Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for iPhone [review]

Get ready to cause massive mayhem with your iPhone! Guess what showed up in the Apple App Store this week? Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

The main character in the game is Huang Lee, a smart-ass kid who wants to avenge the murder of his mafia boss father and keep control of his father’s Hong Kong Triad empire. Just like most GTA games, you start our small doing seedy missions and build your way up to the big time. And yes, you can expect plenty of colorful characters throughout the game.

At $9.99, it’s one of the more expensive games in the Apple App Store, but keep in mind, this is a very deep game. It’s also one of the most sophisticated iPhone apps we’ve ever seen. There are plenty of missions to keep the average gamer busy for months.

The controls were a little difficult for us, especially while driving. The game left us wanting some sort of directional-pad or gaming controller add-on for the iPhone. We’ve seen iPhone gaming grips, but none yet with D-pads.

If you’re a big GTA fan, then the eagle-eye perspective in Chinatown Wars will probably remind you of some of the original GTA games from the late ’90s. Just like in Grand Theft Auto 2 (now a free PC download), the vehicles all look like Matchbox cars.

If you have a long plane ride in your future or a boring commute, then you’ll no doubt enjoy this game. And we’re sure it will sell like hotcakes GTA fans with iPhones.

You can download GTA: Chinatown Wars for iPhone and iPod Touch from the Apple App Store here.

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