Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars - Gameplay

Gameplay

Chinatown Wars has a different presentation from previous games in the series, by partially resembeling the first Grand Theft Auto titles. Instead of a ground-level view behind the protagonist or a top-down perspective, Chinatown Wars uses a fully rotatable camera angled down at the action. Chinatown Wars also uses cel-shaded polygons with black outlines to produce a comic book-like aesthetic — a first for the series. The title takes place in the Grand Theft Auto IV rendition of Liberty City, with the exception of Alderney.

Unlike Grand Theft Auto IV, the player can disable as many police cars as possible to escape the police instead of leaving a "wanted zone." The more stars the player has, the more police they have to take out for each level. For example, for a six star level, they have to take out six police cars to get down to a five star wanted level, and so on. There is also a drug dealing sub plot which allows players to peddle heroin, LSD, MDMA, marijuana, cocaine and ritalin around the city. Players can make a profit by recognizing market conditions and demands based on geography and plying their wares accordingly. CCTV cameras work as this game's secret packages, destroyed by throwing a Molotov cocktail bottle or a grenade. This also decreases the chances of being caught while making a drug deal. Chinatown Wars applies many Grand Theft Auto IV features such as the new next gen HUD. Ammu-Nation returns in the form of an in-game website where the player can order various weapons through their PDA to be delivered to their safehouse.