Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars looks for success on the iPad

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was lauded by reviewers and critics but didn’t sell as well as expected. Now, publisher Rockstar is working on reviving the handheld crime title with a new, higher-resolution version for the iPad.

Above: Rockstar invested heavily into Chinatown Wars and the DS hardware in general. But sales figures were lower than expected

The new version will be re-titled Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD and will be given a visual overhaul to fit nicely on the iPad's notably larger screen. Controls will likely be similar to those of the iPhone version, which was released earlier this year.


Above: This is what the game looks like with the iPad version's improved graphics

Also added to the iPad version is the ability to sync directly to the device's linked iTunes account, allowing the in-game radio stations to pull from the user's own music library. We suggest flooding your iTunes account with only Lady Gaga songs prior to playing Chinatown Wars HD.

The game is available immediately for $9.99 from the App Store, a significant price reduction from the DS version. At $35, the original release of Chinatown Wars priced it at the highest-tiered level of standard DS games. $9.99 is a much more reasonable price point.

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