European Release : 26/06/2006
Price : £19.99 / €29.00

Conclusions Taken From eurogamer.net
Review Written By tom bramwell



There's a definite risk of over-celebrating this, and it's a bit of a shame more time wasn't spent imagining new modes of transport, and pouring as much supplemental humour into the nooks and crannies of the world. My all-time favourite GTA III sight-gag has to be the "GAS!" sign that sits on a wall adjacent to Staunton's multi-storey, where the level-of-detail effect gave you a "PETROL!" notice when you pulled back about 50 feet. LCS isn't devoid of those moments, but it's nowhere near as rich a game as some of its predecessors. Likewise, the limits placed on the game's audio content by the use of UMD shouldn't be a factor here, yet there's nothing to separate the soundtrack from its PSP counterpart - and it'll easily run dry through repetition by about the ten-hour mark, if that.



That said, I've spent an unnatural amount of time clawing away at LCS over the past three days, and if Liberty City's the star then the pass-the-parcel approach to game design is the man behind the curtain. The vehicles, for example, grow from a simple affection for Stallions, Sentinels and PCJ-600 bikes with a craving for roadsters to a bedrock of Humvees and sports cars, with greater treats teased by missions and familiar fare five hours later. Weapons are the same - with a delight for uzis soon replaced by a lust for rocket launchers and sniper rifles. The pattern of revelation is a familiar one, but as hooks go it's resilient - it's already snared tens of millions of sales, after all.

As was the case on PSP then, LCS is thoroughly familiar. The point is that you don't mind. We're not sick of the formula, and what's here is a fine distillation of the series' high points to date. A lack of flourish and invention, along with a tired set of on-foot mechanics, rob it of a higher mark - but too much stands in its favour not to recommend it.

Overall Scores

eurogamer.net : 8/10

gamespot.com : 7.1/10

ign.com : 8/10

gamesradar.com : 8/10