It’s common for previews to distill the hype with a few words of humility for the developers. Some of you may remember the less-than-pleasing previews for Assassin’s Creed in EGM, as they claimed the controls just weren’t adding up to the rest of the game’s presentation. There were also some unkind words for GTA IV, as the game was riddled with framerate issues and loading time problems. However, the hands-on time writers had with GTA: Chinatown Wars has proven to be quite amiable for Rockstar’s handheld outing.

Just recently, Blend Games’ Editor Pete Haas had some hands-on time with GTA: Chinatown Wars and had good things to say about it, TheGameReviews also laid out some praise for the controls, the driving and the action sequences. Eurogamer, Kikizo and CVG also feel that the game shows excellent promise.

At this rate there won’t be any need for a review. The only thing that seems a bit curious is how the game is rather under-played in the press news given all the good praise it has received. Perhaps it’s because the game is on the Nintendo DS? Or maybe it’s just being over-shadowed by a lot of other big releases? Whatever the case, I’m guessing it’s just Rockstar not going out of their way to over-promote the game.

If you haven’t bothered keeping track of GTA: Chinatown Wars because it’s on the DS, or you’re tired of the series, you might want to look the game over some more, because you might be presently surprised to know that it’s shaping up to be better than what a lot of us thought. We’ll keep you posted on further news and info regarding all things gaming, here at Blend Games.