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Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars: Want some cel-shading with your controversy? photo

According to the chaps at NeoGAF, the latest issue of Nintendo Power blows the lid on Rockstar's Nintendo DS debut, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

Among the new information are some solid revelations over how Chinatown actually plays. The game will be viewed from an isometric perspective -- not quite the top-down angle of the original games, but not the up-close vantage point of modern titles either. The game is also going to be cel-shaded. I guess cartoon violence is a little bit easier to get away with on Nintendo's handheld.

It's said to be quite a big project, with a good chunk of Liberty City represented in the game. Plenty of cars and pedestrians are also on display, with no framerate problems reported. 

GTA: Chinatown Wars now officially has my attention, and if you want to give it some attention too, feel free to hit the jump where we have all the details as kindly written out by The GAF.

- True GTA game - sandbox gameplay, open-world environment, gritty crime narrative.
- M-rating
- Isometric camera angle
- Cel-shaded polygons w/ black borders
- good touch-screen implementation - "tasteful" minigames, streamlining interface
- UI based on a PDA - hub for email, contacts, map, music player, GPS, stat-tracking
- stats uploaded to Rockstar Social Club website via Wi-Fi
- finger-sized icons
- missions designed for shorter periods of play, arcade quality
- aiming with control pad, auto targeting with R button
- subtle autosteer
- if you fail a mission, you can jump back to the action sequence
- chain gun, flamethrower
- good portion of Liberty City is modeled in the game (different routes than console games)
- no probems with load times, draw-in or frame rate
- lots of pedestrians, cars, etc on screen
- Wanted system - objective is to disable police cars any way possible
- real-time weather effects, 24-hour day/night cycle
- lots of radio stations to listen to (more instrumentals than vocals)
- 800,000 lines of hand-optimized source code (hey, the people like the info, right?)
- no details yet on multiplayer/Wi-Fi features







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Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize. Likes PS2, iPod Touch, Silent Hill 2, Metal Gear Solid, Dynasty Warriors 3 Meet the rest of the team



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22 comments | showing # 1 to 22
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Unicorn's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 03:13
Unicorn
very interesting...
OrangeGoblin's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 03:46
OrangeGoblin
800,000 lines of code? Sign me up!
Torzelan's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 03:56
Torzelan
Sounds really good! Looking forward to this one. Would have been cool to have the original GTA on the DS as well.
mr spooky's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 04:04
mr spooky
That cop is going to hurt you first.
Jaffacakelover's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 05:11
Jaffacakelover
Oh god, I thought we'd got rid of isometric! Why can't developers understand that it's always difficult to control with a D-Pad, and that you can't see around you / aim that well?
zombiekiller13's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 07:07
zombiekiller13
I saw the pictures in Nintendo Power. They have intrigued me. I was going to pass on this one, but now it seems like something to keep an eye on.
B-Radicate's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 07:07
B-Radicate
I've been saying the GTA games should go to cel-shaded graphics (a la their gorgeous cover art) to help embrace their status as a massive caricature of American life and our fascination with violence (which is what they started out as) in order to steer clear of the overly-dramatic (read: boring) story lines that would result from a more "realistic" feel that could (and did) ruin the series (IV sucked donkey dick).

This excites me and I don't even own a DS. That may change...
AgentMOO's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 07:10
AgentMOO
The lines of code bullet point is baffling - optimization typically involves reducing the amount of code.
Tubatic's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 07:55
Tubatic
Following the box art seems like a really good move here. I'm interested
bastardmaster's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 08:10
bastardmaster
wish they had the less 'tasteful' mini games in there
Demtor's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 08:14
Demtor
Can't wait to see some screens of this. Iso view with cell shading?! Interesting choice for a GTA game. Glad to hear top down is being left behind. I cherish the memories of the original games back in the day, but I'm really not looking to revisit that viewpoint ever again.
TheDreadHawk's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 08:50
TheDreadHawk
Cool. I need an excuse to pick up a DS.
Holyetheline's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 08:56
Holyetheline
I haven't played a good DS game for a while. I hope this isn't a let down.
Cyberxion's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 09:04
Cyberxion
I've played plenty of good DS games recently. I hope this one is up to snuff.
CelicaCrazed's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 09:20
CelicaCrazed
Well with isometric view they don't have to worry about draw distances and pop-ins as much with the limited DS hardware. Also considering that the DS has a low resolution, most games going for the realistic approach has looked muddy and unpolished so far. Cel-shading gives the developers the ability to exaggerate reality and even re-imagine the GTA world. I wasn't excited before but seeing as they're not shoe-horning the franchise onto the DS, it really has me pumped up. Can't wait!!!
Phantom Spaceman's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 09:38
Phantom Spaceman
Pft, I don't get out of bed for less than a million lines of source code.
BenHaskett's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 10:51
BenHaskett
Ugh, just show me an image so I can pass judgement already...
Brian Szabelski's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 11:48
Brian Szabelski
Looks promising. Maybe this will be the best thing to come out of E3 for them.
Guagloves's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 12:14
Guagloves
Sounds promising. I am curious to see it in action.
Oolong's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/19/2008 13:19
Oolong
GTA: Chinatown Wars First Screenshots Finally Up!

http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/Oolong/gta-chinatown-wars-first-screenshots-finally-up--104409.phtml
PhazonYoshi's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/20/2008 05:48
PhazonYoshi
Hand optimised?
As opposed to what?
el_chack's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/24/2008 10:43
el_chack
Certainly those are beautiful details... Although the "isometric camera angle" doesn't convince me at all (Tony Hawk for GBA?).

Let's wait for it then.
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