Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars — Final Thoughts

I actually finished Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars' story sooner than I had expected. The campaign was surprisingly short, but long enough that it was able to tell its banal story sufficiently. I'll spare you having to reread my comments and criticisms from my First Impressions and Extended Play (if you really want to, click the links), suffice to say, the game's strengths and weaknesses remained consistent throughout. The story's ending was predictable and anticlimactic, but the levels leading up to it were appropriately epic, including a rocket-launcher-armed battle against an Annihilator attack chopper.

Once the credits roll and the game save, the city is your playground. Dealers stay in their locations and continue to send you trade tips. Ammu-Nation will still have weekly (in-game time) sales, and any security cameras or random strangers will still be there for you to find. One new goal that only gets unlocked after completing the story mode are the Lions of Fo, two golden statues hidden somewhere in the city (it's random for every game) which unlock something once they're found. (I won't spoil what it is, except that you shouldn't trade in your game quite yet.

Actually, I've found more useful items and missions since I finished the story mode than I did during the campaign itself. I discovered that CW has its own version of Achievements, but unlike the Xbox versions, these are actually useful, gaining you special bonuses like double body armor, regenerating health, bullet-proof cars, and more. For example, complete all the Paramedic missions, and you'll earn infinite sprinting. Ironically, this means you'd actually be better off completing these extra tasks before starting the main missions if you want to take full advantage of their benefits. Even still, they provide goals to strive for after completing the story.

Overall, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was, and still is, worth the money. If you're a fan of previous GTA games, especially the ones on the PS1 and PS2, you'll feel right at home with CW's lighter tone and varied gameplay. I've yet to try its multiplayer options out — maybe I'll append this review once I get the chance — but for a single player experience, there are very few DS game I could recommend more. CW will remain in my DS for a long time to come.

9.5
Yea: huge, detailed city to explore; tons of missions and bonuses; drug trading eliminates the money problem, and makes for a fun distraction; witty dialog
Nay: short, boring story; unreliable aiming; speeding through the city not nearly as fun as the console GTAs

(Even more) Classic Nintendo games that haven't been remade, but should be; Part III

Finally, the long awaited Part III of my list. For those of you who are discovering this for the first time, you might want to start at the beginning by clicking here.

11. Perfect Dark — (This game falls into a strange position, because the publishing rights are no longer owned by Nintendo, but since the game was originally released for the N64, it still counts for this list.) When Rare released GoldenEye 007 for the N64 two years after the movie was released, MGM pulled the rights for them to make more Bond games, despite the game's critical acclaim and enormous commercial success. This did not deter Rare, however, from making another first person stealth shooter using the GoldenEye engine, which would vastly expand on the familiar gameplay of its predecessor. Perfect Dark boasted hi-res graphics (for the time), dynamic lighting effects, full voice acting, Dolby Pro Logic surround sound, and the most advanced AI ever seen in a console FPS. Unfortunately, the aging hardware was not always able to keep up with the new technology, and gameplay suffered as a result. The game itself was still incredible, and while a long-awaited sequel was eventually released for the Xbox 360, it failed to live up to the standards of the original. Most recently, Rare and new parent Microsoft have been campaigning for a simultaneous release of GoldenEye on both Wii Shop Channel and Xbox Live Arcade, but cannot agree with Nintendo on the financial details. Personally, I think Perfect Dark's improved gameplay, especially its multiplayer options, would be better suited for a modern rerelease. They could finally fix the framerate issue once and for all, and actually have a decent Perfect Dark game on the 360!
    
    (UPDATE: I discovered Perfect Dark was actually published by Rare, not Nintendo. Technically, Rare was owned by Nintendo at the time so I'm not removing it from the list, but I wanted to be clear that while this kind of bends my own rule, it fits my interpretation of it.)



12. Super Mario 64 — When Super Mario 64 came out, it changed the face of gaming forever. 3D gaming was here to stay. As always with pioneers, its technological advances have been superseded in the 15 years since its release. It is time Nintendo remade one of the best Mario games ever. Sure, there was Super Mario 64 DS, but that was more of a port with very few graphical or gameplay enhancements. (Actually, the lack of true analog controls was a bit of a step backwards.) I would much rather play a SM64 "WiiMake" with Super Mario Galaxy graphics, Zelda-esque motion controls for punching, and tilt sensor controls for flying. Or, if you prefer, the good ol' GameCube controller. They can keep Luigi as a playable character, but lose Yoshi and Wario. They don't fit in, they're kind of annoying, and it made the game feel too much like Sonic Adventures.



13. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time — Another classic from the N64 era, The Legend of Zelda's first foray into the 3D realm was long awaited, and eagerly anticipated. From its first appearance at Nintendo's Space World in '95 (less than a year before the N64 itself was released), to its arrival in gold cartridges in fall of '98, it went through several overhauls, not to mention delays. What resulted was a practically perfect game, and one that gained a single digit spot on most gamers' and gaming publications' "Top x Games of All Time" lists. Ocarina pushed the N64 to its limits more than just about any other game that did not require the Expansion Pak. It was everything a Zelda game should be, and so much more; and it looked incredible… for the time. Twilight Princess has since painted a much more detailed picture of Hyrule, and after trying to play OoT on my HDTV with the Wii and component video cables, I have to say, it does not fare well in 480p. It wouldn't take much to fix that. Here's what you do: Select all graphics, cut and paste in TP's visuals. Add in some Wii Remote slashing and shooting and you've got a classic Zelda game that fits perfectly on modern technology. (Hopefully they can do it without having to completely mirror the whole game!)



14. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures — Here's a great game that fell by the wayside thanks to the unbelievable amount of crap required to play it as intended: A GameCube, the game disc, 4 Game Boy Advance systems, 4 GameCube-Game Boy Advance Link Cables, and four people who can cooperate long enough to accomplish simple tasks without trying to throw each other into hazards and stealing force gems. Once all these essential components came together however, you had a multiplayer experience that stood alongside Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. for sheer enjoyment. The story was a resounding "meh," but who really cares when you're busy attacking enemies and solving puzzles with three of your friends, while simultaneously competing for the most force gems? Not I! This game doesn't even need a graphical update. The enhanced 16-bit style graphics and sound were perfect for the game, but the interface was atrocious. The DS can connect to the Wii wirelessly, and everybody in the world owns at least one DS. (I myself have owned a total of four, but that's another story.) Heck, they could even cut the Wii out of the equation entirely if they wanted and just put it on the DS.



15. Metroid 3: Super Metroid — I originally had no intentions of including Super Metroid on this list. I mean, why remake a game that's already considered perfect by most gamers? Well, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'm just going to let THIS speak for itself. Throw in the mission objective markers introduced in Metroid Prime and Fusion and you've just managed to make a perfect game even better!

So, there's my list. I invite everyone to add their own additions in the comments section. Remember the rules listed in Part II. If I can come up with enough other games, I'll make a Part IV, but for now, I'm retiring this series. Hope you all enjoyed it!

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars — Extended Play

It's been a long time since my First Impressions (I actually wrote this about two weeks ago, but haven't had the time to type it up) and while I've spent countless hours playing the game, I've only recently reached 50% completion. There are two reasons for this: 1) several hours into the game I accidentally shut my DS off while it was saving and I lost my progress and had to start again from the beginning. And 2) while I have spent a lot of time playing, less than half of that time was spent on critical missions. Most of it has been spent looking for security cameras, drug dealers, and hidden side missions. This is a benefit of GTA's open ended design: that if you don't want to, you don't have to follow the campaign to enjoy the game.

Which is just as well, because even at the halfway mark, the story is as pointless and unengaging as it began. It's a shame, because previous games in the main series have raised the bar for GTA storylines, but Rockstar Leeds has not had as glowing a track record, so this is not unexpected. Fortunately, the text-based cutscenes are filled with witty dialog, so story segments are never boring.

Most missions are standard GTA fare: get a car, go to the point on your map, kill/destroy/pick up someone or something, then maybe go someplace else to either end the mission, or repeat your original task. Occasionally, however, CW throws you a curveball by giving you some touch-screen based action to perform in between, or even during, the overhead tasks. So far I've sabotaged a race car, planted bugs, and smashed padlocks in the line of duty. One mission even had me performing CPR on a dying crime lord while trying to escape the cops and deliver him safely to my boss (only to discover his true intentions). Another had me emptying a trunk of evidence and burning it. These are the things that make GTA:CW stand out from the other games in the series, and even genre. They give the game a more tactile interactivity that is lacking in console games.

What has not ceased to amaze me is how much fun there is in simply exploring the city. Aside from cameras and dealers, you'll find lots of hidden weapons, dumpsters (that you can search for weapons, drugs, and other useful and useless items), rampages (absent from GTA4), and facsimiles of familiar New York City landmarks. Anyone who's played through GTA4 will recognize buildings and locations, as both games feature the same iteration of Liberty City, and a very similar layout.

As I predicted in my First Impressions, drug trading has become an obsession. I am constantly checking email and chasing tip-offs. Some of the most fun I've had has been racing around the city, grabbing as much of a certain product as possible, and trying to sell it all to the highest bidder before time runs out. It's also a source on unending income. For better or for worse, drug trading has eliminated the concern of how much money you have. It was especially helpful that I bought a first edition copy of the game, meaning I was eligible for the bonus $10,000 for registering with Rockstar Games Social Club, which I sync my game with daily. I spent all this money on goods which I sold later to get a head start on my fortunes.

I plan on focusing more on completing the game's story in the coming weeks, so I can get this full review done. Keep checking in. I'm trying to get back into the habit of weekly posts, and I have a few already lined up.

UPDATE: Final Thoughts is... err, are up! Click here to read it... umm, them!

Is it time for a new Virtual Boy?

We all know some version of this story: Nintendo's only failed console. (I think the expression "epic fail" would be appropriate here.) The brainchild of Game Boy creator Gunpei Yokoi, the Virtual Boy spent so much time and money in research and development that Nintendo grew impatient and released the unit prematurely, before it could be perfected. As a result we ended up with a bulky, delicate machine with a single color monitor and a short battery life. What's worse, the cost of developing the system resulted in a $180 price tag, $50 more than any other Nintendo portable prior or since (excluding the recently released DSi, which started at $170).

The Virtual Boy's problem mostly stemmed from technology of the time. The system was powered by a 32-bit processor, which were still relatively new. Stereoscopic vision required two screens, and in order for those screens to be visible inside the dark visor, each needed to be lit; and since color displays were expensive, Nintendo, probably pointing to the Game Boy's monochromatic success, opted for a single color display. Red was chosen because it was cheaper and less harmful to the eyes over extended periods of time than other colors. With all this cutting edge technology inside, it needed a much larger shell, which made the Virtual Boy less portable than Nintendo had hoped, and the 9 volts of power needed to run the system required 6 AAs, which lasted only a few hours.

That was then…

Today we can fit a 64-bit processor into a device the size of a calculator. LCD screens can display millions of colors in high-definition, while backlight panels are cheap and reliable. Several gigabytes of data can be stored on a card smaller than a penny. Lithium Ion batteries are steadily dropping in price and can handle a lot of power for dozens of hours before recharging. 3D replication is now popular and commonplace in the media, and Nintendo has already produced a portable with two independent screens capable of 3D polygonal graphics. What I am trying to say is it is high time for the Big N to bring us a fully realized successor to the ill-fated Virtual Boy, and this time they can do it right.

Imagine Star Fox or Mario Kart in full 3D. We may never see another GoldenEye, but I'm sure Metroid Prime developer Retro Studios could bring us an amazing first person shooter. And you know Miyamoto would have some mind-blowing concept to sell the system right off the bat. A video out port could make the games a little more social by allowing spectators to follow the action on a TV, and Wi-Fi would make multiplay a snap.

Just thinking about it gets me excited for the potential future of gaming. I love my Virtual Boy, but it is a novelty item at best. Nintendo has proven they can build innovative, market dominating systems. Let's see this pioneering spirit applied to a new frontier of gaming, and finally bring honor to the late Yokoi-san, and his final major project for Nintendo, the Virtual Boy!