KMGR of "Gangstar 2: King of LA"

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Gangstar 2 is sequel to Gameloft's take on Grand Theft Auto 3 on the mobile phone. This time, you're from south of the border trying to make it big in city of angels. By visiting one of your cousins who's in the business, you hope to make it big. Gameloft claims 75 missions with many offbeat missions like racing, stunts, secret items, and so on. So how close does it come to GTA?

Gangstar 2 features a thoroughly Chicano plot, complete with Spanglish (mix of English and Spanish). You can start main mission two ways... through the "services" menu, or go to the house where the mission is. To start side missions like racing, you have to go to the location.

The city is big enough, AND there are also other areas that you can go to (additional maps). Traffic is real, different cars behave a bit differently (more are added later). Sedans, sports cars, SUVs... Different people talking on the streets... Cops don't like you shooting or running over their people or into their cars...

There are also tons of other activities to do. You can do 'stunts' by driving cars up ramps and jump from place to place, finding "hidden" items (briefcases) on the maps as you find them (many are hidden pretty well and takes thorough exploration to locate). There are also weapons dealers, car dealers, even drug dealers with its own little underground economy... Buy low and sell high with your own capital will often help push the prices along...' and you making a bundle, esp. if you find "goodies" shop in other parts of town and know which 'treats' generate the best profit.

Most of your profit, on the other hand, will come from doing the missions. And there are a variety of them, sometimes just "Fedex", go there, deliver that. Some are multipart. Some may involve liquidating someone at the destination (without attracting cops attention!) You will accumulate a serious arsenal... Single pistol, silenced pistol, dual pistol, Uzi/Mac-10, AK, rifle (sniper), and more. And ammo never seems to be a problem.

Different bonus items like safety vests, guns, secret items, first-aid kits, and so on are available all over. Even some guns, and others. Cars are easily hijacked... Just walk up to a stopped car and hit the appropriate key. Lots of things to do at any time, mission or no mission.

Haven't made it to the end yet, but so far Gangstar 2 lives up to its promise: a good GTA-clone on mobile phone.

Overall rating: 7.5 out of 10
Pros: lots of variety, lots of things to do, but still a plot
Cons: 2D only, a lot of things already seen before, VERY heavily scripted