Intro

Rockstar’s top money-making and controversy-creating franchise is back. Since the game revolutionized the free roaming action genre on the original Playstation, each successor only met with more hype and more critical success. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is no exception to that rule. The game picks up the basic formula used in its predecessors and improves on it, making it perfectly suited for a handheld game.

Gameplay

Welcome back to Rockstar’s jungle gym. In terms of city design, there isn’t much difference from GTA III and GTA: LCS. All the familiar landmarks are there, with a few alterations. The game has you playing in the shoes of Toni Cipriani, who works under the Leone family. Cipriani is basically the Leones' “go to” guy. You are told what to do, such as getting rid of a rival Mafia gang, and then you’re expected to do it. Or else. In what is certainly a unique twist on the storytelling element, Toni has to “run a few errands” for his mother. All of his actions are in vain however, because he can never seem to stay out of trouble, and in the end Mommy has to make sure he is taken out. I guess this is one face a mother just can’t love.

Unfortunately, the storyline just isn’t as enjoyable as it is on the consoles. The game doesn’t really have any major plot twists. Where there are some, they are depicted very poorly, and leave you wanting more details about what is going on. The game also seems to lack a personality. No character stands out enough to be remembered once you’re done playing. The dialogue does have its share of humorous comments, which is definitely a plus. Missions remain fairly the same, with the core gameplay element having been left untouched. You can still do all the things you have come to love in GTA games, such as beating people down with a bat, spraying bullets into an unsuspecting crowd, and jacking a car and running over anyone who stands in your way. To complete the necessary missions and storyline will only take a maximum of 15 hours, but technically that is only a fraction of the overall game. With tons of extra missions, things to find, and vehicles to jack, GTA: LCS can easily extend to 40-50 hours, more then enough to suit most people looking for a lengthy handheld game.


Hop on the hog and go for a spin.

Of course, what would GTA be without a gigantic selection of weapons to chose from? Simple guns like a pistol can be found by almost every enemy, but eventually you’ll start getting weapons you really treasure. Picking up ammo for your weapons is a must, unless you want to find yourself unarmed in the middle of a firefight. So it's always good to do a frisking of a dead enemy before you leave the area. Remember, weapons don’t always have to be firearms. For the most part, automobiles are considered weapons when used the incorrect way, and since this is GTA, we all know the way to achieve this. To accommodate our thirst for a hit and run, Rockstar was kind enough to include a motorcycle in GTA: LCS, a vehicle which was not present in GTA III.

GTA: LCS features some decent control schemes, some of which are implemented to the best possible degree, and others which just miss the bar. The analog nub on the PSP is suited well to driving a vehicle, but on foot it is a bit quirky. This also affects the aiming of a gun during a skirmish. Often the controls feel just a tad too slippery. This is certainly not something we are used to in GTA games since we have been spoiled by the PS2 and Xbox control layouts. The controls leave much to be desired, but aren't a total miss.