It feels jarring to me where you could simply open your car doors and leave to swim away after plunging your car off a pier into the sea despite the water pressure in GTA 4 and 5, but not in Chinatown Wars where it's not a flagship title yet you have such a realistic minigame. The same could be said to the car hotwiring minigame. Would you like to have this in GTA 6?

gta chinatown wars 💀💀

I'm talking about a new action roguelike, the author of which decided to mix Vampire Survivors with some of the most popular action games of the late 90s
Another addition has recently happened to the Vampire Survivors copycat regiment. A game with the telling name Maniac was released, the author of which tried not only to recreate the popular gameplay formula, but also to add something new to it. We're figuring out what did and what didn't work out very well.
Steam Store
The six playable characters of Maniac are very different people who share one thing in common: they are fed up with everything and they fly off the rails, rushing around their hometown, causing a fuss and wreaking havoc. Of course, the guards are trying to stop them, so soon a real war begins on the streets.
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There are several things that distinguish the new game from Vampire Survivors. So, the influence of the original GTA and Postal is clearly visible in it. The view from above (as if from a police helicopter chasing you), a variety of firearms, citizens running in all directions with wild screams immediately set a special atmosphere and the ability to steal almost any vehicle in the game makes the gameplay faster and more dynamic. Actually, you will most likely spend most of your time driving, shooting out of windows and running away from increasingly dangerously equipped opponents. If at first you are being chased by ordinary cops, then soon the army comes to their aid, then some special units and at the end of each session the hero is generally fired from laser cannons at real flying saucers.
Driving is simple, but fun. The car responds quickly to commands, deftly enters sharp turns and pleasantly throws vehicles in its path in different directions. Especially after some level up. Of course, different cars have slightly different physics, some of them are heavier, some are lighter, some are a little easier to drive, others are a little more difficult, but still do not expect a radical difference. We have an arcade action game here, not a simulator.
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Another difference is the structure of the race. In Maniac, it's not experience that falls out of enemies, but money, which can be exchanged between missions for permanent upgrades for each character. Level Up inside the mission is a bit unusual. To get a new level and the accompanying perk, you need to get to the street vendor of all sorts of illegal goods. The location of each new dealer is kindly suggested by the arrow on the screen, so you won't have to rush around the city for hours in fruitless attempts to develop the character at least a little. Thanks to this mechanic, you don't just run away from the enemies chasing you on the map, but try to purposefully hit a specific point every time. It's a small thing, but because of it, the gameplay is perceived as more structured.
Overall, the first impressions of Maniac are very pleasant. The game looks bright, the action in it is fast and spectacular, and the additional gameplay elements at least a little bit, but set it apart from the competition. Some problems start when you start studying everything in detail.
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For example, in Maniac, unlike most games of this genre, there is only one location. It's a pretty big open city with several themed areas, its own Chinatown and an airport where you can have fun running away from the cops right on the runway. But after a while, it gets boring to admire the same houses.
In addition, the playable characters don't really differ that much from each other. They seem to have different characteristics, but in reality they all play almost the same way. When you understand this, it becomes somehow insulting that you tried so hard to open them all, but there is at the same time a pleasant and unpleasant detail: it is extremely easy to do this. You only need to destroy a certain number of specific objects in the game during the session. For example, taxis or baby strollers. If you set a goal, then you can easily get access to absolutely all the characters on the very first evening.
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There are also some balance issues in the game. It is generally better not to pick up certain types of weapons until you properly upgrade your character. This is, in particular, a grenade launcher and a rocket launcher. The fact is that explosions cause damage not only to enemies, but also to your ward, and he, as if mocking, regularly shoots literally at his feet (or, more often, under the wheels).
Maniac has an alternative control mode that turns the game into a two-stick shooter, but to be honest, it's not very fun to play. There is too much fuss around and the gameplay as a whole is clearly created with an eye primarily to automatic aiming and shooting.
Finally, Maniac is a little overstuffed. Nothing critical, but one day, for example, I lost an arrow pointing in the direction to the next level. I had to reboot. Another time, jumping out of a car ready to explode, my character for some reason was transported to the opposite end of the city. As mentioned above — small things, not fatal, but still unpleasant.
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Nevertheless, if you love shameless arcade action games and Vampire Survivors, and also yearn for the original Grand Theft Auto, then Maniac is worth a try. This is a cheap and fun game that is sure to keep you busy for at least a few evenings. And it's nice to come back to her from time to time when you want a simple, thoughtless fan.