Grand Theft Auto heading to DS

Nintendo and Rockstar have whipped the wrappers of an exclusive Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars game for DS.

It's due out this Christmas and will be set in "a modern day Liberty City", according to Nintendo US sales woman Cammie Dunaway.

Chinatown Wars will also use a custom game engine and have new characters, plus "the same free-ranging gameplay that GTA fans have come to expect".

Rockstar boss Sam Houser reckons the game "will deliver a rich, fast-paced and intense 'Grand Theft Auto' experience that will be truly unique to Nintendo's handheld platform.

"Rockstar Leeds, along with the team at Rockstar North, has built upon a decade of progressive design on Grand Theft Auto, and has created something fundamentally fresh and immersive," he added.

The first official blurb on Chinatown Wars states: "Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is an entirely original entry into the critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto series, and brings a new level of interactivity to its sprawling open environments. With the use of the DS touch screen, players will navigate their way through the streets as they uncover the truth behind an epic tale of crime and corruption within the Triad crime syndicate, delivering the unprecedented amount of depth that has become a true trademark of the franchise."

Meanwhile, an official website has gone live, revealing little more than the logo and the fact that it will feature wi-fi support. More news soon.