Number 1:
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars - AU $12.99
I had alot of trouble deciding what game I would chose for the number one spot in my countdown. I'll say up front that I have probably spend the least amount of time playing GTA:CW compared to the other games on my iPod Touch. If I hadn't already sunk countless hours into the Nintendo DS version of the game, however, I am sure I would have played the iPod version much more.
I really don't feel like it's necessary to go into the details of the game itself here. Suffice to say, GTA:CW sees the player control Huang Lee, the sarcastic protagonist, in a top-down version of what is, in essence at least, a fully-fledged GTA game. Rather than go into the details of the game as it has appeared on all the three devices it is available for, I will just discuss some factors that make it a great game for the iPhone/iPod Touch.
With its port to the Sony PSP, GTA:CW lost the touch-screen minigames that really did gave a certain character to the gameplay experience as a whole. The iPhone/iPod Touch version, however, brings the touchscreen activity back in a big and, arguably, better way. iPhone/iPod Touch users are no longer required to have a pokey stylus on hand while exploring Liberty City. I recall having a problem with the Nintendo DS version regarding where I was to keep my stylus during the driving sequences where it was not of any use. The ability to touch the screen directly feels much more natural than the Nintendo method and results in an easier time when attempting to hotwire a car or throw a Molotov cocktail. In regards to the touchscreen usability, I am a tiny bit disappointed that the iPhone/iPod Touch version is without the ability to 'flick' a coin into a tollbooth when crossing from one island to another. Unlike the Nintendo DS version, iPhone/iPod Touch users simply have stop at the tollbooth for a few seconds.
As far as visuals go, GTA:CW is one of the most graphically intense and thoroughly detailed games available on the App Store. The game features a day/night cycle as well as weather variability (when it rains pedestrians whip out their umbrellas). The missions themselves are short enough to be completed in 5 minute (or shorter) burts. If a mission is failed, there is an option to return to the cutscene that started the mission.
There are honestly too many good things to say about this game. The one that really sticks out in my mind, however, is the drug dealing system. Near the start of the game, Huang Lee is introduced to the burgeoning Liberty City drug trade. After a brief tutorial, the player is given the freedom of buying and selling a wide variety of illicit drugs according to current market swings. I know that this game within a game was the main reason I spent so many hours playing GTA:CW on the Nintendo DS. With the use of the drug-market analysis features found within the interface of the game, becoming a wealthy drug-baron has never been easier (or more entertaining).
Another thing I love about this game is its price. The Nintendo DS and Sony PSP iterations of the game can still retail for over AU $50. The fact that the version available on the App Store is superior to the other versions, in addition to the fact that it is less than a quarter of the price, makes Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the iPhone/iPod Touch a bargain in every sense of the word.
While I love all the games I have reviewed in this top 5 list, I think the GTA:CW is the overall winner in terms of quality, longevity, widespread appeal and value for money.
I really don't feel like it's necessary to go into the details of the game itself here. Suffice to say, GTA:CW sees the player control Huang Lee, the sarcastic protagonist, in a top-down version of what is, in essence at least, a fully-fledged GTA game. Rather than go into the details of the game as it has appeared on all the three devices it is available for, I will just discuss some factors that make it a great game for the iPhone/iPod Touch.
With its port to the Sony PSP, GTA:CW lost the touch-screen minigames that really did gave a certain character to the gameplay experience as a whole. The iPhone/iPod Touch version, however, brings the touchscreen activity back in a big and, arguably, better way. iPhone/iPod Touch users are no longer required to have a pokey stylus on hand while exploring Liberty City. I recall having a problem with the Nintendo DS version regarding where I was to keep my stylus during the driving sequences where it was not of any use. The ability to touch the screen directly feels much more natural than the Nintendo method and results in an easier time when attempting to hotwire a car or throw a Molotov cocktail. In regards to the touchscreen usability, I am a tiny bit disappointed that the iPhone/iPod Touch version is without the ability to 'flick' a coin into a tollbooth when crossing from one island to another. Unlike the Nintendo DS version, iPhone/iPod Touch users simply have stop at the tollbooth for a few seconds.
As far as visuals go, GTA:CW is one of the most graphically intense and thoroughly detailed games available on the App Store. The game features a day/night cycle as well as weather variability (when it rains pedestrians whip out their umbrellas). The missions themselves are short enough to be completed in 5 minute (or shorter) burts. If a mission is failed, there is an option to return to the cutscene that started the mission.
There are honestly too many good things to say about this game. The one that really sticks out in my mind, however, is the drug dealing system. Near the start of the game, Huang Lee is introduced to the burgeoning Liberty City drug trade. After a brief tutorial, the player is given the freedom of buying and selling a wide variety of illicit drugs according to current market swings. I know that this game within a game was the main reason I spent so many hours playing GTA:CW on the Nintendo DS. With the use of the drug-market analysis features found within the interface of the game, becoming a wealthy drug-baron has never been easier (or more entertaining).
Another thing I love about this game is its price. The Nintendo DS and Sony PSP iterations of the game can still retail for over AU $50. The fact that the version available on the App Store is superior to the other versions, in addition to the fact that it is less than a quarter of the price, makes Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the iPhone/iPod Touch a bargain in every sense of the word.
While I love all the games I have reviewed in this top 5 list, I think the GTA:CW is the overall winner in terms of quality, longevity, widespread appeal and value for money.
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