Gangstar New Orleans OpenWorld APK

Pros

• Decent combat controls and driving that's a blast to play
• Captures the personality of New Orleans well
• Short missions designed for quick bursts of play on the go

Cons

• Dull textures and lack of graphical sophistication
• High cost for buying items or boosters with real money

Gangstar New Orleans looks to capture the formula of the Grand Theft Auto series and shrink it down to work with mobile devices, but the results leave a lot to be desired. The Gangstar series has been around for a long time, and this sixth entry in the series places players in the Big Easy. But apart from the environmental textures and flavor text, the fundamentals are the same as they've always been. You explore an open world version of the city, get into car chases and gun fights, and climb your way to power and wealth by doing a series of missions for a colorful collection of crime bosses.

The complexity of open world crime games are hard to imagine working without a traditional controller, but Gangstar New Orleans has developed a generally effective alternative. A series of clearly identified icons present you with all the basic options you'd want for criminal actions in the open world, and separate sticks for shooting and moving give you a decent amount of flexibility in the gun play department. There's even a cover system that forces you to be more strategic with how you position yourself on the map. Fortunately, automatic lock-on mechanics reduce what could be a chaotic experience into a smooth one. Driving is simplified to great results by reducing the movement buttons to simple buttons for moving left and right.

It's just strange that the series places you in a wide open world and then creates so many barriers to actually exploring it. Befitting the free to play format of the game, main story missions require energy which gradually builds up over the course of the real world day. You'll have to pace yourself or shell out real money if you want to keep playing indefinitely, and the fact that the game automatically warps you right to your mission's destination really takes you out of the setting.

Gangstar New Orleans isn't the prettiest game on mobile devices, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have character. The textures may not be the prettiest you've ever seen, but anyone who knows New Orleans will be able to recognize familiar landmarks and neighborhoods. It wouldn't be honest to say that the streets feel lived in, but both the plot and the characters have a sense of personality that tries to evoke the romance and danger of this complex city. Sometimes it works. Other times it feels like a clumsy misrepresentation of the cultures and traditions of the city. Missions tend to be short and to the point, but the story pieces that tie them together are more compelling than you might expect for a mobile game.

Pros

• Decent combat controls and driving that's a blast to play
• Captures the personality of New Orleans well
• Short missions designed for quick bursts of play on the go

Cons

• Dull textures and lack of graphical sophistication
• High cost for buying items or boosters with real money