Play Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Online

Summary

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars feels like a handheld love‑letter to the series, squeezing the open‑world chaos of Liberty City onto the DS with a fresh, comic‑book flair. The rotatable, top‑down camera and cel‑shaded polygons give the city a stylized look that instantly sets it apart, while the touch‑screen turns every PDA, GPS and even a Molotov cocktail into a tactile experience. I love how stealing a car becomes a mini‑puzzle: older rides need a screwdriver spin, mid‑range models are hot‑wired, and the pricey imports require a little “hack” with the stylus.

The game pushes the DS’s quirks further with a wanted‑star system that lets you shave off levels by destroying police cars, and a drug‑dealing side hustle that reacts to market demand across neighborhoods—an element that sparked both praise and controversy. Ordering weapons from an in‑game website, reading emails on the PDA, and even whistling for taxis with the microphone keep the handheld feel authentic.

Critics couldn’t stop raving: a 93 % average on GameRankings, perfect scores from Eurogamer and GameSpot, and awards like Best Handheld Game at the Spike VGAs. Even the soundtrack—featuring Ghostface Killah, MF Doom, Deadmau5 and others—adds a gritty, urban pulse that makes the DS version feel like a true GTA experience, despite its modest sales at launch.

Storyline

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars follows Huang Lee, the spoiled son of a murdered Triad boss, as he flies to Liberty City to deliver the family heirloom Yu Jian sword to his uncle, Wu "Kenny" Lee. Upon landing, Huang’s escort is gunned down, the sword is stolen, and he is left for dead in the water, only to survive and warn Kenny of the theft. Kenny, who had planned to present the sword to the aging Triad patriarch Hsin Jaoming to secure his own succession, is forced to keep his businesses afloat while Huang is drawn deeper into the city’s drug trade. Huang soon discovers that two other contenders—Hsin’s son Chan Jaoming and ruthless underboss Zhou Ming—are also vying for control, and he ends up working for all three while juggling jobs for corrupt LCPD detective Wade Heston and a FIB contact. The investigation leads him through a Korean Midtown gang, a splinter group called the Wonsu Nodong, and the biker gang Angels of Death, all of which turn out to be innocent of the sword’s disappearance. Through hacked FIB files Huang learns that both Zhou and Chan have been framed as police informants, and he presents the evidence to Kenny, who urges him to hand it to Hsin. Hsin, enraged by the possibility of betrayal, steps down and names Kenny his successor, tasking Huang with eliminating Zhou and Chan. The climax reveals that Kenny himself is the Wonsu leader who orchestrated the theft, killed Huang’s father, and plotted to usurp Hsin. In a final showdown at Hsin’s penthouse, Huang kills Kenny after Kenny stabs Hsin with the Yu Jian sword. Hsin, dying, offers Huang the position of Triad boss, but the LCPD and FIB burst in, and Heston arrests Hsin while letting Huang walk away, leaving him in despair.