A screen from Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for iPhone/iPod Touch.
While I recognized the technological accomplishment that it represented, I didn't see much to like about Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, a handheld game with the lofty goal of recreating the vast GTA experience on a wee mobile machine.
Of course, much of the gaming world disagreed with me, and it now sits as the top-ranked game for the Nintendo DS and the second best for the PlayStation Portable on review aggregation site Metacritic.com (though, it's worth adding, its sales haven't matched its praise-the PSP edition has moved only 320,000 units worldwide according to VGChartz.com, while the DS edition has sold about 920,000).
I haven't changed my way of thinking about this cramped crime epic, but I'm willing to admit that news of such an acclaimed game arriving on the iPhone and iPod Touch-platforms in the pockets of tens of millions of people who, unlike many DS and PSP owners, are of a suitable age to enjoy its decidedly mature machinations-this week is something worth reporting. (Also of note is that it sells for just $9.99-a far cry cheaper than the $50 I shelled out for my DS copy last April).
Hence, for your appraisal, the launch trailer for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars running on Apple's popular hardware.