BEST DS GAME EVER
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Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
(2009, Video Games - Action/Adventure, Rated M, Play it on: Nintendo DS)
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Is it age appropriate?
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Not age appropriate for kids under 17, age appropriate for kids over 18; suggested age 17. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
GTA comes to the Nintendo DS, but it's NOT FOR KIDS.
Why We Rated This 
The good stuff
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Educational value:
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was written by Marc Saltzman
Parents need to know 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.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- 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?
More on Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
What’s the Story?
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.
CloseIs 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.
ClosePublisher’s Details
Released on 3/17/2009, price $34.95, online enabled
ESRB rating: M (for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence )
ESRB rating: M (for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence )
Our Members Say
See all 35 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title on for age 17 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Negative role models
- Safety is an issue
MATURE ONLY!
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
perfect for everyone!
Its great, the messages it puts out are so positive and i recommend it for just about anyone, i want my kids to be just like huang lee
- I rate this title off for age 17 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Negative role models
I find something rediculous in parents nowadays
ten year olds playing a video game about drugs, gangs, prostitutes, and stealing cars! I am so glad my parents aren't like those people, in fact there's this one kid at my school who has idiot parents, and he turned out to insult or attempt to kill anyone who thought that kids shouldn't be playing grand theft auto. I'm not giving this game the liberty of capital letters, because my third grade English teacher said only important things should be capitalized. And now I wonder, how many people are there that see this as entertaining? Man, I don't wanna know what those people's mother's were doing during pregnancy to make their kids that dumb.
- I rate this title on for age 9 and give itMy concerns are:
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
perfect for 9 year olds and up
great for nine year olds
- I rate this title iffy for age 15 and give itMy concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- My highlights are:
- Easy to play
Fantastic
Chinatown Wars is a fantastic reimagining of the popular Grand Theft Auto series of games designed exclusively for the Nintendo DS (although lackluster sales have prompted Rockstar to port the game over to the iPhone and PSP). GTA:CW returns to the root of what made the GTA series so much fun in the first place, and even the most casual of GTA fans is likely to enjoy this. New to the series is drug trafficking; and plays can buy and trade in an assortment of illegal drugs. There is no drug use depicted in the game, however, parents may be concerned with the strong drug references that are prevalent throughout the game. Naturally, the game contains a fair amount of violence, however the impact is minimised due to the undetailed, cartoon-like graphics. Characters, both criminal and innocent, can be attacked with a wide range of projectile weapons, and can even be burnt alive or hacked and slashed with the use of a chainsaw. Criminal acts will attract the attention of authority figures, which limits the appeal of murdering bystanders. The game also contains some strong coarse language in the form of f--- and c--t, however the language is more often subtitled in cut-scenes, and is seldom spoken. Civilians and drug dealers may occasionally use the F word. Those looking for an authentic and above all, FUN Grand Theft Auto experience should look no further.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 50% | of parents say there are good role models |
| 50% | of parents say kids find it easy to play |
| 50% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 50% | of parents say it's educational |
| 50% | of parents say there's too much drinking, drugs, or smoking |
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