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Rockstar was kind enough to send me a review copy of Grand Theft Auto: China Town Wars, and you as the reader have been kind enough to wait for my review, so here it is.

Story:

I wanted to start out talking about the story, because in all honesty this is the weakest part of the game. It’s your typical GTA story line. A young man from China named Huang Lee, a member of the Chinese Triad is sent to Liberty City to deliver his family sword to his uncle after his father’s death. As he arrives, Huang is shot and left for dead at the bottom of the river. The story takes the normal GTA spin while you help Huang rise from the bottom of the crime ring to the top anyway possible.

Gameplay:

One of the first things I would like to point out, is a new feature that has never been in a GTA game before, the fact that the game can be saved anywhere, when a mission is not in progress. Earlier GTA’s you had to find your way back to your safe house, which sometimes took some time, depending on how much you cared about purchasing safe houses. We were told during our hands on time with China Town Wars at Comic Con, that this was done because the DS is a “on the move system.” Most people are not going to have time to sit down and play hours after hours of GTA on their DS. People are more for playing their DS on the way to school work or on a quick break.

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Konami reinvents its first Silent Hill classic, as Shattered Memories arrives to scare on Wii, PSP and PlayStation 2

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH is to bring its terrifying Silent Hill series to Wii™ as Silent Hill: Shattered Memories heads to the Nintendo system for the first time in Autumn. The game, a clever reimagining of the now out of print first Silent Hill title, will also be released for PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®2 at the same time.

While the game shares its twisting plot with the original PlayStation game, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories takes a different path in many, many ways. Characters can be approached but will offer different responses and be found in different places, while new clues and gameplay paths can be followed. The title follows Harry Mason, as he attempts to unravel the mystery of his missing daughter, Cheryl. A broken man, Mason’s investigations lead him to the mist-shrouded, snowy streets of Silent Hill: a malevolent town where the shadows play host to a wealth of evil, misshapen creatures.

Designed to make full use of the Wii’s unique controllers, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories uses the Wii Remote™ as a torch and cell phone as Mason looks for clues. The torch is vital for scouring the darkened, abandoned buildings of Silent Hill, while the phone acts as a secondary user interface, allowing the player to access maps via its GPS capabilities and take pictures of interesting elements. Likewise, the Wii Remote also can be used to pick up, examine and manipulate items to solve puzzles along the journey. Such technology was not available when the original Silent Hill was released in 1999, and its inclusion showcases Konami’s determination to enhance the playing experience with new, available technology.

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