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The latest issue of Nintendo Power magazine includes the first solid info on Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for Nintendo DS. We don’t have a copy of the magazine in the office, but thankfully a helpful NeoGaf member has posted all the info.
According to the magazine we can expect a true GTA experience – it’s an M rated sandbox action title, set in an open-world Liberty City with a gritty crime narrative. The action will be presented using an isometric camera angle and Rockstar has gone for a cel-shaded style.
The mag also mentions the return of a PDA-based user interface, which acts as a hub for email, contacts, map, music player, GPS and stat tracking (these can be uploaded to the Rockstar Social Club).
The game will use a mix of d-pad aiming and auto targeting with the R button, plus some touch screen implementation on mini-games and the interface. Missions have been designed for shorter periods of play, with a failed mission being easy to jump back into.
The visuals are also said to be holding up pretty well on the DS, featuring a solid frame rate and draw distance, real-time weather, a 24 hour day/night cycle and lots of pedestrians and cars on screen. This might be thanks to the 800,000 lines of optimised source code. Audio has always played a huge part in GTA and Chinatown Wars will feature plenty of radio stations, although this time with more instrumental tracks than usual.
The game’s expected this winter so it’s likely we’ll get plenty more information soon.
