14 DAY TRIAL // Grand Theft Auto is one of the most popular franchises in the whole world. It introduced a variety of new gameplay mechanics and completely revamped this genre of video games.
Almost all of the major releases of the title have gained critical acclaim, alongside experiencing some strong sales everywhere around the world. Even the titles made for handheld platforms have achieved respectable numbers, and the most recent iteration, GTA: Chinatown Wars, which was released as an exclusive to the Nintendo DS, was also expected to break records.
Sadly, that wasn't the case, as the title got, despite being positively reviewed by critics, not so ground breaking sales. Many pinned this fact to the casual user base of the DS, who aren't into hardcore titles.
Rockstar aims at fixing the meager sales success of the title, and has just announced that Chinatown Wars would be arriving on the PlayStation Portable, a more hardcore-oriented platform, this fall. Set to be a more customized experience, the PSP version will have upscaled widescreen graphics and enhanced lighting and animation. New story missions will also be a part of this new title.
“We're proud to extend this truly unique handheld Grand Theft Auto experience to PSP and offer a downloadable version of Chinatown Wars for PSPgo,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “Rockstar Leeds has shown incredible talent in creating games that raise the bar in terms of depth and innovation on portables, and with Chinatown Wars we have a rich, fast-paced, and incredibly addictive entry into the series.”
Sam Houser's excitement was also shared by Jack Tretton, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, “Rockstar's work with the GTA series has been an enormous part of the success of PlayStation platforms. We're excited to welcome the critically acclaimed Chinatown Wars to the outstanding line-up of great games headed to the PSP platform this fall.”
Overall, it was a pretty obvious move, as the last two titles made by Rockstar for the PSP, Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories, became best sellers and are still registering respectable sales after years since their release.