GTA: Liberty City Stories

Pros

• Packs a full open world into an Android device
• Wide range of weapons to choose from
• Tons of side content to complete

Cons

• Controls can be finicky
• Weak writing and sense of humor

This throwback to the Playstation One era of Grand Theft Auto games delivers an accurate open world action game that adapts well to the needs of mobile gamers. That's not to say it's perfect. This is actually a port of a Playstation Portable game, and the stick controls don't necessarily adapt seamlessly to the virtual sticks and buttons that are used here. Whether or not you appreciate the graphics will really come down to your nostalgia for this particular era of gaming. The blocky hands and rough textures are a decent approximation of Grand Theft Auto 3, but they haven't gotten a tune-up even over a decade after the game's initial release.

Fortunately, once you adjust your eyes to the textures and get through the slight learning curve that comes with working the virtual consoles, you'll find yourself treated to a big, open city with everything you'd expect out of a Grand Theft Auto game. Even better, everything from mission design to the menus were initially designed for a portable device. Missions are designed to be finished during your commute or on a quick break, and the balance of gunfights and car chases are well handled, allowing you to smoothly move from one major set piece to the next.

The story here is stock crime epic. Taking place before the events of Grand Theft Auto 3, you'll play a made man who has to climb his way up the criminal ladder by working for a variety of different criminal operations around town. While you start off working under the Italian mafia, you'll also split your time between Triads, Yakuza, and other criminal outfits. The plot itself is tolerable and features cameos from other characters in the series, but it mostly exists as a vehicle to deliver you from one action scene to the next. The mission structure means you normally have a few available tasks at any given time that will push the story forward.

The story and characters aren't as lively or memorable as the series is known for, but players who just want to explore will find plenty to love. The path of story missions is short, but a straight route from beginning to end will still leave over half of the activities to accomplish untouched. Getting in special vehicles will launch a series of escalating missions like delivering pizzas, picking up and dropping off cab passengers, or putting out fires in a firetruck. The requisite 100 packages to collect have also returned from earlier entries in the series, and you'll find a whole new set of street races to win in this new version of Liberty City. It may not be as satisfying as a full entry in the series, but it's a surprisingly competent side story for mobile.

Pros

• Packs a full open world into an Android device
• Wide range of weapons to choose from
• Tons of side content to complete

Cons

• Controls can be finicky
• Weak writing and sense of humor