Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
- June 06, 2006 08:28 AM PST
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The Graphical Gripe
While LCS on PS2 is not bad looking, it is obvious that this game was built first for PSP, and then optimized for the PS2. The frame rate hurts occasionally, though it's certainly playable at all times. Most of the evidence, though, is in the overall jagginess and otherwise rough presentation of the city and its characters. The game is by no means ugly, but compared to GTA 3, there are noticeable differences. These differences may have been present on the PSP version, but considering the size of the screen and nature of the handheld, LCS looks pretty damn good on the PSP. We'd love to compare the PSP and PS2 versions side-by-side, but with no screen-grabbing options for the PSP, we're out of luck. So, we thought we'd do the next best thing. Compare LCS on PS2 to GTA 3 on PS2, as they both take place in Liberty City.
As you can see, the above screen was taken from LCS and the bottom from GTA 3, both from similar locations. The most noticeable differences between these two shots are in the ground and water textures. Notice how much more graphical detail is put into the ground on the GTA 3 shot below compared to the more smeared-looking ground in the above LCS shot. Also, notice how the water in LCS has more of a fake-looking white-cap style to the more realistic looking body of water in GTA 3. The draw distance looks slightly better in GTA 3, though LCS does hold up quite well. The buildings in the distance are much clearer in GTA 3, but there looks to be some LCS fog obstructing the view above. It is also interesting to note the subtle changes in Liberty City from the GTA 3 days. There are slight variations in the bridge, the buildings, and even the rock in the middle of the water. Kind of cool, huh?
