GTA: Liberty City Stories Review

We've flipped so many times between Liberty City, Vice City and the state of San Andreas in the last few years that quite frankly we're beginning to loose it. Under the influence of heavy GTA sessions at times it feels as though I'm a wise-talkin citizen from the streets of Los Santos, or perhaps an easy-going hippy with conspiracy theories would be closer to the mark. We'll leave the talk of whether violent videogames influence gamers for somebody else, because it's time to return to Liberty City once again as Rockstar Games releases GTA: Liberty City Stories for the Playstation2.

The first mention of Liberty City Stories being ported from the PSP to the Playstation2 met with some disdain and disbelief (even from GTA fanatics like myself), as critics pointed to the dependence that Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive place on the behemoth of a videogame franchise that GTA is. With the last home console GTA title arriving over 20 months ago and GTA4 still some 16 months away, it doesn't take a financial analyst to realise both companies need a supply of GTA titles to keep the cashflow ticking along - hence the "GTA: ... Stories" spin-off for the PSP (GTA: Vice City Stories in just over three months) and adaptations to the PS2.

Adding to the talk of cash-ins, we could question why the game is only being adapted for the Playstation2 in light of the Xbox and PC, presumably as a means for getting the greatest reward for the least amount of effort. But of course that's a rather cynical way to view GTA: Liberty City Stories arrival on the Playstation2, Rockstar would no doubt point to the millions of GTA fans that have yet to pick up a PSP, and the fact it's being released at a budget price as a thank you to the those who've made the GTA franchise one of the most profitable on the planet.

If you are one of these people then a brief recap of the storyline and situation may be needed. Set three years before the events of GTAIII, Liberty City Stories follows Toni Cipriani's return to Liberty City and "the family", as he attempts to wipe out rival Mafia families, assist Donald Love's political ambitions and satisfy the desires of Salvatore Leone's wife (but not in a Hot Coffee kind of way), setting up events for GTA: Advance and GTAIII in the process.

Rockstar Leeds largely succeeded in bringing the entire GTA experience to the PSP in 2005, so the conversion to the Playstation2 puts it in a favourable light, and not necessarily the squeezed down adaptation that you might initially envision. That said Liberty City Stories did feel as though it was on a tighter budget compared to its big brothers when it arrived on the PSP last year, with the likes of Michael Madsen and Kyle MacLachlan unable to reprise their roles as Toni Cipriani and Donald Love respectively, though GTA stalwart Frank Vincent once again puts in a memorable performance as Don Salvatore Leone.

Equally the licensed music also took a hit on its way to the PSP, leaving Moloko, Ultra Nate, Method Man and DMX as the only recognisable bands/artists alongside classical composers such as Mozart and Verdi. That said, the game's various chat-shows and phone-ins remain as humorous as previous titles in the series, helping to create the satirical wit that drives GTA and makes it acceptable despite the controversial levels of violence.

It may be little more than nitpicking to criticise the lower production value, however, these aspects have become synonymous with the series, helping to create the satirical views of society and time-periods that GTA does so well - it's not too much of an issue, but it's one that we noticed when GTA arrived on the PSP and remains the same for the PS2 conversion.

Similarly many of the missions to be found within Liberty City Stories are less "epic" then those featured in the home console titles, and as such more suited to portable pick-up-and-play sessions. As a result, the conversion to the Playstation2 leaves Liberty City Stories with a slightly different tempo to previous titles in the trilogy and doesn't feel quite as enthralling as these titles - you don't exactly succumb to it in the same way as GTAIII, Vice City and San Andreas before it.

Claiming that PS2 online doesn't suit the nature of GTA multiplayer, Rockstar Games have decided to remove one of the game's biggest features on the PSP in the shape of multiplayer. Although it sounds disappointing, we can share Rockstar's thinking with this one, as the instant nature of the mode on the PSP would be lost with either splitscreen or online modes - hopefully Rockstar are thinking of more elaborate plans for online multiplayer in GTA4!

With the scope and freedom of San Andreas still as enticing 20 months after release, going back to what is essentially GTAIII with Vice City features can feel a little bit like a step back. Although motorbikes make a welcome introduction to the streets of Liberty City, the game is devoid of many of the features introduced more recently to the series such as helicopters, planes, character attributes, swimming and hoisting onto roofs and ledges. Again it's not really a criticism given the nature and aspirations of the game, however, it does feel like a regression in many ways and leaves you desperately wishing for more.

Having said that, the bottom line has to be, it is a new story in the GTA universe with an assortment of familiar faces; it is GTA and it is £20!

The question you have to ultimately ask yourself is whether you need more GTA. For the many fanatics out there having GTA: Liberty City Stories in the collection is essential just for completions sake, so in this regard the PS2 adaptation certainly serves a purpose and at a price that fits; however, it makes no claims about pushing the series forwards and does feel slightly aged on the PS2, leaving the storyline and characters as the major pull through the game.

Should you pick up GTA: Liberty City Stories, well that all depends on how much of a GTA fanatic you consider yourself to be.