"You know exactly what you're getting with this game, and that is not a bad thing."

I'll eschew the traditional category review for this title. GTA has well been branded into its place in videogame pop-culture, and many of you reading this is well aware what the series is about. As such I'll also fore go getting heavily into the game synopsis and storyline.

Almost mindlessly running the streets until you jack a car or motorcycle. Selecting your favorite radio station and cruising. Occasionally plowing through other cars in turn mowing through people on the sidewalk. Suddenly coming to a stop just to randomly bludgeon the life out of an innocent pedestrian and to your surprise, you get a bonus of cash spread around its now lifeless corpse. Sound familiar? Sure, sure. GTA has missions and side quests to push the story along, but lets face it. You spend an unruly amount of time roaming its streets for a fix of perverted anarchistic behavior you would never consider in real life (er... hopefully). I know I do. Well, throw that mesmerizing free-roaming addictive game play into the PSP and visiting the toilet will never be the same.

Reprising the role of what was a minor character in GTA 3, Toni Cipriani, you visit a perfectly reconstructed (at least in my eyes) Liberty City right inside your shiny Sony hand-held. The formula is fully intact. You are given missions to push the story along at your pace, jaunt around almost endlessly in your free reign to wreak havoc, steal cars, collect weapons, and mug people for some petty cash. Partake in side missions/quests littered all over the city in which most cases grant you various rewards to your person or your hideout. The fact that the game was developed by one of Rockstar's smaller offices- Rockstar Leeds, shows you the difference between this and the larger console counterparts. Perhaps it being a PSP title had a slight hand in it, but you won't find any big name voices lending their talents to this game- which can be a moot point as the acting is excellent regardless. But the missions do seem rather generic and uninspired, sort of walking through its paces. Something perhaps you may attribute to Rockstar Leed's lesser pedigree.

The graphic engine is excellent. Obviously it isn't perfect as the PSP does not have the same horsepower as it's older brother, but you will no doubt appreciate how close it comes to playing this compared to on your TV with a PS2 or Xbox. There is some slow down issues, particularly when you reach 4 stars or higher and law enforcement bunches up on screen- but it won't hamper you all that much. There is also some slight loading pauses that occur when you switch vehicles, or radio stations. They can be irritating, but once again it is of minor concern. Sound is well done as usual, although many feel that the radio stations this time out are not as good. It follows the same format and style of GTA3- lesser known licensed music, or music specifically made for this title, but they are not as catchy as what you found on GT3. There is fortunately for those who cannot stand it, a Custom Tracks feature which requires some effort on your part to implement and enjoy. One thing I would like to mention is the bugginess of the game. Sure, this is a GTA, all of its current installments have been buggy, but some bugs just scream out "rush job" in its nature. You will encounter side quests which tell you to do something, but you are not able to do it at all. I'll give you an example. There is an "Avenging Angels" side mission which is a bunch a vigilante group much like the real-life Guardian Angels, it requires you to have a member accompany you during the missions to locate criminal activity. If the member dies, you are instructed to get another member- in which it is impossible to do so. The game does not allow you to. An obvious oversight. These little things can and will got on your nerves, but oh well. You'll have to work around it through trial and error as well as loading up a recent save file.

The game is not fully loaded on smaller details like the recent GTA: San Andreas, it is a stripped down version. There is no food system, no dating system, exercise system, etc. Well, this somewhat makes sense as it flows through the GTA 3 time-line and essence, but on the other hand, it does not make sense at all as well. Essentially it is a step-down especially after having GTA: SA so recent in our memories. Some of the advancements in the series was taken away from you. I guess you can just chalk it up to it being a stripped-down handheld version, as most handhelds usually are. But I digress.

In closing, GTA: LCS is delivers exactly what you come to expect from a GTA game, and you are getting it in a system that fits in the palm of your hands. That in itself is a great thing. Any fan of the series will find this title a must-play and added to their collection. Anyone not familiar with the series (really?) will find a title that should deliver a satisfying game with which to melt the hours away (plugged in, of course) enjoyably without the need to play previous installments to follow the story.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/03/05