GTA on the PSP, what more could you ask for?
The first issue would be the second analog stick. The console version of the GTA games mainly use the second analog stick for camera control, and anyone who has played the games can attest to relying on the camera control to get them out of sticky situations. In case you don't know, the PSP doesn't have a second analog stick, so adjustments had to be made. The only way you can fully rotate the camera is by being on foot and standing still. Then you can hold L and use the analog stick to rotate. When in a vehicle, the only thing you can do is raise and lower the camera by pushing up or down on the stick.
The second issue is the lack of an extra shoulder button on each side. The PS2 has two shoulder buttons on each side, which were used for changing weapons and switching targeted enemies. The PSP makes use of the D-Pad in this situation. To target an enemy, you press and hold R, and to switch targets, press left or right on the D-Pad. Changing weapons also uses the left and right D-Pad buttons, but you cannot be holding R.
The above two issues are the main issues you will find with the controls. After all, if you've played all three GTAs on the consoles, you will definitely see this as a nuance. However, after completing the game on 100%, I must admit that it will not take long to get used to the controls and it will become second nature a quarter through the game.
Putting the above issues aside, GTA: Liberty City Stories is a near-perfect port of a fantastic series that does everything right. This is not a port of GTA III. It takes place in Liberty City, and most of the map is the same as the PS2 classic, but everything else is different. All the missions and scenarios are new, the vehicles are new, including motorcycles, which were not in GTA:III, and the soundtrack is new. To put it simply, it is a new GTA game.
I loved the soundtrack and audio of this game, but then again, who doesn't appreciate the audio of any GTA game. You should take note though, that since the UMD disc is smaller (in terms of memory) than a PS2 or Xbox CD, that less songs were in the game. This means that the radio loops pretty quickly, and by the time you unlock the second island, you may have heard everything the radio has to offer. However, the good news is the PSP supports custom soundtracks. By downloading a program on Rockstar's website and using it to upload songs onto your GTA: LCS save file, you can listen to any music you want in the car.
There are also a few technical issues. The frame rate tends to drop sometimes when you are moving at high speeds in a vehicle, and will drop most of the time if you crash and fall out of a motorcycle. Another thing I found, but happened rarely, was when driving at high speeds, the scenery would not completely develop immediately. It didn't happen a lot, but I thought I should mention it.
Those who have played the console GTAs should remember the long load time when you first boot up the game. LCS surprisingly has a very short boot up load time, and all the other load times, like starting a mission or going indoors/outdoors are consistently short as well. The load time of going from one island to another was even short as well. This is good news, especially since this is a handheld game; people don't have time to wait around.
I spent more time focusing on the issues and problems of the game because for anyone who knows Grand Theft Auto, they know what to expect. I enjoyed this game just as much as I enjoyed other GTAs on the consoles, and I just wanted to clarify any questions or concerns that fans of the series might have. It is one of the best PSP games and an overall great game. I highly recommend it.
Presentation: 9.0
Graphics: 9.0
Sound: 9.0
Gameplay: 9.0
Lasting Appeal: 9.5
Overall: 9.0