GAME DESCRIPTION: There are a million stories in Liberty City. This one changes everything… Once a trusted wise guy in the Leone crime family, Toni Cipriani was forced into hiding after killing a made man. Now he’s back and it’s time for things to be put right. The streets of Liberty City are in turmoil. Warring Mafiosi vie for control as the town begins to self-destruct under waves of political corruption, organized crime, drug trafficking and union strikes. No one can be trusted as Toni tries to clean up the mess of the city’s chaotic underworld. Deranged hit men, morally depraved tycoons, cynical politicians and his own mother stand in his way as Toni tries to bring the city under Leone control. Forced to fight for his life in an odyssey that will shake Liberty City to its foundations, Toni must use any means necessary to secure his place in the leadership of the Leone family in a town up for grabs.
PLAY: Liberty City goes back the drama of GTA III. Personally, this was my favorite GTA and it was great to see them incorporate that narrative for the PSP’s first release.
Liberty City Stories isn’t a rehash of GTA III—this release is independent because the past has no barring on this release. The depth has been scaled back and the action becomes more involved since the story is cut down.
Even though the storyline is reduced there is still a ton of mini-games within the story. Of course you can be a cabbie, drive an ambulance, and more. This is where the true value truly lay. If you cut out the bull it won’t take long to finish. Have fun and mess around—that is what GTA is all about.
The action is up and down. The shooting is still hard to manage. In shootouts I felt like the guy in the cowboy movies who talks tough only to shoot up the bar without hitting anyone. Too often Toni was the victim of a gun battle. The weapons are cool—and would be cooler if they were easier to use. Not much has changed in regards to managing the weapons from previous platform releases. If you are familiar with GTA III you’ll be right at home.
Driving is easy for the most part—even though there were plenty of twisted metal all over the city. This is the best way to get around the huge map. It allows for putting a lot of distance between Toni and the police. If the police even bother to show up. In one instance we had a horrific accident right in front of the police station involving pedestrians and were able to run away without pursuit. Maybe we were lucky. Another time was when I stole a car right behind a cop and he just continued on his merry way. There were other occasions when we shot someone and a cop happened to be close by and acted quickly.
GRAPHICS: There are a lot of hang-ups. Too many times the game gets interrupted by loading an animation or perhaps the music while entering a stolen car. It’s not all gloomy on the design front. GTA environments look great and are a real treat. Liberty City Stories set the benchmark for PSP games.
SOUND: The soundtrack has become a huge asset to the GTA franchise. The problem with it on the PSP is that it never seems to get loaded quickly enough. The loading issues come in to play right in the middle of stealing a car. On the plus side the soundtrack is fantastic—as is the voice acting.
FRANKLY: Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories sets the precedent for great PSP releases. Every game released from this day forward will be compared to GTA from its design to the depth of play.
+ Richie Wright
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