Fly in my eyE

GTA:LCS Review Round-up

GTA: Liberty City Stories was released last Tuesday for the PS2. While the game was a landmark for portable gaming on the PSP, the translation back to the PS2 has left some people feeling a little cold. I'd suggest that anyone who has played the PSP version needn’t bother with the PS2 version, but GTA fans who want something to tide them over until October 2007 when GTA 4 hits will find it is worth it’s low price tag of $20 if they lower their expectations a little and basically look at it as it it were a GTA 3 mission pack—because that’s essentialy what it is. I personaly really dug the radio stations (alot of the reviews out there singled them out as the one of the game’s short comings) and I welcomed the return to a mafia focused plot. Plus you can drive PCJ600’s in Liberty. Thats fucking cool dude! The graphics look pretty shity, but I havent touched a PS2 game in months, and my eyes are used to games on the 360 now.... so basically any PS2 game looks like shit to me. (Update: Over the weekend I fired up all 3 previous GTA’s on the PS2 and there is a definite difference between LCS’s graphics and GTA 3’s. The textures are less detailed, the lighting isn’t as nice, the car models are blocky and less detailed, and overall the graphics look muddy compared to the ‘real’ GTA games.) A big problem I had with the PSP version was the control as the PSP only has 1 analog nub. The PS2 version addresses this and now we have a targeting system thats a hybrid between the targeting in Vice and San Andreas. You can also use the right analogue as a free camera on foot and in a vehicle like in San Andreas. This alone makes the game more fun to play than the PSP version in my opinion. I give the PSP version a 9/10, and the PS2 version a 7/10.

The game has an 80% ranking on gameranking.com. Here’s what the press are saying:

“I've spent an unnatural amount of time clawing away at LCS over the past three days, and if Liberty City's the star then the pass-the-parcel approach to game design is the man behind the curtain. The vehicles, for example, grow from a simple affection for Stallions, Sentinels and PCJ-600 bikes with a craving for roadsters to a bedrock of Humvees and sports cars, with greater treats teased by missions and familiar fare five hours later. Weapons are the same - with a delight for uzis soon replaced by a lust for rocket launchers and sniper rifles. The pattern of revelation is a familiar one, but as hooks go it's resilient” — Eurogamer, 8/10

“...for those who neither own a PSP, nor ever plan to buy one, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is by no means a terrible game. It's just a very slapped-together title that shows that direct ports of handheld games to PS2 probably aren't a great idea. Granted, there are worse things people could buy for $20, but PSP owners won't find anything new here. And if you haven't played any of the other GTA games, then pick those up before you grab this one. Otherwise, for Grand Theft Auto fans who've mauled the other games, don't own a PSP, and want something to occupy their hot summer nights, this is definitely a good buy for the money.” —Gamespy, 4/5

“The console version of LCS aims for those gamers who couldn’t play the handheld version. With nothing added and multiplayer stripped completely, there’s no reason to buy this game if you’ve already played the original. Still, it nevertheless provides a unique, satisfying experience that fans of the franchise will want to see. It's still a GTA game, after all. Plus, at less than 20 dollars, it’s certainly a lot of game for your dollar.” —IGN, 8/10

“On PSP, the title shined as it marked the first time we got to play a 3D Grand Theft Auto game on the go. It was amazing how accurate it was to the console versions. Now, ported to PS2, Liberty City Stories' main accomplishment is null and void, and what we're left with is a substandard entry in gaming's greatest franchise. It also removed the PSP version's multiplayer component -- which is sad, though not altogether surprising due to the differences between PSP wi-fi and PS2 Internet play.” — Yahoo Games, 3.5/5

posted by Agent 1138 @ 12:00 PM