Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories for PSP

If anyone can remember late 2001 when a little game called Grand Theft Auto III came out then you should know how much impact one game can have. GTA III was a massive world on 1 disc back when it hit the PS2 and changed everything. Controversy sprung everywhere, gamers had a whole new way to go about things in a game, and more mainstream people who would not play games started playing them. GTA III was a stepping stone for an era of free roaming games that evolved into Vice City, San Andreas, and tons and tons of clones. Now, 4 years later, one game tries to reanimate the series on a portable and I'd say they did a damn fine job as we revisit Liberty City.

The thing everyone assumes about a GTA game right away is that the graphics suck. And they usually do but, for a portable, this is well done. When I first played this I thought that it was blocky everywhere but now I'm wondering how I thought that. The cut scences also looks well but don't really show off to much. Theres great detail in everything, from buildings to cars and pedestrians. I don't know if it looks better then GTA III since I haven't played III in a while but it does look close from what I remember. Unfortuently this game has a lot of ghosting but thats a hardware problem so it might be just mine since I got my PSP at launch. Also, everytime I see a good looking PSP game I think how much better it could look since its underclocked to 222 instead of 333. But that is because of batter life issues now and the battery does last about 4 hours for this game. Take that with excellent load times that are shorter then even GTA III. Considering that this UMD is packing 1 gigantic city in 3 parts is pretty amazing. Everything looks fantastic from the charater and car models to the gun models and terrain.

Along with the visuals is the sound which doesn't disappoint, for the most part. Just like GTA III you have the radio stations (I'm comparing it to GTA III since its the same city) with no licenced music like Vice City and San Andreas with Flock of Seaguls and Gun's and Roses. This is unfortune because it would have really helped the game. The talk radio stations and DJs are histarical though and the music still isn't that bad. Even if you hate the music you can still use custom soundtracks via a downloadable program on Rockstar's website. Its to bad that you can't use your mp3s you already have on your PSP though. Other then the soundtrack and theme song (which is perfect for the game) the effects are phenomenal. Just like the consoles you "feel" like your in a city with the people shouting things everywhere and cursing at you. The car and gun effects feel like theres seperate sound for each car and weapon. Its amazing how good it sounds on the PSP speakers as well as the headphones. The atmosphere brought by the fantastice visuals and ear-exploding sound really immerse you in this breathing world that is Liberty City.

As with the other GTAs theres a heavy story with loads of side missions. You could finish the story some what fast if you wanted to but you would miss a lot. The bare bones of it is that you, Tony Ciprioni, have come back into town (Liberty City) several years after moving away for breaking the law in some form. So now that your back your working your way to the top again with the mob boss Don Salvador. The side missions consist of working for your mother, the Don's wife, and several others. Theres also the rampages, street races, motorcycle races, and some other tasks like destroying a set number of cars on a bike while someone else is driving in a set time. Theres so much to do that you could never have enough time or space to explain it all. This game could very well take you 100 hours to complete.

The big adjustment in moving to the PSP was the controls. Since you have less buttons and analogs sticks its a little tricky to work with. Actually the right analog stick did nothing in the original GTA III except look in the first person mode. But the face buttons do the same things (shoot, jump, etc.) and the D-pad changes weapons, radio stations, look in first person, etc. The shoulders control the camera and you move with the analog "nub" which can be a little akward, especially when you first start playing. The targeting could use some work but its decent enough for what the game provides.

Also a first for the franchise is the multiplayer. This is a great addition with plenty of modes and character and lots of stuff to do. Theres deathmatch, racing, and 4 other modes to choose from with up to 6 people and it can be quite fun but you need a good number of people which is why its a shame its not online. Theres a ton of variety of skins (40+ in multiplayer) and costumes in single player. Theres also a lot of cars rangins from a Diablo Stallion to a Hummer-like Patriot. Each car feels different and controls well for what it is. Each island has more popular cars then others (for example Portland has few banshees while stanton has tons) which make each island feel different. Along with the cars are the 4 or so different types of motorcyles which I used a lot more in Vice City and this game as well. I wish they could have implemented some Sand Andreas features though. Overall I would say if you've played, and completed GTA III you may not absolutley want or need this game. But if your looks for a massive game to go and you love the GTA franchise then by all means pick this one up.