Whereas the touch mini-games are nicely slotted onto the screen, the PDA takes up the centre and is the same size as a non-upscaled iPhone game played on an iPad.
Every menu option in GTA:CW HD is manipulated through a PDA, which is both an example of how the game cleverly and consistently builds worlds within a world, and how it doesn’t always take full advantage of what the iPad offers. The controls for normal gameplay rely on virtual buttons and joysticks, which work well for the most part once you’ve found a button setup that suits your finger position.įinding the perfect balance, though, is an absolute pain. Cleverly kept to the lower-left hand corner of the screen, these small segments kick in whenever you need to perform actions like planting a bug or hot-wiring a car. It’s a strong introduction that introduces the series’ trademark dark humour (the sword’s "tradition" was created by Huang’s father after he won it at a card game), as well as great demonstration of the living, breathing city that will become the playground for the entirety of the game.Įscaping the car also introduces the first of the touch-enabled mini-games unique to this instalment. Naturally, it doesn’t go well, ending up with him being jumped at the airport, shot, and eventually having to smash his way out of a sinking car. NontraditionalĬhinatown Wars opens with Huang Lee arriving in Liberty City to deliver a ceremonial sword to his uncle, a member of the Chinese group the Triads. Minor things, admittedly, but taken together they’re enough to trigger a level of annoyance that prevents the game from achieving the same level of wonderment as the Nintendo DS original. Yet some things haven’t been treated with much care. It picks features from all three previous versions of the game and transplants them effortlessly onto the larger, and more powerful device. It's precisely the sort of deep, involving experience you've been craving on iPad. Take Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD. It’s always the case that the better something is, the more obvious the little annoyances become.