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Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars updated on iOS, out now on Android
When Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars launched on iOS devices in 2010, it wasn't offered as a universal app, meaning that one purchase wouldn't grant players versions of the game for both iPhone and iPad. Four years later, developer Rockstar Games has fixed that – a new patch has added universal support for iOS 7.0 devices or later to both versions of the game, along with touched-up visuals and MFi controller support. App Store shoppers will see both versions of Chinatown Warriors, but as Touch Arcade reports, Rockstar will eventually retire the iPad version of the game. Fans that previously purchased the iPad version will have Chinatown Wars and its update in their purchase history, so the streets of Liberty City should remain open to them after Rockstar pulls the iPad build. Either version of Chinatown Wars is $2.99 on the App Store, and an Android version with "enhanced graphics, lighting and explosion effects" launched earlier this week at the same price. [Image: Rockstar Games]
Relive classic Grand Theft Auto moments in GTA Online
In its latest newswire update, Rockstar Games highlights a handful of GTA Online jobs that revisit pivotal moments from past Grand Theft Auto entries courtesy of creative fans and the game's powerful Creator tool. From the classic Grand Theft Auto 3 to the underloved GTA: Chinatown Wars, Rockstar's selection covers a wide swath of open-world sandbox mayhem. "Four Iron," for instance, is a modern, deathmatch take on the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City mission of the same name, in which Tommy Vercetti chased a land developer through a golf course before murdering the poor sap. "Valet Parking," on the other hand, is a lap race homage to those recurring side missions in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in which CJ would pose as a valet, and either politely park cars to earn extra cash or drive off with a fancy new ride. The Rockstar newswire has a full list of throwback missions, for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but keep in mind that the limitations of the GTA Online Creator prevent any of these jobs from being singleplayer affairs. The only way to truly relive Rockstar's classics is by replaying the original games. [Image: Take Two]
Rockstar drops Grand Theft Auto playlists on Spotify, iTunes
Rockstar has released the soundtracks for its most recent Grand Theft Auto games onto Spotify and iTunes. Sadly, just the tunes from Grand Theft Auto 3 and every entry since are here – none of Rockstar's zany commercials or satirical talk radio stations.The only place to get the full soundtracks still is through Rockstar's box set releases; however, if you want to just listen to the ads, you can point your browser to The Advertising Council.Rockstar recently revealed the box art for Grand Theft Auto 5, due on September 17 for Xbox 360 and PS3. Even though over 100,000 have signed a petition calling for a PC port, Take-Two has not announced Grand Theft Auto 5 for the PC at this time.
Real Racing 2, Grand Theft Auto, others on sale this weekend
A whole slew of apps are going on sale this weekend, including Firemint's Real Racing 2 (which has dropped down to half price at US$4.99) and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (also $4.99, down by the same discount). Adult Swim's hilarious little Robot Unicorn Attack running game is only 99 cents, on sale for both iPad and iPhone. In fact, all of the Adult Swim titles are on sale for just 99 cents, so you can look through those to see what you like. I'm not sure what the impetus is behind this sale, but it's best not to ask questions. If you need a few new games to play this weekend (and honestly, I'm not sure you do, given all of the great titles on the App Store lately -- I'm still loving Battleheart), there you go.
GTA: Chinatown Wars HD out for iPad, this is what it looks like
As promised last week, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad has arrived in the App Store. It's $10 (the same price as the iPhone version -- shame it's not a universal app), and you can see what that Hamilton would get you in the gallery past the break. %Gallery-101832%
GTA: Chinatown Wars HD hotwires iPad Sept. 9
Though Rockstar missed its original June release date for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on iPad, the delay might have been worth it for a cool release date: September 9 (a.k.a. "9/9"), which goes very well with the $9.99 price. That's actually the same price as the iPhone version, and you get updated graphics for that (relatively) enormous iPad screen! Like the iPhone version, Chinatown Wars HD includes a customizable "Independence Radio" station, so you can listen to your own music while fueling gang wars and looking for the most profitable drug deals, and then keep the music going when you play Grand Theft Auto.
PSN Summer Sale: get PixelJunk Shooter, GTA Chinatown Wars, and more cheap
If you've been hesitating to pull the trigger on any PSN purchases, that hesitation is now paying off. Sony just announced temporary discounts on a bunch of downloadable PSN games and Minis. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for $15, anyone? How about PixelJunk Shooter for $5?
GTA Chinatown Wars on iPad this month
Take-Two is set to release its least portable version yet of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. G4 reports that, during yesterday's investor conference call, CEO Ben Feder outed plans to release an iPad version of the game, which was originally designed for the Nintendo DS and has since been ported to PSP and iPhone. No specific features were named for the upgraded version, though we can expect improved graphics and virtual controls that occupy less of the screen space. Feder said that the iPad port will be available "later this month."
GTA: Chinatown Wars accounts for 50% of M-rated sales on DS
Here's how you make Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars sound like a massive sales success: "As of February 2010, Chinatown Wars' unit sales in the US represented nearly 50 percent of the unit sales of all M-rated DS titles in the history of the platform." That's Take-Two CEO Ben Feder, via MCV, putting Chinatown Wars' sales into perspective. That means it met the combined sales of the 6 M-rated games on DS to date, which include Dementium: The Ward, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence and Ultimate Mortal Kombat, and the smaller releases: Theresia, Touch the Dead and C.O.R.E. Despite comparing GTA's sales to 3 games most people have never heard of, 2 games that most people didn't know were on DS, and Dementium, Feder kind of admitted that the game's sales weren't where Take-Two wanted them to be, echoing Nintendo's statement last December. What's to blame? Piracy, of course. "Piracy is a real and present danger for our industry and must be addressed, especially in the handheld market," he said. "The commercial performance of Chinatown Wars has certainly suffered at the hands of piracy."
BAFTA video game award nominees announced
The BAFTA awards represent a rare opportunity to get the thrill of watching your favorite high-profile games rack up more plaudits long after the end of the year. They also represent the opinions of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, but whatever. The nominations for the 2009 awards have been released, with mostly unsurprising games occupying the "Best Game" category -- Batman, Assassin's Creed II, Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Joystiq.com Game of the Year 2009 Uncharted 2 -- and FIFA 2009. In the "people's choice" GAME Awards, all of the Best Game nominees but Left 4 Dead 2 make repeat appearances, joined by The Beatles: Rock Band, GTA Chinatown Wars, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Street Fighter IV, and Wii Sports Resort. "Everyone's" tastes are much more diverse! See more nominations for specific genres and achievements at the BAFTA site. The winners will be revealed in an award ceremony on March 19.
Review: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Grand Theft Auto is, at this point, one of the most storied franchises in video game history. It was already huge back during the days of DMA Design, when it was a top-down open world crime game with an attitude, but with the coming of Grand Theft Auto 3 on the console generation, the series turned into a full-fledged classic, with the sales, media attention, and depth to match the fun found in those first games. Nowadays, the series has already been through a number of other reboots, and Chinatown Wars on the Nintendo DS was just another one of those: a return to the game's top-down graphics along with the addition of new elements from the 3D versions and a few touchscreen tricks. Now, the release of the game on the iPhone [iTunes link] shows that GTA is ready for another segment of its life, and that the iPhone itself is ready for the big market titles to start making a splash. I'll say this: there has not yet been a game on the App Store that is so worth the $9.99 Rockstar is selling this one for. If you're a fan of Grand Theft Auto, and, like me, haven't played this latest handheld iteration, you're in for a treat (it's the highest rated game on the DS' Metacritic page, and while I don't agree that it's the best title on that platform, it is an excellent game). And even if you're not a huge GTA fan (this game does have all the swearing and questionable morality that the bigger versions of the series are known for), just know that this game is a great example of what big-time developers on the iPhone should aim for. Indie games are great, but this one's a blockbuster.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars now available on iPhone and iPod touch
Rockstar Games told us a while back that they'd be releasing their DS hit Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on the iPhone, and sure enough, last night it appeared on the App Store [iTunes link]. Touch Arcade got a head start on the game -- they've got some quick impressions and some gameplay video up on their site right now. The game appears to be a pretty faithful port of the highest-rated Nintendo DS game over on Metacritic, offering up GTA gameplay in a more isometric view that hearkens back to the original games in the series, before GTA III took things fully 3D. The main difference, of course, is that there are no buttons to play with, so you've got to deal with the usual touchscreen controls, and you can now listen to your iTunes playlists along with the in-game radio, but other than that, this is Grand Theft Auto officially on the iPhone. Cool. We've confirmed with Rockstar that this is an official release (they didn't drop it accidentally, though like Touch Arcade, we expected a little more warning), so you can head on over to the App Store and pick it up for $9.99 right now (half the price of the DS version, in case you thought that was high). We're playing with a copy of the game right now, so you can look for a more in-depth review later this week.
GTA Chinatown Wars brings the battle to iPhone
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars keeps driving around for an audience, with the excellent handheld entry in the crime sim franchise quietly releasing on iPhone last night. TouchArcade notes that in its third platform iteration, behind DS and PSP, the $10 game uses on-screen buttons similarly to Gameloft's Gangstar and retains the DS stylus minigames. It would seem that those who can get around the button-less interface are in for a full GTA experience that costs less than a dime bag. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars ($9.99):
Best of the Rest: JC's picks of 2009
Muramasa: The Demon Blade Muramasa appealed to me in a way that Odin Sphere didn't, thanks to an emphasis on combo-heavy sword action instead of planting and whatever. And the RPG elements that are left, like the sword upgrades and cooking, are not only fun, but simple enough that I can get right back into the game after a long break and still know what is going on. Also, I don't mean to be shallow, but the fact that Muramasa is the most beautiful game of 2009 helps me be positive about it.
Grand Theft Auto franchise may have 'peaked,' according to analyst
While Take-Two has a number of solid properties, such as BioShock and Borderlands, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto is unquestionably its largest and most important franchise. However, sluggish sales of recent GTA efforts, from the handheld Chinatown Wars to the 360-exclusive DLC Episodes from Liberty City, have Broadpoint AmTech analyst Ben Schachter worried about the future of Take-Two's flagship brand. "Has the Grand Theft Auto franchise peaked? Given the strength of GTA IV in 2008, the question may seem misplaced, but our concern is that the very highly rated new GTA content for Xbox as well as PSP and DS did not perform up to expectations in 2009," Scahchter notes, while addressing potential criticisms to his claim. "Now, we very clearly understand that these do not represent 'true' new GTA titles. However, the fact is that these were compelling titles, attractively priced, and reasonably well-promoted, yet they fell relatively flat." Considering well over ten million people purchased GTA IV, the lackluster sales for these spin-off efforts is even more evident. Does the GTA name no longer carry the weight it once did? Or, are gamers simply waiting for a game that doesn't take place in Liberty City?
Rockstar Social Club adds new features for Chinatown Wars PSP
Even if you're playing Grand Theft Auto on a portable system, the Rockstar Social Club is waiting to welcome you with open arms ... and flying ducks. The online hub has just added new features to mark the launch of GTA: Chinatown Wars on PSP.Aside from some new downloadable papercrafts (joy!) the site has added a minigame called Peking Duck Hunt which you can play to earn in-game cash. Just between you and us though, you'll probably have more fun just skipping straight to the real game.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars looking grand in new PSP trailer
It's a big week for Grand Theft Auto trailers! First we got a new Episodes from Liberty City clip, and today, Rockstar sent out a trailer for the PSP version of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, which comes out on October 20. We didn't realize it was so soon! Of course, if you have a DS, it comes out a lot sooner -- seven months ago, in fact -- but no matter how many times this wonderful game is released, it'll be exciting every time. The graphical update on the PSP version looks nice, even if the trailer makes it hard to actually see the game. If these moving images aren't enough, check Kotaku for some new screens. And yes, two trailers counts as a big week.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars breaking into iPhones this fall
Having made less of a splash than expected on the DS, Rockstar now seems intent on throwing Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars at every handheld gaming platform to see what sticks. Days after showing the first screens of the PSP version, the company has announced a version of the game headed to iPhone and iPod Touch this fall. There are no screens or details about this release yet, but in the announcement, Sam Houser calls Chinatown Wars "a perfect match for the iPhone and iPod touch." Almost as perfect as it was for the DS, the system for which it was designed! We're very interested in how GTA will work without buttons. In a morbid kind of way. %Gallery-71116%
First screens of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars PSP hijacked
Click to steal more screens. PSP owners expecting a Liberty City Stories-styled facelift for the upcoming port of Chinatown Wars may be a little disappointed. One glance at the first batch of PSP screenshots shows that the game hasn't strayed far from its DS origins. Sure, the enhanced lighting effects and widescreen presentation are noticeable improvements, but it's clear that this GTA isn't pushing the hardware in any significant way.Hopefully, the visuals won't stop PSP owners from checking out the game. It may be a port of a DS game, but it's a port of one of the best DS games ever. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be available on UMD and PSN on October 20.%Gallery-71116%
GTA: Chinatown Wars runs over PSP and PSN on October 20th
The upcoming PSP port of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be available -- in both UMD and PSP Go-friendly downloadable formats -- on October 20th. Rockstar Games still hasn't shown what kind of enhancements will be made to the one-time DS game, nor have they released any screenshots of the game in action. We understand Rockstar's penchant for secrecy, but considering this is one of the few titles Take-Two has planned for the holiday season, we recommend they get the hype-wagon (pictured above) revved up soon.
