Wii Grand Theft Auto 'Didn't Feel Natural'

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Rockstar cofounder Dan Houser downplayed chances of a Wii entry in its megahit Grand Theft Auto series, saying it "didn't feel natural" compared to the opportunity to make a Nintendo DS game.

"It really was that the DS felt like it had a lot of interesting challenges that would be totally different from what we'd done in the past," Houser told Nintendo Power as relayed by Nintendo Everything. The stylus and the chance to use minigames in that way was really interesting and exciting to us, and we thought we could integrate seamlessly between those two modes."

"And it would be the chance to make something really good on a handheld with our handheld-focused team," he added. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, in development for the DS, is being handled by Rockstar Leeds, which previously produced the Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories games for the PSP.

Publisher Take-Two, for its part, continues to keep quiet on a Wii version of the hijack-happy action game, but CEO Ben Feder refused to shut that door entirely. "GTA: Chinatown Wars is an important step ...and we intend to continue to grow that relationship [with Nintendo]," he said.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    September 22, 2008 10:09 AM

    Here's an idea... make a Wii version and include a "sandbox" mode that will let players free-roam and just have fun interacting with the environment. Also, include a kid-friendly mode (no weapons, no language, no suggestive billboards, no hookers, people get stunned instead of killed, no strip joints, sex shops etc.). I've modded GTA:SA in this manner and my kids love it - they will play it for hours just driving the cars, doing jumps, making the cars exploded etc. Even myself enjoy a fun quick-play in this mode.

    This would get a lot of heat off of Rockstar's back and open the game to a whole new audience. Right now, there is NO WAY that I could purchase this game (for Wii) and let my kids play it. Include a kid-friendly sandbox more and I'll be first in line.

    To all those opposed to this idea... I am not suggesting changing the game. Just adding this mode (which would be EASY to do for the pros) and include a parental lock. This would only benefit Rockstar as they would easily double their audience.

    • reply
      September 22, 2008 10:14 AM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      September 22, 2008 10:15 AM

      A washed down version of GTA for the Wii? No.... No... and HELL NO! The day Take-Two washes down a quality title for little kids to 'interact with' will be a sad sad day in their companies line-up of mature content.

    • reply
      September 22, 2008 11:54 AM

      If its for the Wii why do kids have to play it

    • reply
      September 22, 2008 12:21 PM

      Yeah, why does the WIi version have to be for kids?

    • reply
      September 22, 2008 3:27 PM

      I am not opposed to your idea of having a parental lock mode, hell, even Duke Nukem 3D had a parental lock which was password encoded.

      That way youngsters could play and the rest of us would be unaffected.

      I don't really understand why they would not work on a Wii version of a GTA game. Hell, a lot of my friends played The Godfather Blackhand edition for Wii and loved it. Doesn't this show that sandbox style games are not only do-able but also accepted by Wii owners?

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