What's even more frustrating is that Rio's streets are particularly unflattering for Gangstar Rio's patched-up handling. The best configuration is a combination of sliding sticks – one for steering, one for speed – though it never feels like anything more than a compromise. There are six different control setups for the game's vehicles, but none is particularly successful. Unfortunately, in the case of Gangstar Rio, it isn't. It's a predictable setup, but predictability is forgiveable if the gameplay is any good. Missions in Gangstar Rio see you ruthlessly slaying bystanders, intimidating the ruling classes, and generally embedding yourself in the seedy underbelly of Gameloft's take on Brazil's most famous city. This assassination attempt pretty much puts paid to any pretence of going straight. Your attempt to break free from the underworld is literally blown apart when a car bomb leaves your other half splattered all over the windscreen.įollowing a handy bit of reconstructive surgery,which actually manages to improve your appearance, you're reborn as the vengeful Angel. You play as a bad guy looking to turn good. Unfortunately, Gangstar Rio has plenty of other problems to get bothered about. We're not here to tell you where your moral compass should be pointing. You may not be bothered by that, of course. Gameloft's Gangstar Rio: City of Saints copies the GTA formula pretty brazenly, but it doesn't achieve the narrative depth necessary to justify its violence - for instance, kill 20 random NPCs and you'll find yourself picking up an 'achievement'. It wields this power responsibly for the most part, using violence as a narrative tool rather than as an end in itself. Rockstar's GTA series is one of the most powerful video gaming franchises around, commanding the attention of gamers and the wider world beyond. Just don't expect a comparable experience when it comes to overall quality.With great power comes great responsibility. Of course, Gangstar Rio: City of Saint's other irksome shortcomings haven't been addressed en route to Xperia Play, but if you're a fan of GTA and crave something along the same lines, it's worth taking for a ride. Walking and driving are now mapped to the left-hand analogue pad, and other controls are assigned to proper buttons.Īs a result, Gangstar Rio: City of Saints controls like a dream, and this definitely makes a difference when it comes to user enjoyment. Mercifully, the Xperia Play's physical interface eradicates much of that frustration. On iOS, it felt as if you were constantly at war with the touchscreen - simply guiding your nefarious avatar around the streets of Brazil's second city was a little too similar to pulling teeth. While the original, and disappointing, iPhone version's (which Keith reviewed not so long ago) penchant for morality-free shooting sprees remains intact, one thing this Xperia Play edition does solve is the pitiful control system. Gameloft has no such talent with jokes, unfortunately, and as a result its clone comes across a little too straight-faced - something which is exacerbated by that aforementioned pre-load warning. Killing is fine, but swearing? Don't do it, kids.īut, then the maker of the Gangstar series has always had trouble deciding just how far to take its GTA copycat routine, and while Rockstar's franchise 'boasts' similar levels of carnage to the Gangstar instalments, Rockstar is savvy enough to throw a bit of humour in there, too. It's a bizarre admission, especially for a game which promotes the wholesale slaughter of innocent bystanders and generally revolves around filling people with so much lead it's a wonder they don't magically morph into pencils. Upon installing Gangstar Rio: City of Saints on your Xperia Play, you're greeted with a sober warning stating that the game contains rude words which should not be reproduced in the real world.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |