Various gaming websites across the internet were recently given the opportunity to preview Chinatown Wars, the next installment of GTA for the Nintendo DS. Today, the articles were published online, here is a selection of the websites carrying previews:

IGN CVG

GamesRadar GameDaily Total Video Games

1UP Kikizo

We have also added all the new digital images released today to our Chinatown Wars screenshot gallery along with the game's first true artwork in our Chinatown Wars artwork gallery. Here is a sampler of the new shots:


Here is a summary of the main new features discussed in the previews:

• The stylus is immediately put to use at the start of the game, when Huang Lee must break out of a car sinking in the river and swim to shore.
• Audio is fairly lacking due to cartridge size. The game has some original tracks but all licensed songs are "instrumentals." IGN reports that "F-bombs are dropped [by pedestrians] quite frequently."
• You'll be able to climb up fire escapes to reach rooftops.
• To lose your wanted level you need to take out the nearby policemen rather than run away from them. The police car icons below your stars indicate how many policemen are left.
• Doing donuts before driving off gives you a speed boost, and flames will shoot out of your exhaust, allowing you to set fire to any pedestrians behind you.
• To get Molotov cocktails, you can go up to a gas pump and fill up as many bottles as you can in the allotted time.
• The PDA serves as your email and text message viewer, GPS with waypoints and favorite locations, contact database, music player, money manager, and gun shop.

The previews, particularly the one at IGN, also go into some mission details so if you're interested in that information be sure to check them out!

Kikizo's preview also comes with a couple screenshots of the bottom touch-screen's use in Chinatown Wars: