Everlost_MI
12-19-2005, 08:39 AM
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories Review (PSP)
By Everlost_MI (Brian K. Nichols), Editor in Chief
Rockstar Games has created another chapter in the Grand Theft Auto franchise with the PSP exclusive title, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. This marks the first time a handheld GTA title has been able to not only capture the essence of the console versions of GTA in the sheer amount of depth, freedom and the enormous environments but also improved upon them with the addition of multiplayer as well as a new targeting system. The main storyline will take players at least twenty to twenty-five hours to complete. A GTA title would not be complete without offering a plethora of side missions, races, delivery jobs as well as the hunt for the hundred hidden packages to give players more than enough to do in Liberty City. Unfortunately, the game does not take any considerations in being a portable title as it mirrors its console brethren in the limited or time consuming availability of save locations. It should be mentioned that the short load times throughout the game are quite impressive.
The storyline puts the gamer back in the streets of Liberty City and in the shoes of Toni Cipriani, an up and coming member of the Leone crime family. The Leones have their fingers in everything and as with the previous GTA games the gamer will end up touching nearly every level of the social pecking order in Liberty City as the game progresses. The plot is typical for a GTA title, with the twinges of dark humor to keep the game from being too serious. The game has the feel of GTA III, with in the inclusion of the best of the best from Vice City and San Andreas. For example, being able to use motorcycles and the changing of clothes, entire outfits opposed to specific pieces, have been included in the game.
The control layout for GTA: LCS will feel familiar to players who’ve experienced GTA on the PS2, and for those uninitiated it won’t take long to get used to. The over sensitive analog stick will cause a learning curve in getting used to maneuvering the character, especially the slight pause that is present whenever the direction is changed. Camera control is another issue. The game has a default angle and because the PSP only has one analog stick, the effort in achieving manual camera control is frustrating to say the least. The gamer is forced to stop moving Toni and use the left trigger in conjunction with the analog stick to initiate manual camera control. By standing still for even just a few seconds to adjust the camera in the midst of a cramped firefight is a death wish. One of the results of either being created for the PSP or just the natural evolution of the title is the new targeting system. The targeting system allows the gamer the ability to lock on to targets by holding the right trigger and switch between potential targets with the D-pad. Once the targeting system has been activated, the player has the option of using the analog stick to create a more precise aim. Furthermore, the left trigger can be used in conjunction with the analog stick to slow down the movement of the manual aiming. This is not to say that this targeting system is not without problems. In the midst of a firefight the targeting system will lock on to the nearest target, which more often than not is a civilian or ally. So while the player is attempts to switch to an enemy target, the slight hesitation created by this can cause the Toni to die or take some serious damage before finding a proper target.
The majority of the missions offered in this GTA: LCS are fairly simple with straightforward single objectives such as carjacking a specific car and returning it without destroying it in the process. There are a handful missions that will try the gamer’s patience but that’s more or less the fault of the camera and gaming controls. Nevertheless, the missions as a whole are enjoyable and the game does save one of the best ones for last. The AI for the game is less than perfect. So between the allies who will get stuck in a corner or the cops who are constantly gunning for Toni adds additional frustration to the title. The lack of intelligent AI is not a game killer but Rockstar could have included the ability to issue commands to the allies as they offered in San Andreas.
The multiplayer features of GTA: LCS offer seven different game types including Deathmatch, Capture The Flag as well as team and free-for-all games. To add a bit of spice to the title, additional characters and locations are unlocked for use in multiplayer as the single player game progresses. The multiplayer aspect shines because it mirrors the freedom and access offered in the single player side of the title. It will be interesting to see if Rockstar carries multiplayer over to the non-portable consoles.
The visuals of the game are excellent considering the platform and that GTA series has never been cutting edge on character models/skins. The title looks as good as its predecessors on the PS2 with the similar visual problems of vehicles, landmarks and people suddenly popping up on the horizon while driving fast. The frame rates vary depending on what’s occurring; however the PSP does an outstanding job of keeping up with the large environments. The weather effects are intact and now include snow, but the special effects such as explosions aren’t displayed unless the player is near ground zero of the incident.
The sound effects are standard fare and don‘t really add or detract from the game, but the voice talent used in the cutscenes is excellent. The well acted voiceovers cement and punctuate the storyline as it brings the characters to life. Now what made the GTA series shine in the area of audio, at least in the last few releases, have been the radio stations full of humorous commercials and choice music. In this GTA outing, the selection of music is less robust and the commercials tend to repeat more often than not. The assumption is regarding the repetition of commercial is probably due to the limitations of the PSP.
In conclusion, this is the crown jewel for the PSP. It’s what Halo is for the Xbox. If you’ve got a PSP you should own this, it’s worth the money and it will provide hours worth of entertainment even after completing the main storyline. Sure, the controls are a bit clunkly and you will have to find a happy medium with the camera but it’s worth the effort. Finally, the ability to play multiplayer is the cherry on top.
The Good
It’s GTA (action, mayhem and freedom) but portable.
The action.
Loading times.
Multiplayer.
The Bad
The lack of consideration of offering easy places to save the game, considering it’s a portable title.
AI.
The Ugly
An unintelligent targeting system.
The camera.
Score: http://www.evilavatar.com/images/icons/e4.jpg
4 EvilEyes out of 5.
MSRP: $49.99
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/gtalcs.jpg
By Everlost_MI (Brian K. Nichols), Editor in Chief
Rockstar Games has created another chapter in the Grand Theft Auto franchise with the PSP exclusive title, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. This marks the first time a handheld GTA title has been able to not only capture the essence of the console versions of GTA in the sheer amount of depth, freedom and the enormous environments but also improved upon them with the addition of multiplayer as well as a new targeting system. The main storyline will take players at least twenty to twenty-five hours to complete. A GTA title would not be complete without offering a plethora of side missions, races, delivery jobs as well as the hunt for the hundred hidden packages to give players more than enough to do in Liberty City. Unfortunately, the game does not take any considerations in being a portable title as it mirrors its console brethren in the limited or time consuming availability of save locations. It should be mentioned that the short load times throughout the game are quite impressive.
The storyline puts the gamer back in the streets of Liberty City and in the shoes of Toni Cipriani, an up and coming member of the Leone crime family. The Leones have their fingers in everything and as with the previous GTA games the gamer will end up touching nearly every level of the social pecking order in Liberty City as the game progresses. The plot is typical for a GTA title, with the twinges of dark humor to keep the game from being too serious. The game has the feel of GTA III, with in the inclusion of the best of the best from Vice City and San Andreas. For example, being able to use motorcycles and the changing of clothes, entire outfits opposed to specific pieces, have been included in the game.
The control layout for GTA: LCS will feel familiar to players who’ve experienced GTA on the PS2, and for those uninitiated it won’t take long to get used to. The over sensitive analog stick will cause a learning curve in getting used to maneuvering the character, especially the slight pause that is present whenever the direction is changed. Camera control is another issue. The game has a default angle and because the PSP only has one analog stick, the effort in achieving manual camera control is frustrating to say the least. The gamer is forced to stop moving Toni and use the left trigger in conjunction with the analog stick to initiate manual camera control. By standing still for even just a few seconds to adjust the camera in the midst of a cramped firefight is a death wish. One of the results of either being created for the PSP or just the natural evolution of the title is the new targeting system. The targeting system allows the gamer the ability to lock on to targets by holding the right trigger and switch between potential targets with the D-pad. Once the targeting system has been activated, the player has the option of using the analog stick to create a more precise aim. Furthermore, the left trigger can be used in conjunction with the analog stick to slow down the movement of the manual aiming. This is not to say that this targeting system is not without problems. In the midst of a firefight the targeting system will lock on to the nearest target, which more often than not is a civilian or ally. So while the player is attempts to switch to an enemy target, the slight hesitation created by this can cause the Toni to die or take some serious damage before finding a proper target.
The majority of the missions offered in this GTA: LCS are fairly simple with straightforward single objectives such as carjacking a specific car and returning it without destroying it in the process. There are a handful missions that will try the gamer’s patience but that’s more or less the fault of the camera and gaming controls. Nevertheless, the missions as a whole are enjoyable and the game does save one of the best ones for last. The AI for the game is less than perfect. So between the allies who will get stuck in a corner or the cops who are constantly gunning for Toni adds additional frustration to the title. The lack of intelligent AI is not a game killer but Rockstar could have included the ability to issue commands to the allies as they offered in San Andreas.
The multiplayer features of GTA: LCS offer seven different game types including Deathmatch, Capture The Flag as well as team and free-for-all games. To add a bit of spice to the title, additional characters and locations are unlocked for use in multiplayer as the single player game progresses. The multiplayer aspect shines because it mirrors the freedom and access offered in the single player side of the title. It will be interesting to see if Rockstar carries multiplayer over to the non-portable consoles.
The visuals of the game are excellent considering the platform and that GTA series has never been cutting edge on character models/skins. The title looks as good as its predecessors on the PS2 with the similar visual problems of vehicles, landmarks and people suddenly popping up on the horizon while driving fast. The frame rates vary depending on what’s occurring; however the PSP does an outstanding job of keeping up with the large environments. The weather effects are intact and now include snow, but the special effects such as explosions aren’t displayed unless the player is near ground zero of the incident.
The sound effects are standard fare and don‘t really add or detract from the game, but the voice talent used in the cutscenes is excellent. The well acted voiceovers cement and punctuate the storyline as it brings the characters to life. Now what made the GTA series shine in the area of audio, at least in the last few releases, have been the radio stations full of humorous commercials and choice music. In this GTA outing, the selection of music is less robust and the commercials tend to repeat more often than not. The assumption is regarding the repetition of commercial is probably due to the limitations of the PSP.
In conclusion, this is the crown jewel for the PSP. It’s what Halo is for the Xbox. If you’ve got a PSP you should own this, it’s worth the money and it will provide hours worth of entertainment even after completing the main storyline. Sure, the controls are a bit clunkly and you will have to find a happy medium with the camera but it’s worth the effort. Finally, the ability to play multiplayer is the cherry on top.
The Good
It’s GTA (action, mayhem and freedom) but portable.
The action.
Loading times.
Multiplayer.
The Bad
The lack of consideration of offering easy places to save the game, considering it’s a portable title.
AI.
The Ugly
An unintelligent targeting system.
The camera.
Score: http://www.evilavatar.com/images/icons/e4.jpg
4 EvilEyes out of 5.
MSRP: $49.99
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/gtalcs.jpg