| Gangstar: New Orleans | |
|---|---|
| |
| Name: | Gangstar: New Orleans |
| Developer(s): | Gameloft Montreal |
| Publisher(s): | Gameloft |
| Release date: | March 29, 2017 (Android) March 28, 2017 (iOS) February 8, 2017 (Microsoft Windows) |
| Platform(s): | Android Microsoft Windows iOS |
| Genre: | Action-adventure (third-person perspective) |
| Protagonist: | Gangstar: New Orleans protagonist |
| Chronology | |
| Series: | Gangstar |
| Preceded by: | Gangstar Vegas |
| Followed by: | Gangstar New York |
Gangstar New Orleans (often stylized as Gangstar New Orleans and officially known as Gangstar New Orleans Open World) is an action-adventure video game developed by Gameloft Montreal and published by Gameloft. It is the eighth (eleventh counting the two-dimensional (2D) versions of Gangstar Miami Vindication and Gangstar Rio City of Saints, Urban Crime, and Gangstar City) game in the Gangstar series, the fifth to be three-dimensional (3D), the sixth to be released for Android and iOS devices, and the first to be released for Microsoft Windows. The game is set in New Orleans and was released on March 30, 2017 for Android and iOS. Gangstar New Orleans features a lighter, more cartoonish theme than the rest of the games in the series. Support for the Windows 10 edition was dropped on September 25, 2017, although the Windows 10 edition still continues to be downloadable.[1]
Gameplay
Gangstar New Orleans is an open-world action-adventure video game with fairly standard cover-based gunplay. The game world may be traversed on foot or by vehicle. Missions are linear and are detached from the open world (though they can be accessed in the open world). Like other games in the series, the story is told almost entirely in pre-, mid-, and after-mission cutscenes.
The game has two main types of missions: main story missions and turf missions, the former of which, as the name suggests, are used to progress the main storyline forward. Completing story missions generally rewards the player with money and Spirit Jars, the game's version of loot crates. The latter type of mission increases the player's control (in percentage) over a Turf, a subdivision of the map that is controlled by a small-time mobster. If the player has 50% or more control over a Turf (of which there are twelve), they may attempt to raid the mobster's stronghold. Should they succeed in killing all of the mobster's henchmen (and the mobster himself), the player will be granted control over that Turf and given access to a passive money-making business. The ultimate non-story objective of the game is to control all twelve Turfs.
Outside of the missions, players may explore the open map of New Orleans on foot or by operating one of over 50 vehicles. The city is populated by non-player character (NPC) citizens, most of whom will react to the player's actions. Citizens can be killed and their vehicles can be stolen by the player, however, doing so will give the player a wanted level. NPC police officers will chase after a wanted player character until they incapacitate or arrest him unless he is able to distance himself from them quickly enough. The chase will get progressively more difficult, with the S.W.A.T. team and National Guard ultimately joining the chase if the player gains a high-enough wanted level. Killing 2 civilians will result in a 1 star wanted level, destroying a car will result in a 3 star wanted level. If the player gets away from the police, a timer will tick down. Once that timer finishes ticking down, the player will successfully escape the police.
Microtransactions
Gangstar New Orleans, like it's predecessors, features microtransactions. The game will constantly put pop-ups telling the player to purchase bundles. Most items and vehicles in the game can be purchased with the in-game currency, which can be acquired through either playing the game or purchasing a microtransaction.
Controls
Android, iOS
The control scheme for Gangstar New Orleans is nearly identical to other Gangstar games. An on-screen virtual touch-controlled analog stick allows players to control their character's movement on the X/Y axis while a virtual "sprint" button allows players to make the protagonist sprint, vault, climb, jump, and double-jump, depending on the situation. Free-aiming weapons in the game is done by swiping (or dragging) an "empty" area on the screen, which results in the camera being panned and the aim being directed towards what is in the middle of the screen, or by touching and releasing an onscreen NPC. A simple virtual "attack icon" button discharges the player's weapon in the direction of the closest or targeted NPC. Players can make the player character take cover when cover is available by pressing an on-screen prompt (the virtual "cover icon" button). Another on-screen prompt (the "enter/exit icon") allows players to enter or exit vehicles (the latter when the player is inside one) when they are near enough to the target vehicle.
- Drag virtual onscreen touch-controlled analog stick: Move (keeping the tip inside the larger circle results in the player character walking, while dragging it more out makes him gradually increase his movement speed and eventually run)
- Touch and release or hold attack icon: Fire weapon
- Touch and release enter/exit vehicle icon: Enter nearest vehicle / exit vehicle (when in/on one)
- Touch and release or hold sprint icon: Sprint / vault (when next to a flat, low barrier) / jump (when the player is on an edge of an area and there is a small gap between it and another area of the same height, and the player is sprinting towards the other area's edge) / climb (when sprinting towards a low obstacle)
- Touch and release surprise attack icon: Take the nearest NPC by surprise and kill them
- Touch and release mini-map: Enter map screen (this causes the game to get paused)
- Touch and release weapon icon: Reload ammunition of the currently-selected weapon
- Swipe (or drag) weapon icon: Change weapon (swiping left selects the previous weapon, and swiping right selects the next)
- Hold weapon icon: Make all equipped weapons appear around the weapon icon in order to select one
- Touch and release an onscreen NPC or vehicle: Aim at a certain NPC or vehicle
- Touch and release health kit icon: Use health kit
- Touch and release grenade icon: Throw grenade (accurate aiming is not possible)
- Touch and release or hold accelerate icon: Accelerate / decelerate (when reversing the vehicle)
- Touch and release or hold brake icon: Decelerate and eventually brake / speed up (when reversing the vehicle)
- Touch and release or hold left arrow on the screen's bottom-left area / drag virtual analog stick left: Steer left
- Touch and release or hold right arrow on the screen's bottom-left area / drag virtual analog stick right: Steer right
- Touch and release or hold up arrow: Fly higher (in helicopter)
- Touch and release down arrow: Fly lower (in helicopter)
- Touch and release left arrow on quest bar: View details of the quest located to the left of the one that is currently being displayed
- Touch and release right arrow on quest bar: View details of the quest located to the right of the one that is currently being displayed
Microsoft Windows
The Microsoft Windows version controls have some differences:
- All controls can be customized except the mouse.
- In order to move camera angle, you need to click the mouse wheel instead of swiping the mouse like many open-world games, which can cause some difficulties in gameplay.
- In a bike, there's no button to perform a wheelie or a stoppie.
Customization options
Players can customize their character's physical appearance, name, and apparel in Gangstar New Orleans. Outfits usually cost between $6,000 and $12,000 while the name can be changed at any time for free. At the start of the game, players can choose their character's appearance from six possible models but cannot change this after that. The protagonist is always male as there is no option to make the character female in the default head appearance selection screen.
Development
Plot
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Following a series of raids by the New Orleans Police Department, the five biggest crime lords of New Orleans are arrested, leaving their former territory up for grabs.
Alain Boudreaux, a nightclub owner and small-time mobster, recognizing the opportunity at hand, decides to call in all of his favors and go for broke in an effort to take control of the city's entire criminal underworld. He begins by enlisting the help of Elsie Parker, a street race promoter and organizer, who in turn recruits the player, an out-of-state gun for hire, into the fledgling gang.
With the stage nearly set to begin his takeover, Alain sends the player out to rescue E-Man, a narcotics manufacturer who is being held captive by a street gang. The player kills the gangsters and rescues E-Man, who, in return, pledges his services to Alain's gang. E-Man then has the player run several errands for him. The player recruits another "cook" to help E-Man, steals some materials needed to make E-Man's drugs, and kills several competitors.
With a steady stream of income (in the form of narcotics sales) all but assured for his gang, Alain tasks the player with saving a key witness whose testimony would likely put a meddlesome judge behind bars, from being killed by corrupt police. The player manages to get the witness into protective custody, assuring the judge's incrimination.
The player is next tasked with getting on the good side of Marie Nouveau, a loan shark who fakes having powerful voodoo powers in order to scare her debtors into paying their due. Marie has the player kill several of her more unscrupulous clients who fell behind in paying off their debt. As punishment for using voodoo spirituality as a means of making money, Marie is later attacked by a horde of the undead, forcing the player to defend her. After their run-in with the zombies, Marie promises never to invoke voodoo spirituality in vain again and subsequently joins Alain's gang.
After completing all of Noveau's tasks, the player is introduced to Bradford Miles, a resentful ex-jazz musician turned fence. He agrees to aid Alain and his gang under the condition that the player helps him exact revenge on his former band-mate, Ronnie, who broke his hand during a game of pool, ending Bradford's musical career. The player happily obliges, working closely with Miles to destroy the bandmate's reputation and livelihood. Ultimately, the player successfully lures Ronnie into a massive storm drain where he is unceremoniously gunned down by Miles.
Diggs and Smith, two common street-thugs, join the gang shortly thereafter, serving as informants and additional muscle. The player, Diggs, and Smith use a helicopter to break a moonshine maker out of prison. He agrees to join Alain's gang in return from being sprung from jail. The trio then robs a bank and finishes collecting all of the information needed to locate an enforcer for Jackson Duke, a corrupt police officer, and the gang's biggest rival.
With the takeover of the city by Alain's gang underway, the player finds Duke's enforcer and forces him to divulge the location of Duke. The player then takes the enforcer's boat, travels to Duke's location, kills most of his hired thugs, and confronts him on top of a water processing facility. The two begin a deadly fight and a stray bullet sets fire to the facility. After Duke has been severely injured by gunfire, fortuitously, a huge water pipe breaks loose from its rigging and falls, crushing Duke flat and seemingly killing him. The player steals a suitcase of money from the dirty cop and leaps off the roof of the building just before it explodes.
Now unopposed by any major organization, Alain's gang begins its takeover of the city with the player spearheading each operation. Slowly but surely, the player pushes all of the local street gangs out of their holdings and finally establishes Alain's gang as the dominant force in the city. Having amassed a fortune along the way, the player can safely retire to his island mansion while Alain runs the Big Easy's underworld.
Characters
Gangstar New Orleans protagonist
Gangstar New Orleans has a silent protagonist. His name, clothing, and general appearance is player-determined.
Alain Boudreaux 
Short in-game description: Your New Best Friend
Alain is the manager of the famous jazz nightclub The Hallowed. He knows everything about New Orleans's bourgeoisie and its nightlife including the drugs, prostitution, political secrets, and more. He lives the big life, stays connected with the big names, and attends all the important parties. With an addictive craving for fame and notoriety, Alain wants a piece of the criminal pie and is eager to seize any and all opportunities.
E-Man
Short in-game description: The "Chemist"
Previously living in Las Vegas, Eric "E-Man" (also occasionally called "E" for short) recently moved to New Orleans for some self-recovery and rehabilitation. However, he's quickly fallen back into his old ways. After aligning himself with some 'not-so-friendly' people his debts are piling up. To top things off, this mad "chemist" is on a mission of his own. E-Man’s ultimate goal is to create the most incredible and insane synthetic drug in the world.
Bradford Miles
Short in-game description: The Legend
Bradford was previously a promising jazz musician and likely bound for stardom. Unfortunately, his musical career came to halt after he broke his hand over a game of pool. Nowadays he is a producer but also makes a steady side-income as a reputable fence for the city’s criminal underground. As a middle man between thieves and potential buyers, nothing moves in or out of New Orleans without Bradford knowing.
Marie Nouveau
Short in-game description: The Voodoo Queen
Marie is an associate of Alain and is also more than happy to help fund any criminal in need. Her successful loan shark business operates out of an old plantation on the outskirts of the city. As a self-proclaimed Voodoo Queen, Marie’s persona has created a mystical aura surrounding herself and her business. Some believe she achieved immortality with her magical powers while others have doubts.
Diggs and Smith
Short in-game description: Those Two Guys
These two thugs helped each other survive the streets of New Orleans and ever since a profound friendship was formed. Diggs is the jovial yet psychotic wingman of the duo while Smith is the operational brains. They’re always looking for the next massive deal or ambitious heist that will make them rich. However, it’s rarely so simple and they often end up tangled up in messy situations with rivals.
Elsie Parker
Short in-game description: Racing Promoter
Elsie Parker is a street race organizer and the first person met during the main story. Although she makes only a few short appearances during the game's main story, it is implied that she plans and promotes a large number of illegal street races throughout the city.
Jackson Duke
Short in-game description: Dirty Cop, Wants You Dead
Jackson Duke is a corrupt police officer in the New Orleans Police Force and the main antagonist of Gangstar New Orleans.
Areas
Turfs
Turfs are controllable swaths of land in New Orleans that can be taken over by the player. Each Turf has its own stronghold, which can be raided by the player after he achieves 50% control over the region. There are a grand total of 12 Turfs in Gangstar New Orleans:
- French Quarter
- Plantations
- Madisonville
- Shrimp Town
- Metairie
- Chalmette
- Central Business District (also known as "CBD")
- Bayou Manchac
- Gentilly
- Algiers
- Gretna
- Kenner
Mansion
The player begins the game owning a run-down trailer on a small plot of land about half a mile off the coast of the Plantation Turf. As the game progresses, the player can use their money and resources (drywall, paint, etc.) to upgrade and modify the island, turning the small trailer into a huge mansion. Players can build a massive garage, a dock, a pool, a pool house, a deck, a helipad, an armory, and an airstrip on their island.
Differences between Mobile and Windows 10 edition
- The mobile version features far more pop ups and advertisements.
- If you die or get arrested in the mobile version, you can watch an advertisement instead of paying the fee, unlike the Windows 10 version wherein you just pay the fee.
- There are more missions in the Windows 10 version than the mobile version.
- The tutorial of the Windows 10 version is a lot longer than the mobile version.
- The intro of the Windows 10 version is slightly longer than the mobile version.
- Unlike in the mobile version, you get to build the house and garage for free as a part of the tutorial.
- The plot is altered by quite a bit.
- Instead of Elsie Parker, Alain Boudreaux is the first character introduced.
- Booster and Juju are still being used in upgrades in the Windows 10 version, while upgrades in Mobile require copy and cash or diamond to upgrade.
- Items in the Windows 10 version require the item to evolve to light a star, while in the Mobile version, all stars are already lit since the item was acquired.
- High Value Targets are absent in the Windows 10 version.
- In the Windows 10 version, different types of Juju are rewarded during events, while in Mobile there's Street Cred Event that have different items and more worthwhile.
- Turfs are far harder to maintain in Mobile than in the Windows 10 version.
- Spirit Jars in mobile are easier and have far better loot than the Windows 10 version.
Detailed Physics and Animations
- If an NPC sees you pointing a gun at them, they will react by running away, if you push them over then they will also react angrily to you.
- When hijacking a vehicle, it will play an animation of either the player smashing the window, lock-picking, or prying the door open with a crowbar.
- If a player is in a vehicle that is about to explode , the player will be able to survive the explosion instead of instantly dying.
- If a vehicle is submerged in water, the player can still get it out of the water depending on how deep the water is and how fast the player was driving.
- Vehicle damage is also more realistic: paint can be scratched, bumpers can be broken off, lights and windows can also be shattered. Instead of just the vehicle being dented or deformed when crashing.
Microtransactions
- Pile of Diamonds A ($4.99)
- Box of Diamonds A ($9.99)
- Trainee Pack A ($0.99)
- Initiate Pack A ($1.99)
- Cabinets of Diamonds F ($19.99)
- Assault Master Pack A ($9.99)
- Training Wheels Pack A ($2.99)
- Target Practice Pack A ($2.99)
- The Daily Order: Bastion A ($4.99)
- The Daily Order: Ranger A ($4.99)
Gallery
Trivia
- Several templates and corporate files are found in the game's files.
- The font used by this game is an italic version of Upboleters.
- Unlike its predecessors, this game does not feature radio stations.
Weapons
Unlike its predecessors, the game features no melee weapons, fists is only limit to Takedown animation. There's only 4 slots for firearms:
- Sidearm: Handguns/SMGs
- Primary: Assault Rifles/Shotguns
- Special: Rifles
- Heavy gun: LMGs/Explosives
