Gangstar: New Orleans is the latest in Gameloft's murdery crime franchise. Think GTA on mobile and you're about half way there. Well, actually you're about all of the way there.
But what do you need to know before you jump into the game's world of car-jackings, drug deals, and all manner of other underworld activities? Well, you need to know everything in the list just below.
You can click on the emboldened name of the game to head over to the App Store where you can download it for free. And join us next week where we'll be going over the game with a fine-tooth comb in one of our massive guides.
What is it?
Like the intro says, it's the newest in Gameloft's series of GTA aping crime sims. This time it's set in New Orleans and it's free to play.
You play a grizzled gangster type who's setting out with some unscrupulous friends to take over a power vacuum left by a series of arrest by the New Orleans police.
To that end you complete tasks, murder a lot of people, and try and claim turf from other gang leaders on your way to the top.
Free to play you say?
I did say that, didn't I? Yup, while the game is still ostensibly open world, every time you perform a mission you'll have to spend some energy.
There's plenty of other free to play mechanics here as well. You upgrade your weapons and vehicles, and recruit new henchmen. All through a variety of different in-game currencies.
It's not the worst system, and there's usually something to do even when you've run out of energy. But it does mean the game feels constricted - the open world is really just there for a few challenges and some petty violence.
How does it play?
By Gangstar's recent standards it's actually pretty slick. The cars in particularly control very well. Power-sliding around corners, side-swiping pedestrians as you do, is pretty damn fun.
There are simplified controls for the shooting sections as well, and fisticuffs are kept down to a minimum. You can still beat-up pedestrians, but it's with a button similar to the one you use to jack cars.
It's definitely not the worst open world game on the App Store, and navigating through its open spaces is pretty fluid. The missions are short and sharp, which makes them ideal for mobile play.
Worth picking up then?
I'd say so. It's free, it's as morally bankrupt as you'd expect, and there's usually something to do. IT's nowhere near as smart or as entertaining as the games that have clearly influenced it, but that might be asking a little too much.
If you want to build up an illicit crime empire, then this is as good a place to start as any. Just remember that greed is good, and that the game is shaped to make as much money out of you as it can.
