTA series has never been intentionally targeted at children. I myself - as a grown adult - am not too fussed about what appears in a game since, in the end, it’s real-life, you can see it in books and films plus, well, it’s just a video game.

While I believe that the DS needs more adult-orientated games parents and others may not take too kindly to these types of games ‘polluting’ what they see as a handheld largely for children (part of this is due to the developers releasing so many children’s games on the handheld which has largely swayed it’s image to the younger generation). Of course, in the end, who’s fault is it if a child get’s hold of a video game clearing not intended for them? Is it the retailers or the parents fault? Or is it the developers who made the game’s fault? I think we all know the obvious answer to that one.

I’ll have a post about the game coming up pretty soon.

GTA Chinatown Wars maintains gritty, urban edge with drug-dealing minigame - Joystiq.

With August nearly out of the way (for which I will be forever thankful for) it’s time to take a look at some of the games that will be hitting the shelves in September. Autumn is always a great time for games and this years end-of-year line-up is no exception.

Spore.

Release Date: September 5th (UK)
Platforms: PC, Mac

Spore is by far the game I’ve been looking forward to the most over the past few years. While I’ve been keeping up with every little bit of news about Spore events this month have took my mind of things so it was, to my utter surprise, that I realised we’re less than two weeks away from the game that will destroy my life.

If you’re not familiar with Spore (where have you been?) it allows you to control the evolution of a creature of your own design from cell stage through to civilisation and space stages. You can customise your creatures to your hearts extent, along with buildings and vehicles. Plus, your universe will be populated by the creations of other players across the world.

You can view the over two million creations already created by players here, and you can have your own shot at it before the full release with the free version of the Spore creature creator available here. While you’re at it take a quick look at my own creations.

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.

Release Date: September 5th (UK)
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 2, Playstation 3

As you can see from the video above it’s pretty much all ‘BOOM BOOM BOOM’ in a sandbox arena. There’s nothing wrong with this though, nothing at all. It’s pure incredible fun and that’s what video games were originally invented for. While it does have a plot who really cares when you can nuke the hell out of something?

Unfortunately it comes out on the same day as Spore and my pockets aren’t exactly crammed with cash at the moment. I guess I’ll just have to wait a little while long to blind myself with the sheer awesomeness of the explosions.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

Release Date: September 19th (UK)
Platforms: Xbox 360, Wii, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Nintendo DS, N-Gage, PSP, iPhone

What can be better than flinging a Tie Fighter into a Storm Trooper? When it looks as good as this it’s apparently not much.

You’ll play the part of Darth Vader’s apprentice tasked with destroying the last of the Jedi. You’ll soon become more powerful than even Vader himself and your actions will determine which ending you get. The story fits pretty nicely into the Star Wars universe so you’ll want to get it if you’re a hardcore fan. For the rest of those who aren’t hardcore fans but still like a bit of Star Wars then you’ll probably love the amazing physics effects that occur when using the force. These effects are helped along by the Euphoria engine - the same engine that controlled the physics effects in Grand Theft Auto IV.

A lot of Star Wars games are pretty poor, but this one just may change that trend.

The term ‘GTA Clone’ is thrown around way too much. Nothing is original these days and everyone takes inspiration from somewhere, it’s just whether or not they can actually build upon what originally inspired them. Besides, there’s always room for competition in the market; although it’s often the case that ‘GTA inspired’ games don’t really make much of an impact. The original Saints Row was pretty successful and I see no reason why its sequel can’t be as successful. In fact, I believe it may be more successful based on recent happenings in the video game world. As I previously wrote a lot of people felt GTA IV was a disappointment because some of the whacky over-the-top fun that had marked previous outings (such as driving a monster truck off a huge mountain) was reduced due to Rockstar’s attempt to focus on realism. It didn’t make it a bad game - and the humour still remained - but it did seem like Rockstar was handing the stupid factor off to someone else. This is where Saints Row 2 steps in, and they even tried to win over those disappointed GTA fan boys with the comparison video below. Saints Row was known for its improvement of some of GTA’s features, and while GTA IV also fixed many of those it seems that, yet again, Saints Row 2 is set to try and win one over on GTA.

The picture above can pretty much sum up what you’re going to get out of Saints Row 2. The list of activities in the video above is pretty exhaustive compared to GTA IV’s, in my opinion, pretty lacklustre offerings. It’s hard to see how you could avoid getting at least some fun out of the game, even if the game’s humor is far more slapstick than the satire we’re used to in the GTA franchise. The hot dog costume signifies the great deal of customisation and choices you have in Saints Row 2, far more than the few outfits available in GTA IV. Now you can completely customise your characters appearance (including the ability to play a female character), such as their age, weight, features, voice, fighting style etc. Clothing is far more modifiable than before, meaning that you can modify the colouring and layout. These options also extend to your gang, so you can have your gang all decked out in the same costumes (which, thankfully, can also be ninja costumes) and also modify the graffiti tag they use. You can also completely deck out the ‘cribs’ that you and your gang call home, adding items such as pool tables, TV’s and minibars.  This is all without touching the apparently ‘extensive’ vehicle customisation options. Weapons start with the basic submachine guns and handguns (which can be dual-wielded) but you also have access to flamethrowers, sledgehammers, satchel chargers, katanas, shock pads etc. Additionally you are now able to pick up items of the scenery to use as melee weapons.There’s far more I could get into, such as the respect system, the ability to own businesses, the new combat system, the new gangs, multiplayer (and the co-op mode). However, I don’t want to make this post too long - as I tend to make a habit of that. The point is that Saints Row 2 packs a massive amount of features, but it remains to be seen if the gameplay can be engaging enough to make let you experience them all. Yes, like I’ve done with this post they’ll be plenty of comparisons to GTA but, if the game is good enough and sells enough, it may just have established it’s own franchise that widely differs from the new realistic approach of GTA. There’s enough room in this world for more than one sandbox game, they just have to be good enough.

Saints Row 2 is out on November 7 in the UK, annoyingly the US version hits on October 14. You’ll also have a choice of Xbox 360, PS3 or PC.

No, you haven’t stumbled into the past and discovered that movie blogs were around in 1974. This is because it isn’t 1974 and you aren’t reading a movie blog (unless you live in some strange parallel universe); you’re reading a gaming blog and this, wouldn’t you believe it, is a game!

Right, that’s the confusing stuff out of the way.

Godfather II is the sequel to EA’s Godfather: The Game – a pretty average but still enjoyable fair. While it’s loosely based on the plot of the second film it takes some liberties by Michael Corleone appointing you as the stand-in Don over Brando’s character, Vito Corleone. The unique aspect of the game is the combination of GTA inspired action with strategy-orientated play. While you’ll be doing the usual missions and partaking in all the glorious violence that mob life brings you can also pull back to the ‘Don View’. This gives you a citywide bird’s eye view where you can direct the actions of your men, who they’ll hit and what businesses you’d like to offer ‘protection’ to. Your men will each have their own specialties, such as a demolitions guy that can be used to…well…you know the rest.

Godfather II will feature three locations; Miami, New York and Havana. However, if you’ve read the book/watched the film then you may be slightly miffed that the game won’t feature Vito’s childhood or see much of what Michael is getting up to. At least the locations fit with the story, but it remains to be seen how much of the original plot will actually remain.

The game is in pre-alpha sage at the moment, but it’s slated for release in February next year for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and the PC. Hopefully it will bring a different twist to the usual GTA style formula.

Update: Gametrailers has just got the world exclusive debut trailer. The trailer shows a hefty amount of action and also a gives you a little look at the ‘Don View’. Check it out below.

For those of you who haven’t played Grand Theft Auto IV yet (as ridiculous as it sounds there are a few people) or you’ve been waiting to play it on your PC then you’re about to become a happy chappy. Yesterday Rockstar announced that a PC version of the game is in development and is slated for release on November 18 in North America and November 21 here in Europe. The move makes perfect sense as all previous GTA’s (not including the Stories series) have made their way into PC gamers hands.

I finally completed the Xbox 360 version a couple of weeks back and, despite some annoyances; I really enjoyed it for the most part. I do understand where people are coming from when they say that the game isn’t as fun as it’s predecessor; San Andreas. It doesn’t really make much sense why Rockstar North would strip out a lot of the areas that made San Andreas so much fun to play (such as sky diving, tanks, cycling etc.) but I guess the whole point was to go for a more realistic style. There’s such a thing as being too realistic though, and while the city is alive and the cars all handle differently you can’t help missing the insane fun you could have in the previous games. Plus, the character of Niko directly contradicts any of the random killing sprees that are such a staple of the GTA series. Luckily Saints Row 2 is attempting to bring back the fun to the free-roaming sandbox genre.

The PC version of GTA IV will also feature an “expanded” multiplayer mode. Although there’s no word on what this actually means I guess there has to be something included for making PC gamers wait. The PC will most likely support more players in the city at the same time than the 360 and PS3 versions, although I always thought 16 players seemed like enough anyway. For me the multiplayer modes were fun for a while but, ultimately, it got a little boring because – while the city is lovingly crafted and looks amazing – there really isn’t all that much to do in Liberty City and jumping into helicopter blades from the tallest building in the game does get a little dull after a while. I do pop on for the odd GTA Race from time to time though – as that never gets old!

Do play it for the story though, as it’s almost movie-like and you really start to get emotionally attached to Niko and his close friends. Brucie baby, I salute you!