Stagnation

danielkempster

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Edited By danielkempster

All the time, critically acclaimed games are being released into the public domain and subsequently being overlooked by the majority of people who play video games. It's been that way for years - just look at titles like Okami, Second Sight, ICO and Psychonauts. One of the latest titles to join the ranks of Great Games That Sold Poorly is Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, released last year for the DS and PSP systems. Over the last couple of weeks, I've been pouring most of my free time into the PSP version of Chinatown Wars that I received for Christmas. I'd rather not focus too much on my experience with the game in this blog, as that's something I'd prefer to save for a more involved write-up when I've finished the game's main story missions. Suffice it to say that the game is a pretty great re-imagining of a series for the handheld market. It looks great, it plays like a dream, and features some of the most varied and enjoyable missions the series has offered since 2002's Vice City.

Chinatown Wars is much better than sales figures would seem to indicate

Yet, in spite of all the praise heaped upon both versions of Chinatown Wars by the critics, it's sold pretty dismally to date. The DS version shifted a paltry 90,000 units in its first two weeks on sale in the States, and the PSP version failed to crack the UK Top 40 at launch. In the time since the DS version's release, its inability to sell has been pretty much universally attributed to three factors - its more mature content (something most DS owners probably weren't looking for), a lack of promotion on the part of Take Two Interactive, and rampant Internet piracy. Theoretically, the PSP version should not have been held back by any of these problems. Two Grand Theft Auto titles have already met with enormous success on Sony's handheld, with Liberty City Stories being the second-highest-selling PSP game of all time behind Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. Mature content is presumably not, therefore, a concern for most PSP owners. In terms of promotion, the PSP version of Chinatown Wars saw a lot more advertising than its DS counterpart, at least in the UK. Thirdly, while PSP piracy is a problem, it's nowhere near as widespread as that of DS piracy. Even with all this going for it, though, the PSP release of Chinatown Wars seems to have struggled just as much as its DS predecessor. Why? I think I have the answer.

This link leads to IGN's video review of the PSP version of Chinatown Wars, hosted on YouTube. Site bias aside, it's a pretty good video review that does a decent job of pointing out that the game is a good one. But it's not the video that illustrates the problem - it's the comments written beneath it. A quick scan through the comments is enough to reveal that the general public consensus towards Chinatown Wars is, "OMG teh gaem haz 2D grafx, dis suXX0rZ!!!!!1!!1!!!11!1!!1one". People are writing off the game because of its top-down perspective, comparing its visual style to the other PSP Grand Theft Auto games and concluding that Chinatown Wars must be inferior. Informed opinions about the game, both good and bad, are lost beneath a deluge of superficial slander. Is this really the kind of community that my favourite entertainment medium has attracted? A community that will choose to shun a game for such trivial and ultimately irrelevant reasons? It certainly looks that way.

Are we destined never to see police chases like this in a console GTA game?

This fact worries me immensely. Why? Because it is these people, the masses, that have the power in this equation. Rockstar Leeds have crafted a brilliant game, keeping the handheld nature of the platform in mind and building around it. They've taken risks, made some pretty major changes and brought some genuine innovation to the GTA formula to make this game really shine as a portable experience. I don't think I'm alone when I say that some of these changes could even benefit the franchise's console counterparts in future iterations. Unfortunately, we'll probably never know. The ignorant public have voted with their wallets, choosing not to buy the title because it doesn't look quite as sharp as other games in the series. As a consequence, in spite of its critical acclaim, Chinatown Wars will forever be considered a flop, not only by GTA standards but also by industry standards. We'll probably never see a sequel built on the same engine, and all the innovations made by the developers will most likely be forgotten in favour of recycled mechanics that are at least guaranteed to put food on their tables. All this because of a camera angle.

Some might say that I'm exaggerating a little, and maybe I am. But I do genuinely think that this points to a serious problem for the future of the games development industry as a whole. We are part of a wider community that's apparently willing to sacrifice genuine advancements and innovations in gameplay in favour of recycled content with a glossier coat of paint. One only has to look at the fate met by the titles mentioned in the first paragraph of this blog to realise that. Right now I can honestly see an industry future defined by stagnation, devoid of new IPs and innovation, where all that matters is annual franchising, unless we as the gaming public choose to do something about it. If you take one thing away from this long-winded, inarticulate rant, let it be an urge to pick up a copy of Chinatown Wars on either platform. The way things are headed, it might be the last attempt at genuine innovation in a video game that you'll ever get to experience. Thanks for reading, guys. I'll see you around.

Dan

---

Currently playing - Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (PSP)

14 years ago

danielkempster

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#1 Edited By danielkempster

All the time, critically acclaimed games are being released into the public domain and subsequently being overlooked by the majority of people who play video games. It's been that way for years - just look at titles like Okami, Second Sight, ICO and Psychonauts. One of the latest titles to join the ranks of Great Games That Sold Poorly is Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, released last year for the DS and PSP systems. Over the last couple of weeks, I've been pouring most of my free time into the PSP version of Chinatown Wars that I received for Christmas. I'd rather not focus too much on my experience with the game in this blog, as that's something I'd prefer to save for a more involved write-up when I've finished the game's main story missions. Suffice it to say that the game is a pretty great re-imagining of a series for the handheld market. It looks great, it plays like a dream, and features some of the most varied and enjoyable missions the series has offered since 2002's Vice City.

Yet, in spite of all the praise heaped upon both versions of Chinatown Wars by the critics, it's sold pretty dismally to date. The DS version shifted a paltry 90,000 units in its first two weeks on sale in the States, and the PSP version failed to crack the UK Top 40 at launch. In the time since the DS version's release, its inability to sell has been pretty much universally attributed to three factors - its more mature content (something most DS owners probably weren't looking for), a lack of promotion on the part of Take Two Interactive, and rampant Internet piracy. Theoretically, the PSP version should not have been held back by any of these problems. Two Grand Theft Auto titles have already met with enormous success on Sony's handheld, with Liberty City Stories being the second-highest-selling PSP game of all time behind Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. Mature content is presumably not, therefore, a concern for most PSP owners. In terms of promotion, the PSP version of Chinatown Wars saw a lot more advertising than its DS counterpart, at least in the UK. Thirdly, while PSP piracy is a problem, it's nowhere near as widespread as that of DS piracy. Even with all this going for it, though, the PSP release of Chinatown Wars seems to have struggled just as much as its DS predecessor. Why? I think I have the answer.

This link leads to IGN's video review of the PSP version of Chinatown Wars, hosted on YouTube. Site bias aside, it's a pretty good video review that does a decent job of pointing out that the game is a good one. But it's not the video that illustrates the problem - it's the comments written beneath it. A quick scan through the comments is enough to reveal that the general public consensus towards Chinatown Wars is, "OMG teh gaem haz 2D grafx, dis suXX0rZ!!!!!1!!1!!!11!1!!1one". People are writing off the game because of its top-down perspective, comparing its visual style to the other PSP Grand Theft Auto games and concluding that Chinatown Wars must be inferior. Informed opinions about the game, both good and bad, are lost beneath a deluge of superficial slander. Is this really the kind of community that my favourite entertainment medium has attracted? A community that will choose to shun a game for such trivial and ultimately irrelevant reasons? It certainly looks that way.

This fact worries me immensely. Why? Because it is these people, the masses, that have the power in this equation. Rockstar Leeds have crafted a brilliant game, keeping the handheld nature of the platform in mind and building around it. They've taken risks, made some pretty major changes and brought some genuine innovation to the GTA formula to make this game really shine as a portable experience. I don't think I'm alone when I say that some of these changes could even benefit the franchise's console counterparts in future iterations. Unfortunately, we'll probably never know. The ignorant public have voted with their wallets, choosing not to buy the title because it doesn't look quite as sharp as other games in the series. As a consequence, in spite of its critical acclaim, Chinatown Wars will forever be considered a flop, not only by GTA standards but also by industry standards. We'll probably never see a sequel built on the same engine, and all the innovations made by the developers will most likely be forgotten in favour of recycled mechanics that are at least guaranteed to put food on their tables. All this because of a camera angle.

Some might say that I'm exaggerating a little, and maybe I am. But I do genuinely think that this points to a serious problem for the future of the games development industry as a whole. We are part of a wider community that's apparently willing to sacrifice genuine advancements and innovations in gameplay in favour of recycled content with a glossier coat of paint. One only has to look at the fate met by the titles mentioned in the first paragraph of this blog to realise that. Right now I can honestly see an industry future defined by stagnation, devoid of new IPs and innovation, where all that matters is annual franchising, unless we as the gaming public choose to do something about it. If you take one thing away from this long-winded, inarticulate rant, let it be an urge to pick up a copy of Chinatown Wars on either platform. The way things are headed, it might be the last attempt at genuine innovation in a video game that you'll ever get to experience. Thanks for reading, guys. I'll see you around.

Dan

---

Currently playing - Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (PSP)

14 years ago

sparky_buzzsaw

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#2 Edited By sparky_buzzsaw

This is on my to-be-played list, along with about ten other titles I've had to miss out on due to my job situation. I'd like to comment on two parts of your blog.

1) DS owners (well, some of us) do look for mature themes in our games. The DS is generally lacking in them, however, making it harder to find the few true mature gems. It's a bit of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation, because the development of games like Chinatown Wars are obviously going to be less fiscally appealing than, say, another LEGO game. However, there are companies producing original IP's, even if they don't match the mature themes of the Grand Theft Auto series. Which leads me to...

2) Innovation is and will always happen. It's just crawling at us like a legless geriatric. In the past year, we've seen games like Borderlands see some impressive numbers. Now mind you, Borderlands isn't entirely a new idea - but neither is Chinatown Wars, especially if you've played the original two GTA's. And then you've got games like Scribblenauts and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, which might not be setting the bar for great gameplay but have a lot quality innovative ideas to them. As for what's coming in the future, Heavy Rain, Alan Wake, games under the Project Natal and PS3 motion sensor banners, and the possibility of 3D home entertainment making huge in-roads to innovation in gameplay. If anything, I feel like there's more potentail for innovation right now than there has been since the mid-nineties, but developers and gamers alike need to take advantage of it. Your blog is a great example of how to do this the right way and with a great deal of intelligence.

14 years ago

Binman88

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#3 Edited By Binman88

@dankempster: I played the game on the DS and loved it, but I don't recall it being particularly innovative or risky. The game played very much like the original two GTA games, so people drawing that comparison are not that far wrong. There are plenty of little additions and advancements in gameplay that make the game feel more modern than the originals, but those incremental changes are hardly revolutionary, and should really be expected of any new game, not necessarily praised. The game doesn't really change up the GTA formula either and is very much a game full of "recycled content with a glossier coat of paint".

You mention the "ignorant public" are to be blamed for the game's poor initial sales figures (the game has now sold close to a million copies worldwide, according to vgchartz, which is not bad by any means) and how it's unfortunate that the camera angle and graphics affected their decision to buy the game. If I look at a game and dislike the art style and camera angle, I too would be cautious about buying it. If they don't like the look of it, why the hell should they buy it? If anything, the poor initial sales could be attributed to the fact that people have played too much GTA over the last few years and have grown tired of it. The realisation that Chinatown Wars is essentially a rehash of a familiar formula, just on a different platform using the old top down view point, has turned these people off.

One last thing I'd like to point out is that the general public consensus is certainly not best represented by a smattering of Youtube coments.

14 years ago

danielkempster

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#4 Edited By danielkempster

@Binman88: Thanks for the comment, duder. It's always nice to get a bit of well-constructed feedback, especially when the opinion differs from my own. If nothing else, it shows that somebody's taken the time to read what I've written, which is always greatly appreciated. Great to hear you played and enjoyed Chinatown Wars as well.

While I'm certainly not trying to claim that Chinatown Wars has completely re-invented the GTA wheel, I do feel that it represents the best attempt yet at adapting the series' trademark gameplay to better suit a handheld. The last two handheld 'Stories' GTAs were, for all intents and purposes, carbon copies of their console counterparts, and while they were good games, they felt almost half-hearted in their execution. Chinatown Wars, on the other hand, really feels to me like it's been built from the ground up to be a handheld experience, and is a better game for it in my eyes. This is the 'innovation' I was getting at - perhaps it's better described as innovation in design.

As far as your other points go, I concede that my argument is definitely more than a little rant-ish (I say as much in the blog itself). My primary point, which I managed to rather impressively cloud in my post, is that Chinatown Wars should not be considered an inferior game to the 'Stories' titles solely on the basis that it is less aesthetically pleasing. I was specifically targetting the YouTube comments to this effect, and there are plenty of them. Even if they don't represent the general public consensus, I think it's definitely fair to say that they are at least partially reflective of a worrying trend that is apparent within certain areas of the gaming community.

Ultimately, the main impetus of this blog is the notion that we as gamers need to financially support innovation in design, because if we don't, the industry that we collectively turn to for entertainment and fun is going to steer further and further clear of future attempts to innovate, and will stagnate. Chinatown Wars may not have been the best example for illustrating this, but I'd like to think we can agree that's as noble a cause as any.

Once again, thanks very much for actually reading the whole thing and taking the time to formulate a thoughtful response. You too, @Sparky_Buzzsaw. It's really appreciated.

14 years ago

Jeust

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#5 Edited By Jeust

I agree, that's why after FF XII i don't see myself playing other newer release of FF. It most definitively won't be as shiny, in terms, of gameplay as that one was.

So why bother?

Same with Resident Evil, as 5 couldn't translate the briliance of 4.

14 years ago

ElectricHaggis

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#6 Edited By ElectricHaggis

I'm afraid I am part of the problem, having not yet picked up Chinatown Wars. However I did recently buy Psychonauts on XBLA. So I'm not a complete asshole. ICO and Shadow of Colossus are up there on my list of games I should have played though.

14 years ago

Meowayne

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#7 Edited By Meowayne

It didn't sell well on the PSP?
Oh.

Seeing as the only difference between this title and the best GTAs is the camera perspective, I suppose people actually are just ignorant idiots.

If anything, the poor initial sales could be attributed to the fact that people have played too much GTA over the last few years and have grown tired of it.

GTA 5 will sell millions.

14 years ago

PureRok

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#8 Edited By PureRok

I don't think the top-down view issue is a "trivial and ultimately irrelevant" reason to not like the game. I've played it, and the top-down view ruins it for me.

It may be trivial to you, but some people just don't like certain games in certain ways.

14 years ago

oldschool

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#9 Edited By oldschool

@Meowayne said:

" It didn't sell well on the PSP?
Oh.

Seeing as the only difference between this title and the best GTAs is the camera perspective, I suppose people actually are just ignorant idiots.

If anything, the poor initial sales could be attributed to the fact that people have played too much GTA over the last few years and have grown tired of it.
GTA 5 will sell millions. "

From memory, the PSP version has sold about 140,000 since launch. It has sold about a similar rate to the DS version since then, on a weekly basis. The DS version is up at about 900,000 units sold and is still selling at about the same rate as the PSP version is now. How do we define "failure"? Is 900,000 sales a failure? I don't think so.

14 years ago

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Take control of Huang Lee, the son of a Triad mob boss, in an destructive romp throughout Liberty City in his quest for revenge, money and honour in Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

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