It's been a bit quiet since iTunes finally thawed out after Christmas, and it feels like we're still awaiting that big first release to really kick off the year (looking at you, Binding of Isaac). Out of nowhere yesterday, Gameloft soft launched their newest entry in the Gangstar series in The Philippines, and while previous iterations have explored Miami, Rio de Janeiro and Los Angeles, your nefarious criminal kingpin is now running amok in New Orleans. While Gameloft have touted Gangstar New Orleans to be the 'gold standard for open-world action-adventure', the reaction from gamers on our forums is significantly more mixed, with some sharing positive sentiment, and others deriding the release for being a bit rough on this initial soft launch.
From one perspective, TheBeastlyNinja only had positive feedback for their first impressions. They report that the "controls are nice and easy to get a hold of. On foot is easy and cars don't feel 'floaty' like they do in a lot of other mobile games". TheBeastlyNinja was also impressed with the visual design of Gangstar New Orleans, stating that the "graphics are nice, and kind of cell shaded like Borderlands. The shadows are impressive and it looks good overall". While they point out the presence of a few stutters and how some guns and cars must be unlocked through completing missions or paying money, TheBeastlyNinja sums up Gangstar New Orleans as "a nice freemium distraction". Similarly, Techzamazing...