... What are your thoughts? As someone who actually spent alot of time playing GTA 1 and 2 I really liked the game Payback. In fact, I still plan on finishing that game and I'm not ready to put it down just yet. I grew up playing top-down style GTA games and only last year moved into the 3D realm with an Xbox and GTA IV. So, with the release of Car Jack Streets and Gangstar I wanted to put up a discussion forum to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of all of the GTA style games available in the app store thus far. Here are my opinions. I'd love to hear yours. Let's compare and contrast... Payback: In my mind Payback is stuck in a perfect time warp between GTA #1 and GTA #2. It definitely improves (as promised) on GTA #1 with more compelling game-play and a wider range of things to do. Individual cities are small, but this is made up for by having multiple areas to play in. The graphics are a bit primitive but acceptable. It falls quite a bit short of GTA 2 (the absolute tops when it comes to top-down GTA style game-play) but, it is drastically better than the original Grand Theft Auto (originally called smash n bump or crash n grab or some other forgettable stupid title). Payback is a consistent good, fun game with a great replay factor. Car Jack Streets: CJS knew going in that GTA 2 was the tops in top-down style gta game-play. I think they said as much themselves. So, they did a great job in copying the graphic style of the second (but most influential) game of the early GTA series. My favorite part of CJS is the styling of the vehicles, the buildings and the streets. It's top notch. However, they dropped the ball big time when it comes to game-play, game control and recreating the desire to play. Playing CJS is a complete chore, like vacuuming, or taking out the trash. They completely missed the point that games are supposed to be fun. Who wants to play a game everyday, that you can't even accurately control, everyday, by appointment, everygoddamnedday, or you have to start over??? Not me. But, the game has it's avid followers nonetheless. Here's your chance to defend your title. I did not care for CJS. That's being a bit (alot) kind. So Now we have Gangstar - West Coast Hustle. My first impressions are very positive. I'm sure I wrote a review somewhere around here... If you wanna look it up. It's still too early too tell if this is a great game or just a quick whambamthankyoumaa'm flash in the pan. I tend to think it's gonna be kinda huge after all is said and done, but time will tell. In the meantime I'm enjoying the sheer ambition of Gameloft trying to take this genre to the next level on the iPhone. If nothing else I admire that... The ambition! So far and above all else, I've had fun playing this game! My biggest fear? It's gonna be too short. So, let's have a rip at all three of these and find out what we all really think. Don't hold back. I expect opinionated responses. Have at it. All the Best, T.O.
Personally I didnt care for Payback. I had high expectations for CJS but ultimately it fell short, I just couldn't get into the game. I've been playing Gangstar for about an hour now and I absolutely love it - It's very reminiscent of GTA III
I might have to check this out then. I still believe that GTA III and SA were the only 2 great console games of this kind.
Agreed - GTA III is my favorite in the franchise. I bought a PS3 to play GTA IV but it was way to much for me to get into (I am by no means a "hardcore" gamer and the map in GTA IV was a little too overwhelming for me) You should definately checkout Gangstar, its easily one of the most impressive titles I've played on the iPhone
I agree with everything the OP said except that GTA:China Town Wars is the greatest and most refined top-down GTA game, not GTA 2. Chinatown Wars blows GTA 2 away.
This is pretty much what I think, Chinatown was much deeper than I expected, gameplay and variety wise, that game destroys all the top down GTAs and imo the psp versions. Payback to me sucked, it was just kind of boring. Car Jack Streets was better than Payback, but if I have to see that intro movie one more time...
Gang$tar = Payback > CJS! CJS was just not enaugh fun! With the real time time limit and the terrible bumper-cars it was abit unplayable Payback is still one of my favorite games. The missions are nice and it's just fun with all that blood Gang$tar is great, but as it's by gameloft I'm fearing that it could be verry short (I've already finished chapter 2 of 6)
Yeah I liked Gang$tar and Payback the best. CJS was just an over hyped failure, and it has been deleted and will never be played again. I thought that Payback was a great GTA2 clone, with nice realistic looking top down graphics and smooth gameplay. The only thing that was lacking was game character/atmosphere. It just didn't feel like a GTA game. And now my mind has been blown away by Gang$tar. This is everything I could want out of a GTA clone on the iPhone. It just feels so much like GTA. From the general gameplay, to the little details such as the radio, gun shops, wanted badges, statistics, unlockables etc. Simply outstanding.
carjack streets was not that great, payback i played a long time and beat the main story, Gang$tar is the best, better than liberty city stories psp, i think after a couple updates they could add things like jumping and breakable stop signs
Its crazy how all three games are so close in memory (mb) and even though payback is like 250mb gangstar is less and still is a million times better than both other games. Good job gameloft!
I for one despised GTA III. The only one of the GTA series I enjoyed was GTA IV- a lot at that. Possibly explaining why I already deleted all 3 of the iPhone Games. Just can't get into them. Payback was a mess, Car Jack's Gameplay was very disappointing, and Gangstar, the Gameplay, graphics, and effects, horrible voice acting turned me off.
I find it kind of funny that the iPhone has a basic GTA, GTA 2, and GTA (III), composed of clones. I loved Payback for a long time. Fun physics, fast cars, and nobody should forget the wicked RC trucks. CJS just wasn't enjoyable at all for me. It may have had a main city with day/night cycle and great music, but the controls and camera angles made it confusing and just not too good. Gangstar is just really awesome so far and it's definitely one of the best iGames ever. I hope that maybe R* will try to beat Gangstar with an even better 3D sandbox game someday. As of now, I think it is the end, or should be the end, or top down sandbox crime games.
Payback has like 8 cities, more people walking around, boat, heli, probably the same amount of cars and weapons. Payback is loaded with content.
I have all three and all are still on my iPod Touch. I was addicted to Payback until CJS came and I was having fun with CJS until the missions began getting rather repetitive. The controls for CJS were also terrible and I just couldn't keep up with the time limit, I still play it once in a while but the debt/interest has just piled up to the point that it's pointless now, I agree it was overhyped. Payback is better than CJS and I prefer the graphics and control more. But this is all before Gangstar came along, I'm all towards Gangstar now. Although Gangstar is too deep, it's a lot less repetitive and more interesting/fun to play than Payback and CJS (CJS just seems like a chore sometimes with the debt).
