Liberty City Stories is a return to Liberty City [You’re getting too smart for us Luke - Ed]. Liberty City was the setting of Grand Theft Auto III and despite the fact it is smaller than Vice City and San Andreas it is still a town brimming with personality. The storyline in the game is completely different to that of GTA III and it takes place three years before the aforementioned game. The main character in the game is Toni Cipriani, who has returned to Liberty City after staying away from the heat for a few years. When Toni returns to the city he teams up with Don Salvatore Leone, which is when corruption and the battle for power begins. The storyline isn't as compelling as previous Grand Theft Auto titles, which is a little disappointing.
One of the new additions to Liberty City; Bikes.
One of the major advantages of having the game on the PlayStation 2 is fact that the game controls a little better. It's easier to rotate the camera and overall it just feels a lot easier to have control over everything. Aiming has always been an issue in the Grand Theft Auto games and taking a cue from San Andreas your main character will lock onto the most threatening enemy. It's relatively simple to switch targets and whilst sometimes you'll lock onto someone completely unthreatening it works the majority of the time. The transition to the PlayStation 2 also means that there is a lot more detail in the environments and Liberty City is a bit more populated than its PSP counterpart.
There are plenty of vehicles in the game, including motorbikes, boats and planes. The vehicles certainly come in handy because there is a lot to explore in Liberty City. There are plenty of weapons in the game as well. You can only hold one weapon of each type at any time, which means you won't end up with a whole arsenal of sniper rifles. You will begin with basic weapons like pistols and brass knuckles, but eventually upgrading to sniper rifles and deadly melee weapons.
The multiplayer (which was such an enjoyable and addictive part of the PSP Game) has been completely removed from the PlayStation 2 version. This is a serious disappointment because it would have been good if there was support for a split screen multiplayer mode. Unfortunately, the problems of Liberty City Stories are a lot clearer with the game on the PlayStation 2. The missions are a lot shorter because they were designed for the PSP and the mission design isn't as involving. It really feels as though we're going backwards because some of the key features from San Andreas aren't in this game, and whilst it was acceptable on the PSP version it really just makes Liberty City Stories feel a little primitive in comparison to the other Grand Theft Auto games on the PlayStation 2.
It is a PlayStation 2 game although sometimes it may not look like it.
The game looks marginally better than the PSP version, although there haven't been too many enhancements. The draw distance is a bit better and Liberty City is a bit more populated, but the difference isn't as clear as expected. There are still frame rate issues (which is surprising considering Liberty City isn't as large as San Andreas), which is a little disappointing. Sound has always been important in the Grand Theft Auto games because it helped to compliment the setting of the game. There are plenty of radio stations in Liberty City Stories (Flashback FM, Lips and Rise just to name some of our favourites) but the music being played isn't quite as enjoyable as in previous Grand Theft Auto titles. We remember sometimes not wanting to get out of the car because the music was so good, but we never felt this way in this game. The radio DJ's are still rather hilarious at times though and the sound effects are pretty solid.
If you just stick to the missions and don't deviate then you'll complete the game in about ten to fifteen hours. However, this will only get you through about 40% of the game because the 60% left is based on side missions like taxi missions and ambulance missions. There are also 100 packages scattered throughout the city to be found, so there is a lot of content in the game. If you just stick to the story you're also not going to see all that Liberty City has to offer, because there are a lot of hidden areas and secrets to be found.
Someone you don't want to cross twice.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories isn't as memorable on the PlayStation 2 as on the PSP. The game was designed from the ground up for the PSP so the storyline isn't as involving and the missions are a lot shorter and not quite as epic. The move back to Liberty City feels like a step backward after spending time in San Andreas, and the game lacks any multiplayer modes. The game is available at a budget price point though, so if you didn't experience the game on the PSP then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t check this game out, although the game doesn't measure up to Vice City or San Andreas.
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