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50 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Back home again!!, June 7, 2006
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
I don't own a PSP so I didn't pay much attention to Liberty City Stories when it first came out. I just happened to see it today and picked it up. For $20, why not?
Have you ever moved away from home for a long time and had to learn new places and figure out new things? Then you finally visit your home and feel that comfortable familiarity? That's exactly how this game feels. I had no idea until I started playing and began to remember the streets and buildings. There's the pay-n-spray, here's Harwood. Very cool.
If you played GTA III until your fingers bled when it first came out, until it got completely mind-numbingly repetitive (or until Vice City arrived), then you're going to love LCS. Same map, but a whole new story. (And directional button steering again, thank you!!!) Plus a lot of the upgrades from post GTA III editions (motorcycles! improved targeting!)
The missions are varied and fun (and challenging). The old side missions remain, and the ability to just cruise around or cause havoc are there as well.
Spend the $20 and relive the awesomeness of GTA III, but with a whole new plot and cast of characters. And hey, you won't have to bother learning a brand new map. You'll know immediately, "Hey, I've been here before..."
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
LCS, June 13, 2006
Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars
Liberty City Stories takes place roughly two years before the events that unfold in GTA 3. Instead of playing an unknown, however, you control Toni Cipriani - a member of the Leone family mafia who's working his way up the ranks. Even when I approached the game understanding that it wouldn't be as fully fledged of a GTA as its predecessors, I was still somewhat dissapointed with this offering.
I immediately noticed the slower frame rate in the game. While GTA games have never been known for having exemplary frame rates, Liberty City Stories handled it somewhat worse than even GTA 3 did several years ago. The city, Liberty City, is mostly the same although it's fun to explore certain parts of it to see how they later change in GTA 3. A huge flaw that the game has, however, comes in the targeting system. The targeting system is actually worse than the one found in San Andreas and even though the GTA series has always been criticized for a poor targeting system, I didn't share the same experience until I played Liberty City Stories. More often than not you'll target an innocent civilian multiple times before you finally lock on to the nearest antagonist. And while the targeting system now features the manual aiming feature found in San Andreas, it proves often times to be too slow to use effectively during heated gun fights.
The missions also feel more redundant than ever. Again, this has never been a strong feaeture in the GTA series, but Liberty City Stories lacks the diversity that its predecessors had. Even after beating the game, I can't easily recall a mission that stood out to me either in difficulty or variation. It simply involves the "drive here, shoot this guy" or "drive here, bring this back to me" formula. Unless this is your first GTA outing, it'll get redundant before you know it. And I say this as a true GTA fan who has been happy with the series' previous offerings and isn't trying to belittle the franchise in any way. Whereas GTA 3 had memorable missions like sabotaging members of a crime family using an ice cream truck or picking up porn magazines as they fell out of another truck, Liberty City Stories lacks both the creativity and humor in this department that other GTAs had.
The voice acting is still as good as it always is and the story is engaging enough to keep you interested throughout, although it still pales in comparison to the previous titles. A lot of this is due to the lack of a central antagonist. Throughout the game, you're fighting against various gangs and political officials without a true target in mind. This leads to a lackluster final battle and a lack of conviction to seeing things through. You don't have the same determination to hunt down your backstabbing girlfriend as you did in GTA 3 or killing the corrupt, sleazy police officer as you did in San Andreas. Because of this, Toni never really achieves a higher status than errand boy.
Still, for $20, the game is pretty solid. LCS has some of the best cars in the series so far and while the humor isn't as good as it used to be, it's still pretty solid and entertaining for the most part. It's no GTA 4 (nor was it ever meant to be) and lacks the multiplayer functionality of its PSP counterpart. But if you're looking for a GTA game to add to your library, LCS is a perfect fit for a cheap price.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great little package for a bargain at $20, June 9, 2006
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
For a game like Grand Theft Auto to be only $20.00 should strike you as odd. That is because this version of Grand Theft Auto is not as complete as the past ones. Everyone knows the third game in the series rocked both the gaming world in 2001 and created a stir of controversy. That revolutionized gaming, and many followers have tried copying the formula we have grown to love, and have failed. After the subsequent release of "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" in late 2002, it added a new, fresh feel to the game with the throwback 80's gameplay, new characters played by real Hollywood voice actors and a bunch of new stuff in it like odd jobs, side missions and overall a brand new gaming experience. The 2004 release of San Andreas brought even more controversy, and added a ghetto theme similar to something like Boyz 'N The Hood or Menace II Society. This was addicting because of fun missions, a great storyline, plenty of space and tons of additions that just brought loads of fun and waste of time into every fans lives.
But, after the PSP explosion, this game was granted an exclusive. It was just recently that it was released on the PlayStation 2. It is not well-known about, mainly because there is nothing new to offer. The game takes place back in 1998 and you are Tony Cipriani, the guy who you took missions from way back in the third one. It is the same Liberty City from the third game. And when I say exact, I mean exact. The only difference is where guns and other items are placed. The storyline is pretty repetitive. It is very similar to many other games released in the past few years or so. There is no new additions to the game. In fact, since this was really, as another reviewer stated, a blow-up of the PSP version, you lose your abilities. Those include swimming, going into various shops excluding your safehouses and the gun store, "pimpin` out your ride" and other really great features that were in San Andreas. Basically, it is Grand Theft Auto 3 pasted with new characters and a new storyline. But, admist all the negatives, this game is certainly 5-star material. But if you are expecting something of the past three Grand Theft Auto games, you will be shut out. This game still has the fun blood, gore, sex, foul language and use of drugs that make it fun.
If you are hesitant to purchase this game, then I tell you, go out and sacrifice your money on it. If you were to pay $50.00 for this game, then maybe I would call you crazy, but I say paying only twenty is a steal. This is still the Grand Theft Auto game that we love, and the controls, character models and controversy that had parents, priests and politicans running mad are all back. But, if you have to have stunning X-Box 360 graphics, then stay away. These graphics are not that good, and even though I haven't noticed any glitches or bugs yet, I am sure that they are in there somewhere. In other words, this is a game that if you are a die hard fan (like me), then you must grab it without hesitation. If you are new to the series, and I ask you where have you been the past 5-6 years, then I recommend that you get the prior three releases. They are all timeless classics that will go down as legends. In the end, this game is a nice, little throw in for the series. Maybe it is a cash-in for Rockstar, but whatever. I still think it is good `ol Grand Theft Auto fun!
Another reviewer stated before that the engine that keeps the Grand Theft Auto series is dying. I have to agree with you. I could compare the series to a band that is starting to fade away and not get as much steam that used to power them. The video game world has been on a huge decline since, maybe, three years ago. All games are just not interesting, and they are too expensive and usually are rushed. I sometimes are pulling out my classic games from 5-6 years ago and buying used games to get enjoyment out of them. This is a problem with big markets taking over. Sure, video games were always huge, but now it is just too expensive and m,anufacterers feel that they have to release this game before someone else releases the same carbon copy. This saddens me, as I used to get extreme enjoyment out of my gaming system. Now that big money is in the mix, the world of gaming just isn't fun anymore. As for Grand Theft Auto, they are going to have to release something legendary as the next project, or else interest will be lost.
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