Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is a 2005 action-adventure game created by Rockstar Leeds and Rockstar North, and released by Rockstar Games. It is the ninth game in the Grand Theft Auto series. The game was first released for the PlayStation Portable in October 2005. A version for the PlayStation 2 was later released in June 2006. At the time, the PlayStation 2 version cost about half as much as the PlayStation Portable version because it did not include the special feature of copying custom music from the PSP version. Additional versions for iOS, Android, and Fire OS devices were released in December 2015, February 2016, and March 2016, respectively.
This game is the first 3D game in the series made for handheld devices. It is a prequel to Grand Theft Auto III, which was released in 2001, and takes place in Liberty City, a fictional version of New York City. The single-player story, set in 1998, follows Toni Cipriani, a character first seen in Grand Theft Auto III, as he works to climb the ranks of the Leone crime family and becomes involved in a conflict between different Mafia groups in the city. The PlayStation Portable version includes a multiplayer mode that allows up to six players to compete in different game modes through a wireless connection.
Liberty City Stories received mostly positive reviews from critics and sold over 8 million copies by March 2008. It is one of the best-selling PlayStation Portable games. In October 2006, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories was released as a prequel to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, which came out in 2002.
Gameplay
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is an action-adventure game played in an open world and viewed from a third-person perspective. The layout of Liberty City is similar to Grand Theft Auto III but includes features from later games, such as more indoor areas, the ability to change clothing, and motorcycles. While airplanes and helicopters that can be flown are available in Vice City and San Andreas, Liberty City Stories does not include flyable airplanes. Helicopters in this game are only accessible through specific methods. Compared to earlier games, players can move the camera more freely to view their surroundings, unlike Grand Theft Auto III, which limits camera movement. Unlike Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the main character in Liberty City Stories cannot climb or swim. Contact with deep water in the game results in instant death. The open world of Liberty City Stories is much smaller than the world in San Andreas, as it is based on the original Liberty City layout.
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) version of Liberty City Stories includes a multiplayer mode for up to six players connected through Wi-Fi. The game offers seven multiplayer game modes, using character designs from the single-player version. These multiplayer features are not included in the PlayStation 2 or mobile versions of the game.
Synopsis
Liberty City Stories takes place in early 1998 in the fictional Liberty City, which is inspired by real-life New York City. It is part of the "3D Universe" story series in the Grand Theft Auto games. The game happens three years before the events of Grand Theft Auto III. The setting includes areas that are different from the 2001 version of Liberty City. For example, some buildings are under construction in 1998, while others are already destroyed by 2001. The Callahan Bridge is not finished in 1998, so a ferry service connects Staunton Island and Portland. Another example is Fort Staunton, which starts as a "Little Italy" neighborhood but becomes a construction site by 2001 after events in the story.
Like other Grand Theft Auto games, Liberty City Stories includes well-known actors in its cast. Some characters from Grand Theft Auto III return, but their appearances and roles are changed to match the 1998 timeline. Frank Vincent, Guru, and Sondra James reprise their roles as Salvatore Leone, 8-Ball, and Ma Cipriani, respectively. However, other characters from Grand Theft Auto III are voiced by new actors. For example, Danny Mastrogiorgio replaces Michael Madsen as Toni Cipriani, Fiona Gallagher replaces Debi Mazar as Maria Latore, Peter Appel replaces Robert Loggia as Ray Machowski, and Will Janowitz replaces Kyle MacLachlan as Donald Love.
In 1998, Antonio "Toni" Cipriani (Danny Mastrogiorgio), a member of the Leone mob, returns to Liberty City after living abroad for four years because he killed a made man. His boss, Don Salvatore Leone (Frank Vincent), welcomes him back and assigns him to work under Vincenzo "Lucky" Cilli (Joe Lo Truglio), who dislikes Toni. Meanwhile, Toni meets JD O'Toole (Greg Wilson), a member of the rival Sindacco family who wants to switch sides, and they work together to take down the Sindaccos. Later, Toni is set up by Vincenzo to be arrested during a job but escapes and ends his relationship with Vincenzo.
During these jobs, Toni learns that Massimo Torini, a leader of the Sicilian Mafia, is helping other gangs take territory from the Leones, as well as the Sindacco and Forelli families, after their income dropped. After helping JD take over a Sindacco club, JD is invited to join the Leones as a made man. However, Salvatore kills JD, believing he will betray them. Toni also discovers that his mother, Ma Cipriani (Sondra James), is upset about his low rank in the Leone family and tries to impress her, but she disowns him after calling for his death. Soon, Salvatore gives Toni direct tasks, including protecting his trophy wife, Maria (Fiona Gallagher).
Toni earns Salvatore's trust and becomes a made man in the Leone family, with his mother canceling the hit on him. Vincenzo becomes jealous of Toni's new position and tries to ambush him, but Toni survives and kills Vincenzo. On Salvatore's orders, Toni kills the city's Forelli-controlled mayor and helps Donald Love (Will Janowitz), a business tycoon, get elected as his replacement. However, Donald goes bankrupt after his ties to the Leones are exposed and loses the election to Miles O'Donovon (John Braden), who later has Salvatore arrested. Toni stays loyal to Salvatore, working for him from prison and later killing Don Paulie Sindacco (Jeff Gurner) for his role in Salvatore's arrest.
Later, Donald asks Toni to help rebuild his fortune by killing his former mentor, Avery Carrington, stealing his city development plans, and destroying the Forelli-controlled district of Fort Staunton with explosives. Donald's company would then receive funding to redevelop the area. Meanwhile, Toni is tricked into committing crimes to help a reporter, Ned Burner (Peter Bradbury), whose plans to expose Donald and Toni's crimes lead Toni to kill him. Toni also works for Toshiko Kasen (Hana Moon), the neglected wife of Yakuza leader Kazuki Kasen (Keenan Shimizu), to sabotage her husband's operations. After Toni kills Kazuki, Toshiko, filled with guilt, commits suicide.
As the Leone family defeats the Sindaccos and Forellis, Salvatore is targeted by the Sicilian Mafia, forcing Toni to protect him before his trial. After Salvatore is released on bail, he and Toni learn that Torini planned the mob war, rigged the mayoral elections, and caused Salvatore's arrest. Torini kidnaps O'Donovon to stop him from dropping Salvatore's charges. Toni and Salvatore rescue O'Donovon, confront, and kill Torini at a lighthouse. Salvatore forces O'Donovon to work for the Leones, then confronts his uncle, Don Leone (Bruce MacVittie), the leader of the Sicilian Mafia and Torini's boss. Uncle Leone pretends not to know about Torini's actions but returns to Sicily, vowing to stop the Sicilian invasion. With the Leones now in control of Liberty City, Salvatore promotes Toni to caporegime as a reward for his help.
Development
According to an IGN preview, Rockstar replaced Renderware with a new engine they developed themselves to better use the PSP's high resolution, detailed textures, and special visual effects. Before the release of Liberty City Stories, RenderWare was the engine used for all 3D games in the Grand Theft Auto III era. Liberty City Stories used Image Metrics for its character facial animations.
In April 2013, the game was released on PlayStation 3 through the PlayStation Network using PlayStation 2 backward compatibility.
An improved version of the game, featuring touchscreen controls, real-time lighting, high-definition textures, and increased distance for visible game elements, was released in December 2015 for iOS, February 2016 for Android, and March 2016 for Fire OS.
Soundtrack
Liberty City Stories includes ten radio stations, which feature a mix of licensed music, songs made specifically for the game, and talk radio. A special feature in the PSP version of the game allows players to listen to custom soundtracks.
To add this feature, Rockstar Games provided a program called "Rockstar Custom Tracks v1.0" on the official website in the "Downloads" section. This allowed users to access the custom soundtrack option. The program is built using Exact Audio Copy.
Reception
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories received "good reviews" from critics on both platforms, according to Metacritic, a website that collects reviews.
At the 9th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Liberty City Stories for "Handheld Game of the Year." Nintendogs won the award.
In the United States, the PlayStation 2 version of Liberty City Stories sold 1 million copies by February 2007. The PlayStation Portable (PSP) version sold 980,000 copies and made $48 million by August 2006. From January 2000 to August 2006, it was the 16th highest-selling handheld game in the United States across all platforms. As of March 26, 2008, Liberty City Stories sold 8 million copies, according to Take-Two Interactive.
The PSP version of Liberty City Stories received a "Double Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), which means it sold at least 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom. The PlayStation 2 version received a "Platinum" certification, indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies in the same region. As of July 2013, the PSP version sold over 7.5 million copies worldwide.