 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
- Nintendo DS
- Price: $34.95
- Genre: Action/Adventure
Common Sense Media says
GTA comes to the Nintendo DS, but it's NOT FOR KIDS.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is a 'M"-rated Grand Theft Auto game. It might look cartoon-like and it's available on a platform embraced by young children, but this game is NOT FOR KIDS. The game is about organized crime, which includes gang violence, assassinations, selling drugs, and prostitution. Players can kill the police or pedestrians and have sex with prostitutes. They will use the DS touch screen to make weapons, including a Molotov cocktail or assembling a gun before assassinating an enemy with it. And the game is laden with foul language.
What's it about?
To many parents, the Nintendo DS is a "safe" video game platform for kids, with its many "E" (for "Everyone")-rated games including Nintendogs, New Super Mario Bros., and Pokemon titles. This is a good thing as the game system is portable, allowing kids to take the games in the backseat, a bedroom, and other places where parents aren't necessarily looking over their shoulder to check the content. Hold that thought, because the bad boy of video games has made its Nintendo DS debut.
GRAND THEFT AUTO: CHINATOWN WARS is a fast-paced gang-banging adventure set in Liberty City, the same fictitious town as seen in last year's Grand Theft Auto IV as well as past GTA titles. You play as Huang Lee, a wise-cracking hoodlum out to avenge his father's murder and retain control of the Hong Kong Triad, but things don't go as smoothly as planned. Much like the original games in this series (going back a decade), the action is seen from a top-down perspective on the Nintendo DS, but that doesn't mean it's without controversial run-and-gun (and drive-and-survive) missions for seedy characters in the criminal underworld – as well as foul language, sex, and drugs. This open-world "sandbox" game is just as brutal as other GTA titles, so be sure not to ignore the "Mature" rating just because it's on the Nintendo DS and looks like a cartoon.
Is it any good?
Yes, the game is quite good, in fact, thanks to its fully realized world, dozens of challenging missions, optional side-quests (which add to the game's replayability), addictive mini-games (including a "Simon Says-"like exercise to set a timer for a bomb) and wireless multiplayer options that lets you and a friend roam the streets of Liberty City in co-op and head-to-head modes. So long as you're old enough to recognize this game as a piece of adult entertainment – an interactive episode of The Sopranos, if you will – there's no denying the game is fun, easy to control, and packed with plenty of well-crafted game-play.
Because the game is on the Nintendo DS, the touch-screen is used often by the player, usually during mini games that require some sort of environmental manipulation. For example, at the start of the game, Huang is locked in a car right before it is tossed into water, so you need to use the DS stylus to crack the rear window and escape to safety. Later on, you'll use the touch screen for weapons, be it making a Molotov cocktail or assembling a gun before assassinating an enemy with it. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown lives up to the hype – and the celebrated series – but only for players age 17 and older. Let's hope game retailers understand this.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about whether Nintendo made the right decision to allow Rockstar Games create a Grand Theft Auto adventure for a platform synonymous with children? Sure, there have been "M"-rated Nintendo DS games in the past, but nothing as high-profile as this. Is it a good idea to expand the appeal of the Nintendo DS or a bad move that can taint Nintendo's (usually) squeaky clean image?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Iffy
As a mother I hesitated on whether I should buy this for my 11 year old boy or not. But I finally said as long as I get to see it first. So I did I played it for an hour on our ds system and I felt that this game is ok for children 11 and older. I felt that any child at my sons age should be comfortable with playing this game. There is no graphic sex, there is bad language but all the words said on the system are read not spoken. The violence is 2d so not a lot of gore is shown. And finally drugs. Drugs are sometimes a topic but you never actually take drugs in the game. I hope that when you see the rating mature, that you just don't assume the worst.
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Kid, 12 years old
April 14, 2010
AGE
parents r control freaks
come on parents its not like if were going to grow up killing peole and with guns its a game to relase all ur anger!by the way CONTROL FREAK
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AGE
again, misunderstood
I had this game for about 1 week before I lost it (darn it!), but I got about 1/2 of the game done. This game is filled with language, but it is never said out loud- there are only still pictures with subtitles. Every once in a while, there is violence, but since the graphics are about as good as an old Gameboy color, it isn;t an issue. You can deal drugs, unlike GTA San Andreas, but I never deal drugs in the game because I think it's wrong. you can never get "high" off of them, and they play an extremely insignificant part in the game, used just as side missions. You can beat the game completely withoutn ever "dealing." Also, Huang-Lee (Protagonist) is a rather good role model, often naive, but with a positive outlook on life. This game's story isn't as good as San Andreas, but I don't think any game could EVER beat SA's plot. Sex is only mentioned a few times, and you can never solicit sex. Sex is only mentioned a couple of times. This game is very good, i started playing when it came out(i was about 13 i think) and I just thought "hey, the rating says M for mature, but i think it should say 14+. After all, T games are really targeted towards tweens, such as 11-13 year olds. This game is less inappropriate than San Andreas.
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Kid, 12 years old
January 9, 2011
AGE
IT IS AWESOME
ITS NOT THAT BAD FOR A GRAND THEFT AUTO GAME
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AGE
Fine for tweens
Nothing really i mean you deal some drugs here and there but you just really shoot sell stuff and say some cuz words Really fun
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AGE
e.g. Maybe it might not really effect us...
Um, I played this when I was four and it has no effect on me.
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AGE
An excellent DS game (one of the best I've played), but definitely not for kids, tweens, or young teens
There are only ten DS games rated Mature, as of the time I write this review. GTA: Chinatown Wars is the best of all of them, in my opinion, at least until Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey comes out. Everyone knows that GTA has a story (this one involves Triad gangs), but not too many people play GTA for the story. They play it...just to play it. And GTA: Chinatown Wars does its duties on the DS very well. It's a great game, but not for kids. Don't let that cartoon look fool you; this is a true GTA game. However, it's styled to lessen the impact of the violence and sexual content that is present not just here, but in just about every GTA game since GTA 3. The blood is very stylized, and the sex just involves a car rocking up and down (not a view through a car window like in GTA IV). However, one cutscene violates this rule, as a mob boss rips out a guy's heart (shown in rather bloody fashion). Language is frequent (the c-word, which I find much more offensive than the f-bomb, is used about 5 times, and there are many f-bombs), but it's almost all text; every now and again, a civilian might scream "F**king moron", "Watch where you're going a**hole" or something like that. Drugs play a key role in this GTA, and you deal them; however, it's not detailed at all. Overall, this is a game every DS owner over the age of 15 should have. This game is simply too mature for kids under that age, and will certainly teach them bad lessons. However, it's very entertaining for those old enough to handle it.
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AGE
Really good
The game is gta. The worst in the series but it is an outstanding game. Better on psp
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AGE
Excellent Game, But Don't Expect it to Be Toned-Down for DS
"Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars" is, aside from some slowdown/crashing issues, one of the best games on the DS. However, this IS a Grand Theft Auto game; do NOT expect it to be toned-down in any way. While the Common Sense review is a bit inaccurate (the player cannot "use" prostitutes, but prostitutes do play a role in certain missions), the game is filled with violence, sexual content, profanity, and the ability to buy and sell (but not use) drugs. It may be considered less offensive because of the less-sophisticated graphics, however. The game looks like a cartoon and is viewed from a top-down perspective, so most of the "violence" doesn't seem nearly as brutal as in the 3-D console games. The cut scenes, however, resemble a comic book, and can be highly graphic. It's an engrossing and very fun experience, but it's still as nihilistic as ever. The main character - Huang Lee - isn't really a bad guy, per se. In fact, he strongly opposes some of the things his fellow mobsters do - but he is forced to cooperate anyways. In one incredibly violent cut scene, for example, a terrified Huang Lee watches in horror as his mob boss rips a victim's heart right out of his chest. A terrific game, but not for kids.
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| Platforms: | Nintendo DS |
| Available online? | Available online |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Developer: | Rockstar Games |
| Release date: | March 17, 2009 |
| Price: | $34.95 |
| ESRB rating: | M for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence |
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