Today we are causing more carnage with our Grand Theft Auto Retrospective, but this time the carnage is happening in the palm of your hand!
Grand Theft Auto China Town Wars (2009/10) Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, MobileFirst released on the Nintendo DS and then the PlayStation Portable. Grand Theft Auto China Town Wars was kind of a throwback to the series roots with its top down style. But this time the graphics did have a kind of 3D effect to them. In all honesty, this graphical style really suited the DS, but many felt the PSP could have done a lot better.
The game sees you play the role of Huang Lee who is the son of a major Triad gangster. You want to make a name for yourself and you do this by going on a rampage through the streets of Liberty City. China Town Wars did have a few interesting gameplay mechanics. The way you dealt with police was interesting as when you had a wanted level, this would dictate the amount of police that was after you so if it was level 5, you would have to take down 5 police cars to get the wanted level down. China Town Wars got a lot of attention at the time for its drug dealing subplot. This was really in depth and added a lot of strategy to the game.
The Nintendo DS version of the game made use of the touch screen and the microphone. The game actually handled this in a good way and it did not feel tacked on. The PSP version has upgraded graphics and would change the touch screen mini games to quick time events. The PSP version also had more missions and far better quality sound. The mobile versions of the game were optimized for mobile devices and returned most of the touchscreen controls.
Grand Theft Auto China Town Wars very well received on the Nintendo DS and despite being far different from the other PSP GTA games, that version was also critically acclaimed, although it did not sell as well as the other PSP Grand Theft Auto games.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 Loot Boxes Need Work
After spending a lot of time with the Star Wars Battlefront 2 beta, the game is a ton of fun and is shaping up to be one of the best shooters of 2017. DICE really have done an amazing job and they really are pumping the game full of content.
Loot boxes in games are going to be a major thing in the next couple of years. Overwatch is what we have to thank for that, but to be fair, Overwatch handles their loot boxes (or crates) very well. But Star Wars Battlefront 2 is showing the ugly side of loot boxes. Rather than just get items that will change the appearance of your characters. The loot boxes in Star Wars Battlefront 2 are all about enhancing your character. Buffs that make you do more damage or take less damage. New and more powerful weapons and things that will make a real difference on the battlefield. The problem is the way you earn “currency” in the game is pretty messed up and you get no more currency for carrying your team to victory than if you are the weakest player on your team!
Plus it takes what feels like an age to earn enough to get a loot box that contains a Star Card which has an upgrade that it is a grind that feels like a bit of a slap in the face. One popular YouTuber made the point that the upgrade system in Battlefront 2 is like what you would find in a free to play game and it is hard to argue with that.
From a gameplay point of view, Star Wars Battlefront 2 is incredible, but it will be interesting to see if players are going to be happy with the way these loot boxes are handled.
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