E3 2008: GTA Chinatown Wars, more Guitar Hero rage on DS

[UPDATE] Take-Two and Rockstar's prized Grand Theft Auto franchise heads to Nintendo's portable this December; new GH: On Tour Decades also teased.

In April, Take-Two and Rockstar Games shattered game-industry retail sales charts with the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. In just one week, the top-rated, epic-scale action adventure sold in excess of 6 million units, generating more than $500 million in revenues in the process.

So what happens when the best-selling franchise comes to one of the best-selling platforms of all time? That's what Nintendo and Take-Two would like to know. During the hardware maker's E3 Media & Business Summit press conference today, Nintendo's Cammie Dunaway announced that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will arrive on the Nintendo DS this December.

Dunaway was sparse on the details. However, the exec did note that the game will feature a custom game engine and feature an experience similar to the franchise's traditional Liberty City setting.

While this is Grand Theft Auto's first outing on the Nintendo DS, the franchise is far from a stranger to the handheld market. In 2005, Rockstar released Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories for Sony's PlayStation Portable. That release was followed in 2006 with Vice City Stories, also for Sony's PSP. Prior to those releases, the GTA series appeared on the Game Boy Advance with Grand Theft Auto Advance in 2004.

[UPDATE] GTA Chinatown Wars wasn't the only high-profile DS game to surface during Nintendo's press conference. Activision, who said yesterday that Guitar Hero: On Tour had shot to the top of the publisher's best-seller list in North America, announced that they would be following up that success with a new installment in the series for Nintendo's handheld.

Titled Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades, the game will make use of the four-button peripheral introduced with the original On Tour that plugs into the DS's Game Boy Advance slot. Nintendo and Activision were cagey on new songs or features, but the publisher did note that Decades will feature song-sharing support, where players with different versions of the game can play together.

120 Comments

  • angelwing21

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 7:19 am PT

    I'm a 51 year old woman and I for one, cannot wait till this game comes out. I will definitely be in line for it.

  • anticool108

    Posted Aug 7, 2008 7:35 pm PT

    you guys are all like "IT'S GONNA BE 2-D TOP-DOWN VIEW!!! WHICH MEANS ITS GAY!!!"
    it could be like brothers in arms for the ds. it has gta camera and stuff
    hope still remains for this game

  • NickKangWilson

    Posted Aug 6, 2008 11:25 pm PT

    @ thebigbadonion :

    Rockstar created Body Harvest for the N64, which was pretty much like the granddaddy of GTAIII and ahead. the DS is weaker and more powerful that the N64 in different ways. So either we will be treated to the first 3D Nintendo Handheld GTA game. Or, it's going to be like GTA Advance and the classic GTA. Or another new speculation point: A turn-based-strategy like The Godfather: Mob Wars.

  • thebigbadonion

    Posted Aug 6, 2008 7:09 am PT

    i'm guessing this is going to be another top down gta, i wouldnt expect nothing too amazing. Lets face it DS is only really a n64 underneath, i suppose we should just wait n see

  • Nintendo2Brawl

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 2:11 pm PT

    i dont know about this title i mean they might be able to pull this IF!!! they push the ds's graphics to the limit just might be able to pull this of just maybe

  • Red_Resonance

    Posted Jul 21, 2008 5:42 pm PT

    I'm guessin that was a good game. I'm hoping this one will be just as good

  • xraystar

    Posted Jul 21, 2008 4:01 pm PT

    red_resosonace:

    you've obviously haven't played GTA Advance on the GBA

  • Red_Resonance

    Posted Jul 20, 2008 10:04 pm PT

    GTA for the DS this is just to far! Before any of you start giving my comment thumbs down hear me out. GTA a great game series which most know and love, but its one thing on the console... the DS will never be able to hold. GTA is a sandbox game and the DS cant fit all that information into one of those small chips! I'm not hating on Nintendo i mean i've got a gamecube, a Wii and DS, but i'm just saying that the DS isn't powerful enough. Not to mention graphics which at this point might not even be comprehendable. what nintendo should be making is a game that runs well and has great gameplay like LoZPH. I'm sorry Nintendo, but thats just my opinion. I hope im wrong!

  • GunBladeHero

    Posted Jul 20, 2008 6:09 pm PT

    Awesome!I just pray that the graphics will be to the DS's limits!

  • Macgyver40

    Posted Jul 20, 2008 11:34 am PT

    sounds like a very disappointing title

  • Philx3

    Posted Jul 20, 2008 5:51 am PT

    I hope the GTA is just like the PS2 verions. So 3D instead of 2D

  • TehFuneral

    Posted Jul 19, 2008 2:01 pm PT

    Hope this turn out well

  • MasonAaron

    Posted Jul 17, 2008 4:39 pm PT

    well well well... this is EPIC FAILUre

    Why not the psp? First assaisn creed now gta? what about psp?

  • lettuceman44

    Posted Jul 17, 2008 1:21 pm PT

    Need to know more.

  • dietess

    Posted Jul 17, 2008 11:51 am PT

    Man, GTA on the advance was pretty brutal. It held pretty true to the original stylings of the series with the top-down view and all that wonderful noise. I must have played it for at least 30 hours
    The GTA on the GBC was pretty cool, too, so I've got high hopes for this one. I just hope it doesn't try to over-3d it and end up a boring GTA3 clone like Vice City

  • grambyte

    Posted Jul 17, 2008 5:42 am PT

    Meh... doesn't get me all warm and fussy inside, so never mind...

  • lalangan

    Posted Jul 17, 2008 12:20 am PT

    GTA for DS woah cool

    ...seriously Nintendo, you fail

  • combatsoldier

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 10:37 pm PT

    Ya cooly fett I agree with you on that. ALso I like how you say Peace and Love. that is a jamaican thing so very cool. It will be interesting to see how the touch screen plays out in favor of the ds. It is going to be awsome.

  • Coolyfett

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 9:24 pm PT

    Im one of those gamers that is a big fan of multi platforms...I have never played a GTA game. When I heard about this I ordered GTA: Liberty City Stories for my handheld. I am excited about it. Sony fans we shouldn't cry that we didn't get Chinatown Wars...we got Liberty City & Vice City. It's ok for Nintendo to get their own exclusive. Ill order GTA: Vice City Stories soon. If Nintendo is smart they will stay clear of the top down view and go 3D as best they can. I just started back gaming in 2007 so that is why I have yet to play a GTA game...You can thank the gas prices lol. Peace to everyone supporting GTA, Peace to handheld owners! Enjoy urself folks. Peace & Love

  • Hungry_bunny Site moderator

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 1:53 pm PT

    It would have been nice if they had offered more gameplay footage -_-

  • Djmaster214

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 11:26 am PT

    3d could be done well, just take a cell shaded approach like tony hawk on the ds

  • necronaux

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 11:17 am PT

    Hopefully this won't look like early GBA Final Fantasy mapping / layout.

  • megamaster32

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 8:11 am PT

    Hope nothing like campared to gta2 ps1 where the camera was above the city

  • xGrAffitix

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 7:45 am PT

    I'm a little curious about the GTA game. How are they going to make it work with a touch screen? [Most likely with just a weapon selection on the bottom, kinda like New Super Mario Bros.] Also, since DS is so 'candy' looking, is the GTA characters going to look like little lego's, or something like MySims?

  • Lord_Artix

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 6:46 am PT

    Actually this does look kind of interesting. I might pick it up if I've got nothing better to do.

  • zbiggie

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 4:38 am PT

    I'm getting this for sure. Need something new for my DS

  • sivasiva posted Jul 16, 2008 3:39 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    sivasiva

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 3:39 am PT (hide)

    Grand theft auto chinatown wars????? And for nintendo ds??? Wat a joke!!!

  • CapoX

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 1:31 am PT

    oh.. sweet. must get title for DS.. ds been gathering way too much dust anyways.

  • J_Dangerously

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 1:26 am PT

    Dudeman, while Nintendo is still the more family oriented console maker, the wii is more popular with adults than the pre-18 demographic. Plus, Nintendo's old hard line stance on Mature games isn't really an issue ever since games were given a rating system. Now, parents are and should be responsible for the games their kids play, not Nintendo.

    Besides, Resident Evil on the Gamecube kind of broke through Nintendo's mature game taboo already, so bring on the hookers!!

  • Dudeman480

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 1:20 am PT

    Grand Theft Auto and... wait did i read that right? Nintendo!? O_o Grand Theft Auto as in like stealing cars and shooting people and doing drugs and drinking and having sex with hookers on the street and lots and lots and lots of swearing. 0_o And this is Nintendo. I can hardly believe it.

  • king_bobo

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 12:12 am PT

    So will the game be 3D or like GTA Advance? To be honest I don't mind either, but either way it's going to be a game that I'm going to buy...

  • Hachibei

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 11:04 pm PT

    afilgueirasjr: I bet plenty of 12 year old kids also have PS3's and 360's, so how do you tell those kids not to play MGS4 or GTA4? Simple: You say "Hey! You can't play this game." What's that? Little kids don't HAVE PS3's or 360's? Well then how do you explain this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-uTnqYHZ-I

  • Swampthing

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 10:13 pm PT

    Cammie is a TERRIBLE figure for public relations. She sounds like she is talking down to gamers, and very smug about herself. The big thing that stuck in my mind from her presentation today: "And I'll tell you NOTHING better take this smile off MY face..." Whew... I bet she is a real b!tch to work for!

  • Raiko101

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 10:11 pm PT

    This news, which is awesome by the way, lets us all know how much more important gamers consider graphics to be over gameplay. A shame really as this is exactly the direction the games industry is taking. Graphics aside, I'm not sure what the PS3 version will have over a GTA on the DS.

    If it were a top down 3Dish GTA like on the Playstation, I could image some 8 player wifi battles, which would rock. Hey and who knows, if it sells well enough we could see GTA Wii yet.

  • combatsoldier

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 8:59 pm PT

    afilgueirasjr wow man. I respect your opinion but that is highly offensive to ds owners and people in general. Come on man. You never know. It is good that nintendo is going a different direction and you should give them a chance. This could actually turn out to be really cool.

  • combatsoldier

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 8:58 pm PT

    afilgueirasjr wow man. I respect your opinion but that is highly offensive to ds owners and people in general. Come on man. You never know. It is good that nintendo is going a different direction and you should give them a chance. This could actually turn out to be really cool.

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 8:10 pm PT

    Wish my ds isn't spoiled now

  • Proman84

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 6:57 pm PT

    No PSP ports? Suprising.

  • carlind1

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 6:21 pm PT

    afilgueirasjr Please never type anything on a keyboard again that can be read by human eyes. Please.

  • Darkjak95

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 6:21 pm PT

    yesssssss! finnaly the time is now!

  • ItsEvolution

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 6:18 pm PT

    I'll be buying GTA for my DS, if it plays like GTA3.

  • afilgueirasjr posted Jul 15, 2008 6:12 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    afilgueirasjr

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 6:12 pm PT (hide)

    Weak Weak WEAK!!! my goodness this sux WHY! GTA for DS WHY! So many other ways to go and they go GTA. Great, now how do you tell a child not to play M Rated games when it's on their system. DS's are mainly owned by 6-12 year olds, I sell these things for a living and Rarely are there adults buying one for themselfs, this is dumb why not a new Mario or Donkey Kong. No go GTA That make perfect sense. Just venting Nintendo fanboys don't hate me because your 17+ and want the game that's fine, But the ds is for children and yes it's fun for us too, i don't know I just think they could have done something better with their time and money.

  • glitchgeeman

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 6:03 pm PT

    I'm interested in this Chinatown wars game. I'm just curious if they'll actually be historically accurate and include things like the Tongs and Lion Dance deathmatches.

  • OfficialBed

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 5:45 pm PT

    hahah....i'm confused

  • HOMIE_G64

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 5:24 pm PT

    Chinatown Wars? WTF?

  • TAK93

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 5:08 pm PT

    GTA for the DS. SUWEET!!!!!
    We'll have to get used to aiming w/o a joystick now....

  • bennie12

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 5:01 pm PT

    I think they should try it, but maybe do the PSP too. They have done it on the PSP before, so...

  • BigDaddy973

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 4:51 pm PT

    I want to see this in action! I want in!

  • systemfan1188 posted Jul 15, 2008 4:36 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    systemfan1188

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 4:36 pm PT (hide)

    DS? Well...that should be good. (sarcasm)

    Why not just try something on the Wii? Guranteed to be 100x better then on a handheld.

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