5 reasons why GTA Chinatown Wars feels so different from the rest of the HD universe

GTA Chinatown Wars is the odd game out within the HD universe.

Its graphics often leave fans to assume that GTA Chinatown Wars is part of the 2D universe. However, names like the 2D universe don't mean literally just the 2D games.

It simply refers to the first generation of GTA games (everything before GTA 3). Likewise, the HD universe refers to GTA 4 and every game thereafter. It's about in-game lore, not graphics.

GTA Chinatown Wars is canonly a part of the HD universe, even if the game looks nothing like the rest of the titles next to it. It isn't just the graphics that stand out, either. It was designed for a handheld console, which meant that it has a fundamentally different style of gameplay compared to GTA 4, GTA 5, and GTA Online.

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Five ways GTA Chinatown Wars stands out from the rest of the HD universe

#5 - Graphics

The most obvious difference between GTA Chinatown Wars and the rest of the HD universe lies in its graphics. There's no denying that it's terrible, particularly because it was designed with the Nintendo DS in mind.

The polygons stand out badly for a game within the HD universe. It looks bad even when compared to a game like GTA 3. One could even prefer the sprite work found in the first two major GTA games for their cleaner looks.

#4 - Top-down perspective

An example of the top-down view (Image via Rockstar Games)

The camera angle in GTA Chinatown Wars is the main reason why some GTA fans assume that the game is a part of the 2D universe. However, that's not the case. Still, the unique top-down perspective isn't available in any other HD universe GTA title.

Many of the gameplay changes in this game stem from this camera angle. It's reminiscent of the classic GTA games in this regard, which is not the GTA formula most GTA fans grew up with.

#3 - Purchasable safehouses

This safehouse costs $11,000 (Image via GTA Wiki)

Strangely, GTA Chinatown Wars is the only single-player HD universe game that allows the player to buy safehouses. All of the other games have a few preset ones given to the player throughout the storyline.

The seven storyline safehouses in GTA Chinatown Wars are a lot more than a player would get in the other HD universe game, yet they can still buy more safehouses.

There are 14 purchasable safehouses in GTA Chinatown Wars. GTA Online has safehouses, but it is a multiplayer game.

#2 - It's the only HD universe game officially available on mobile devices

It's a cheap game on both iOS and Android (Image via Rockstar Games)

Due to the fact that GTA Chinatown Wars was originally designed with a Nintendo DS in mind, it's a pretty small game as far as data goes. Unsurprisingly, this meant that it was ported pretty easily to Android and iOS devices.

It only costs $4.99 on the Google Playstore, so it's cheap as far as HD universe games tend to go. There are no confusing workarounds to get the game working well on mobile devices, either. It works perfectly well in the current version.

#1 - It's more over-the-top like in the 3D universe

The Rhino Tank returned in GTA Chinatown Wars (Image via Rockstar Games)

One of the main ways GTA Chinatown Wars distinguishes itself from the rest of the HD universe is in its gameplay presentation. It has wacky weapons like the flamethrower and chainsaw (with only GTA Online having wackier weaponry, but that didn't happen at its launch).

The general flow of the game is more reminiscent of the 3D universe GTA games. It's not a bad thing by any means, for it also means that the game is quicker to play through compared to the slower-paced modern GTA games.

Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.