The DS audience is skewed towards a younger demographic, but there are still millions of adult DS owners who may pick up the M-rated Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars from Rockstar Games, reckons analyst Doug Creutz with Cowen and Company.

Currently, the game, launched today, is earning an initial average review score of 95 percent. "If the title’s subsequent reviews are consistent with the initial critical response, Chinatown Wars would be the highest rated title on the DS to date," Creutz wrote in a research note.

"...The strong critical rating will likely increase the game’s chances of becoming a commercial hit. We continue to estimate that GTA: Chinatown Wars will sell 2 million first year U.S. units."

The U.S. installed base for the DS is over 27 million units.

Creutz also said that Take-Two's ability to release highly-rated series like GTA and BioShock make the New York publisher stand out from competitors.

Take-Two currently expects earnings per share for fiscal 2009 to be between breakeven and 20 cents on a non-GAAP basis. But Creutz called the guidance conservative "given the strength of Take-Two's lineup," namely Chinatown Wars, BioShock 2, Red Dead Redemption, Borderlands and Mafia II.