Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Nintendo DS, 2009)

Chinatown Wars is, indeed, a great game – an awesome game! Having played the trilogy on PS2, as well as a bit of both GTA I & II, I can tell you there isn't a ton new here in terms of missions and the general premise. However, this is one of the tightest GTA experiences I've ever had. They've taken all that was good about past games in the series, left behind pretty much everything that didn't quite work, and added some truly innovative mechanics to make this easily one of the best GTA games ever, console or otherwise.

You play as Huang Lee, the son of a fallen Triad higher-up, and when your family's “sacred” sword, the Yu Jian, is stolen and you're left for dead, the thrust of the story becomes retrieving the sword, as well as finding your father's killers. Though the cutscenes are presented through hand-drawn art stills, Huang, in my opinion, is perhaps the most likeable character in the series so far (having not played GTA IV). Unlike Tony from VC, he's not overbearing, and unlike CJ (SA), Huang isn't quite as apathetic. Huang is a bit beaten down yet cocky; he's honest and sincere, but he's also willing to use a chainsaw to slice dudes in pieces. The conversations are often funny and smartly written, though they can also be way over the top with unnecessary uses of profanity.

The missions are a lot of the same things we've done in other GTA games, but there's a tightness here that, along with really great controls, makes for some of the best missions I've played in any of the other games. Driving is fantastic fun. You start out with an option called Steer Assist turned on, and it guides whatever vehicle you're driving into a straight line when not actually steering. It works great, but it's equally enjoyable to drive without it. You'll likely find yourself using both options.

All of the mechanics are very much the same as other GTA games. Control Huang and steer vehicles with the D-pad; B button to accelerate or run; Y to break, reverse, or roll/jump when on foot; A is your attack button; and X lets you hop in vehicles. You jack cars same as before, though many of the parked vehicles in the game require you to play through a touch-screen mini-game, such as hotwiring, cracking a security system, or more crudely, using a screwdriver to force the ignition. All three minis are good fun, though hotwiring is easily my favorite; I could do that all the live-long day.

Other uses of the touch screen include defibrillating patients when transporting them to the hospital during ambulance missions, lobbing grenade-type explosives, using your PDA/GPS, as well as sniping dudes. I don't have a single complaint about any of it. To me, it all works great and is fun. But the PDA/GPS system in this game is simply amazing! I mean amazing! It makes everything so much more convenient, and takes pretty much all of the unnecessary minutiae out of the GTA experience. If I need to get somewhere, I simply plot a course on my GPS, and finding my way is easy as pie. Want to find a good deal on heroin? I just consult my trusty turf map, and I can plot a course to the closest dealer selling smack.

Oh, did I not yet mention the drug dealing? It's addictive! (Sorry for the pun.) After the first few missions, I must have stopped playing missions for a good five hours once I discovered drug dealing. I couldn't help it. It was too much fun and there was too much incentive to make tons of cash. Dudes will email you when they're either buying or selling something