Whats up with GTA 'stories' games? No one ever talks about them or seemingly plays them

Whats up with GTA 'stories' games? No one ever talks about them or seemingly plays them.

Are they just reused asset cashins or is there some merit to them?

VCS was my first GTA actually.

It was alright, Jive Drive gave me PTSD.

they were distractions as you waited for IV to come out then

>Are they just reused asset cashins or is there some merit to them?
That's exactly what they are, but they are actually pretty decent.
I prefer LCS way more over VCS though.

I crave a stories game about big smoke before cj comes back. The last mission would be big smoke rooting around Beverleys house after he put out the hit when he hears someone walking in. (Cj)

I like LCS better than VCS. I'm not sure if I'm just used to the PC mainline games but they run like garbage on PS2, yet they seem almost designed around that fact.

How would that be a mission though? And why was she killed to begin with?

I love VCS it's underrated as fuck imo. Psn version of LCS is absolutely abysmal on ps3 though. I couldn't even play it.

they originally came out for psp so they were essentially ports of the main games. Rockstar released them on ps2 aswell afterwards though.

Didn't play much of LCS but VCS is GOAT it had more awesome cars, helicopters, etc, new guns were good, some of the missions were pretty funny/inventive (the domestapod mission). Also there were probably more cutscenes/big names in VCS than VC itself. Phil Collins is himself in it. Also has another awesome 80s soundtrack.

oh yeah and the gang/real estate system was pretty cool too

Well, they're excellent handheld games. They (specifically LCS), were the biggest highlights in the PSP's library. LCS helped give the PSP it's first killer app game and rose the PSP's stock tremendously.

Sure, there's practically no market for them today since most games on consoles these days are aiming for "cinematic experiences" which isn't feasibly possible on a handheld, but you gotta remember this was 2006. A portable modern GTA was pretty awesome at the time.

I really enjoyed them. They're unique experiences that have their own features and charm.

They were kinda fun. Al they did was take an old map, tweak it a little, then run their newest game engine at the time to make it play similar to whatever game came before it.

i.e. LCS = Vice City Engine, VCS = San Andreas Engine

Is chinatown wars the same thing basically?

no, that's more like gta1/2. It's top down only

VCS is pretty good. It added the ability to swim, do CQC and wrestle enemies, and added a ton of new vehicles including planes. Story is pretty bad since it revolves around trailer park trash, but the rest of the game is solid.

Will the video games gods forgive me if i skip 1, 2, london, advance and chinatown?

No. Play 2 at the very least. Advance and Chinatown wars were pretty shitty tho.

I recommend playing Chinatown at least for drug dealing minigame.

Does anyone know if Retro City Rampage any good?

Chinatown is fucking awesome just for the cops system and drug dealing.

its not

Drug dealing was too easy. You just buy low and sell high and it explicitly tells you when those times are. There's no reason at all to use all those graphs they give you.

I hated the driving though. You go too fast and can't see far enough ahead of you. I crashed into so many cops on accident.

CQC was pretty good but under utilised I prefer GTA 4 melee the most.

It's great, but if vidya/80's references bother you, don't play it. There are a whole shitload.

The 3DS version is definitive, if only for the two screens and small screen lending itself to the sprites better.

I'd say a lack of exposure more than anything else. Debuted on a handheld then ported over to a home console in it's final years.

You want difficulty in drug dealing? Only other GTA game to have a feature like it was Scarface World is Yours but it gets tedious towards the end.

I don't mind references and I love Blood Dragon so maybe I'll pick it up.

Chinatown wars is honestly a much more solid game than either stories. Its a shame it never gets any respect due to being an ugly fucking ds game.

They fleshed out the 3D GTA universe's lore with these two games right before abandoning it for IV.

It just felt kinda pointless since you can basically get rich overnight. There should've have been more variability because it was impossible to lose money almost.

It's alright visually so whatever and I liked the artsyle for cutscenes.

The protag is unlikeable.

True but I liked going from place to place just dealing and cops did show up on higher quantities.

I actually liked both LCS and VCS back in the day, but they both lack anything that would really make them ones to remember. Sure it was inpressive to have a 3D GTA on handheld then, but that's kinda it, now they have fallen into the "kinda forgot that that game actually exists" territory.

VCS - Boring as fuck
LCS - Worth it, but too short and forgettable

Huang is fine bit of a douche compared to most, worst protagonist is LCS because he's basically Tony Soprano.

>Caught crabs off a Swedish tourist

Who was that chick at the start of Chinatown Wars? They should've kept her in the game longer than two missions.

>tell people there are zombies in GTA
>everyone laughs
Litraly no one IRL played VCS

I can't remember her name either but she should have been in longer. I could actually see a GTA with a female lead like her.

That's a movie shoot user but a fun mission imo.