GTA: Chinatown Wars custom DS Lite.

I can’t say for sure whether that’s a decal, a shell, or an actual paintjob, but whatever it is, this custom system doesn’t look too great. Perhaps it’s the lighting? The Nintendo World store in NYC gave this red and black DS Lite to one of the first 20 people who showed up to its launch event yesterday.

Note that this isn’t just a typical Crimson/Black DS Lite with a new paint job/skin/shell — it also has that thin red strip on the back. Who knows what mysteries it conceals.

Here’s a shot with the lid open:

Another glamour shot, surrounded by block-style figures from the GTA 3 and Vice City Kubrick sets.

There’s a lot of hype for Chinatown Wars, with several early impressions I’ve read claiming it as the “best GTA game” they’ve ever played. But then again, you can never trust the opinions of a Nintendo fan.

Metacritic lists it currently as the best reviewed DS game, and the usually grumpy Eurogamer even gave it a 10 out of 10 — impressive, considering the only recent DS title that I can recall receiving a perfect score from a Western outlet was Contra 4 by our own JC Fletcher.

Preorder: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

[Images via Saki-Waki]

tags / grand theft auto / chinatown wars / rockstar / nintendo world / custom / ec