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Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
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Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is a sandbox-style action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North and Rockstar Leeds. The game is the seventh installment in the Grand Theft Auto series. It was released for the PlayStation Portable in North America on October 25, 2005 and in the United Kingdom (UK) on November 4, 2005. The game was succeeded by Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
A port for the PlayStation 2 was released on June 6, 2006 in North America, and June 22, 2006 in the UK and the rest of Europe.
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Quotations
(To Toni Cipriani) Just because I think everybody hates me, does'nt mean they don't.
Blue Dock Worker: Hey, I've got healthens to show here!
Blue Dock Worker: Hurry up, I'm late for a swinging-party!
Blue Dock Worker: Move! I got to get to the show!
Boy Sanchez: I hope you're having fun, but not as much fun as me, in here, by myself, with a plate full of drugs... again!
Brown Wearing Truck Driver Toni is stealing his car: I didn't know she was your daughter!
Encyclopedia
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is a sandbox-style action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North and Rockstar Leeds. The game is the seventh installment in the Grand Theft Auto series. It was released for the PlayStation Portable in North America on October 25, 2005 and in the United Kingdom (UK) on November 4, 2005. The game was succeeded by Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
A port for the PlayStation 2 was released on June 6, 2006 in North America, and June 22, 2006 in the UK and the rest of Europe. At the time of release, the recommended retail price of the PS2 port was around half the price of the PSP version. The PS2 port does not feature the multiplayer mode or custom soundtrack ripping capability, in comparison to its PSP counterpart.
Setting
The game is set in Liberty City (the same city featured in Grand Theft Auto III). However, it takes place in 1998, three years before the events of GTA III. Toni Cipriani is fresh back in the city after lying low for several years, having killed a made man as a favor for Don Salvatore Leone. The grateful Salvatore puts him straight back to work. During the course of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, players can accept a variety of missions from many people, including Salvatore, Salvatore's wife Maria, JD O'Toole, wise guy Vincenzo "Vinnie" Cilli, and even Toni's own mother. Players may also accept missions from the "Avenging Angels", similar to the Guardian Angels, earning special vehicles and wardrobe rewards.
The game features a club named "Paulie's Revue Bar" which is later taken over by the Leone family and renamed "Sex Club Seven". In the PSP version, as in all subsequent versions than the beta version you cannot go in the club. Although Liberty City Stories is set in 1998, the introduction DVD for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas which takes place in 1992, shows the club as "Sex Club Seven". This is likely a continuity error as Liberty City Stories was not in development when the San Andreas introduction DVD was released. San Andreas' events lead up Grand Theft Auto III where the club was also named "Sex Club Seven".
Plot
The Story is set around Antonio "Toni" Cipriani who returns to Liberty City after a 3 year hiding after killing a made man. Toni is introduced to Vincenzo Cilli, Salvatore Leone's current Caporegime, and Vincenzo is tasked to give Toni some work. Toni dislikes Vincenzo, as Vincenzo acts like his "daddy" and keeps pushing him around, Vincenzo is also bossy towards Toni as well.
Portland Storyline
The Portland Island Storyline is set around using JD O' Toole to weaken the Sindacco Family's influence in Portland, which includes destroying their casino the Doll's House, stopping them from destroying the Leone Gaming House, and preventing them from crushing Salvatore, who takes over the Red Light District and JD's Club (Actually owned by Sindacco Don Paulie Sindacco) after Toni saves him from being crushed. Vincenzo then later betrays Toni after he is sent to pick up a sports car which turns out to be a Police Trap. After losing the police and parking outside Vincenzo's Garage, Toni gets a call from Vincenzo and Toni berates Vincenzo for setting him up, Vincenzo thinks of this setting him up as when he got Toni an apartment and a job. After the call, Toni crushes Vincenzo's Car to teach him never to mess with him again, after the crushing, Toni's Ma calls, and Toni visits her and it ends up with Toni having to prove to his Ma that he is a better son than Giovanni Casa, but fails and Ma sends a hit crew after him. After saving Salvatore from the police outside of JD's Club, Salvatore offers Toni some work, which involves around forcing the Union Boss Jane Hopper to reopen the ferry terminals and docks. When Toni sorts this all out. Toni gets a call from Salvatore's girlfriend Maria, who tells Toni to come see her, Maria gets Toni and her into lots of trouble, like gaining the attention of a Portland Biker Gang after killing their leader Wayne after Wayne hits Maria, and robbing shops. Maria needs a drug called a Zap, to save her life, Maria believes the drug is at a Callahan Point Diner, then behind a trash can in Hepburn Heights, then back at her house, but it's actually at Salvatore's Mansion. Toni does a few more jobs for JD, which involves following a Sicilian Caporegime Massimo Torini around Portland who is meeting with the Triads and Diablos, to tell them to ruin the Leones in Portland. Then driving JD to be made in the Leone Family, but it turns out to be a murder, as Mickey Hamfists, Salvatore's Enforcer, shoots JD in the back of the head with a Pistol. Toni takes Mickey home and dumps the car containing a dead JD into the river. Toni gets a call from Vincenzo, who apologizes for being a jerk towards Toni and tells him to go to his warehouse, Toni arrives there, and Vincenzo calls to say that he is on a large tanker near the warehouse. Toni goes to the Tanker, only to discover it to be a trap. Leone Mobsters loyal to just Vincenzo, attack Toni with Chainsaws. Toni slaughters them, then kills a furious Vincenzo in a firefight. Toni then flees Vincenzo's Tanker, then receives a call from Mr. Leone, who tells Toni to come back to his mansion. When arriving in Mr. Leone's Office, Toni is told to rescue some Leone Mobsters who have been caught in a violent firefight with the Diablos, a few Leone Wiseguys were killed before Toni arrived. Cipriani fends off the disturbing Puerto Rican Gangsters and saves the Leone's Red Light District Turf. Salvatore then needs another favor, he can only trust Toni to collect some money from his warehouse in Callahan Point, but the Liberty City Triads blow up the warehouse, which slaughters all Leone Warehouse Guards except Cipriani, now Cipriani must collect the remaining money and murder any Triads that get in his way, then get back to Salvatore's with the money. The final job in Portland involves getting Salvatore to the ferry terminal, and it is revealed the police are waiting for Salvatore there, Cipriani and Leone escape to the almost finished Callahan Bridge where they speed and jump over a ramp (Actually a bit of the Bridge's Road not lowered yet) and escape to a safehouse on Staunton Island, this triggers the Staunton Island Storyline.
Staunton Storyline
After settling in at his new safehouse, Toni receives a call from Salvatore, who tells Toni to answer a payphone by the Courthouse. Toni goes to the payphone, answers it, and is told to assassinate Mayor Roger C. Hole, and steal his phone, so Salvatore can see who he has been talking to. After the assassination, Toni finds a letter on his Apartment's table it was written by Salvatore, who has written that some of his men will arrive to pick up Toni soon. Toni later leaves his apartment and sees Salvatore's men, including Mickey Hamfists, who assassinated JD O' Toole during the Portland Storyline, nervous that he might be killed too, he says hi to Mickey nervously, Toni drives to the meet location, and there is no setup, Salvatore emerges from behing a wall, and tells Toni that he is going to be made, which Toni's Ma has waited for a long time, after the ceremony, Salvatore, Mickey and the other goons take Toni home, with Salvatore quickly telling Toni's Ma about the ceremony which leads to a quick proud call for Toni from his Ma, which gives Toni a new outfit to wear (Toni also earns some new clothes from the Portland Storyline as well). so after Toni gets made he gets to do work for Donald Love (from Gta Vice City, and Gta III) who has wanted to become a politician and become mayor after The mayor R.C hole was murderd in Bellville Park and after Toni being made he will work for Ned Burner (disguised as a Preist) and Leon Macaffery.
Gameplay
The ways to get from island to island have also been tweaked. A ferry now runs from Portland Island to Staunton Island, and the tunnel that connects the islands in Grand Theft Auto III has not yet been completed - only the section of the tunnel that runs from north Shoreside Vale to south Shoreside Vale is open. The Callahan Bridge (the bridge that was blown up at the beginning of Grand Theft Auto III) has also not been fully constructed yet. Only after the mission "Driving Mr. Leone", which occurs at around 19% completion, can the player actually traverse the bridge as its construction progresses.
In addition, motorcycles were previously permitted in the city. The official Liberty City Stories website reveals that motorbikes were banned by the turn of the 21st century, due to a public ordinance supported by the Maibatsu Corporation (which marketed the over-sized Maibatsu Monstrosity in GTA III) in order to promote the use of automobiles in the city.
Though airplanes and helicopters can be found in Vice City, usable airplanes and helicopters cannot be found in Liberty City Stories, although a glitch to fly a helicopter has been discovered.
Multiplayer
The PSP version of Liberty City Stories has a multiplayer mode, for up to six players through WiFi ad-hoc mode (same area). The game features seven modes of wireless multiplayer gaming, in which various pedestrian and character models from the single player mode are available as player avatars. Rockstar decided not to include these modes in the Playstation 2 version.
Characters
Graphics
As stated in an IGN preview, "Rockstar dropped Renderware in favor of a brand new in-house engine to best utilize the resolution, texture density and particle effects of the PSP". Until the release of Liberty City Stories, RenderWare had been the game engine behind every 3D GTA.
Liberty City Stories used for the game's facial animation.
Soundtrack
Radio stations
Liberty City Stories features ten radio stations, which comprise a mix of both licensed music and tracks created specifically for the game. The ten radio stations are as follows:
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| Radio Del MundoMSX 98Flashback FMThe Liberty JamLCFR | |
Custom soundtracks
A special feature for the PSP version of the game is the ability to listen to custom soundtracks. Previously, only Grand Theft Auto games on the Xbox and PC were able to implement custom soundtracks. When Liberty City Stories was released, the custom soundtracks option was featured in the "Audio" section of the menu (by pressing Start in gameplay) but did not have any use.
A few days after release of the game, Rockstar placed the application called "Rockstar Custom Tracks v1.0" on the official site under the "Downloads" section. This then gave people the chance to use the custom soundtracks feature. The application is based on Exact Audio Copy.
In the application, songs from a CD are ripped, compressed, and converted to .Wav files that can be read by the game. Rockstar Custom Tracks (RCT) only allows the ripping of songs that are from a store-bought CD. However, fans have found a way to compress and convert MP3 files that are not burned onto CDs. The Custom Tracks are just .Wav files renamed to .gta. RCT can also look up and use the names from the FreeDB server if there are no names for the song(s). There must be at least one save file in order for RCT to work. It is thought that this will be used for other games Rockstar will release on the PSP from the name. More details can be found in the PDF in the file downloaded from the official site.
PSP exploit
In late 2005 a vulnerability was found in the way the PSP version of GTA: Liberty City Stories processes saved games. In December 2005 software was developed to execute unsigned code on PSPs with firmwares 2.00 through 2.60. In April 2006 firmware 2.70 was released and patched the exploit, however, as of January 25, 2007 it was discovered that Sony did not completely patch the exploit, and unsigned code may be run on 3.03 firmware, a 3.03 downgrader was released 3 days after the exploit was found. Also, new copies of GTA: Liberty City Stories patched the exploit as well, preventing it from being executed on any firmware version. For a while this exploit was the only means to play homebrew on the above mentioned firmwares. The effect this had on sales is visible as it is the highest selling PSP game and the next highest selling has barely 2/3 of this games total sales.
Sales
In the United States, the PlayStation 2 version of Liberty City Stories had sold 1 million copies by February 6, 2007; as of December 27, 2007, the PSP version has sold 1.83 million copies and the PS2 version has sold 1.32 million. As of March 26, 2008, Liberty City Stories has sold 8 million copies according to Take-Two Interactive.
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