Car Thief 4: Experienced

[Honolulu Blue]

This is a turn-based strategy game from Maxima Games. I wrote a dynasty about it here, which also has commentary and strategy tips from myself and other players.

You start with a small amount of cash, some tools (maybe - this depends on your speciality, ratings, and game level), and a huge amount of debt (the exact amount depends on game level).

The goal is to get pay off everyone and get out of the country. This is not as easy as it sounds, especially at the higher levels. You start in one of seven cities that represents the U.S.

There are several ways to make money in this game. Picking pockets is probably the simplest - just go where there is a crowded area and pick your target(s). Car thievery is where you'll get most of your profit. There are almost always cars around waiting to be stolen. Making money from cars is a three step process - steal them, improve them (the more undetectable a car is, the more it's worth), and sell them. There are also opportunities to break into houses, rob stores and banks, and even race your car against someone else (winner gets both cars).

The two ways to lose this game are to be killed or to be arrested three times. Your main opposition are the police in each city and the gangs. The longer you linger in a city, and the more crime you attempt, the more the police look out for such things and the less time you have to do your deeds. There is similar logic at work for gangs - the more notorious you get, the more jealous they get, and eventually they'll try to jump you.

GRAPHICS: Not much to speak of. There are a few buttons and icons, but the description of the action is all text. The pictures of the cars, characters, etc. involved in the game look like the stock photos from Capitalism.

SOUNDS: Generally pleasing and atmospheric (dogs barking, cats wailing, horns honking). When working on stealing a car, there are a few other noises that can be heard - the ignition starting, siren, locks being picked, and so on. With the optional sound pack, you can occasionally get some neat tunes while doing your dastardly deeds.

MANUAL/TUTORIAL/HELP/EASE OF LEARNING: No manual, no tutorial, just a small help file. That's enough to get started. There are some help buttons for additional hints about the game. I found it quite easy to learn the basics, but more difficult to master all the nuances (and I still don't think I have).

DIFFICULTY LEVELS: There are four difficulty levels, which affect your starting skills, equipment, police awareness, and other things. For once, the levels are appropriately labeled - the "easy" level is quite easy (once you get used to the game), and the "impossible" level is just that.

In addition, there is the option of starting with or without having to gain respect. Starting without gaining respect means you can do almost anything from the start of the game - steal cars, hire henchmen, break into houses... and you don't have those annoying respect hits from running from gangs or surrendering to the cops. With respect turned on, some activities are closed to you until you gain enough respect. Respect is gained by successfully performing criminal activities. Playing without having to gain respect is quite a bit easier.

GAME LENGTH AND REPLAYABILITY: Most games are shockingly short - unless you're very good and very, very lucky, you'll likely get gunned down or sent to prison within 30-60 game days (15-30 minutes of game time) at normal level. The game can be won in a couple of hours, but longer games lead to higher scores.

Car Thief has nearly endless replayability. Almost everything starts out randomly in every game. No strategy works for every game, but some tactics are useful in most every game.

RECOMMENDATIONS: First of all, to cover my behind, I should state that this isn't really a game for kids. Though the seamier sides of the underworld (drugs, prostitution, contract killing) aren't depicted here, stealing cars and getting into shootouts with cops aren't what we should be teaching our young people. Off soapbox.

For the rest of us, I found it a fun and addictive game. You might too. Try the demo at the site - if you like that, the game itself is even better. At $20, it's worth a shot.

[VPI97]

Based on your dynasty, I bought the full version of the game. Well worth the $20...thanks!

[Tasan]

This game is completely addicting. I FINALLY got a ways on a game in normal difficulty. I had to play it on easy to learn some tactics to stay alive. Great recommenation on this one HB, I'll play this for a while. I just wish it had a save game feature.

[tucker342]

must....not....buy....must...resist....temptation.......

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally posted by tucker342
must....not....buy....must...resist....temptation.......

It is futile to resist. Give yourself to the dark side.