True Crime: Streets Of L.A.

There is no denying the impact that Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City have made on the gaming world and its influence is felt in all games that feature free roaming.  Let’s face it, kids, freedom is such a beautiful concept and more so in a game that lets you do whatever you want whenever you want.  Such is the case of True Crime: Streets of LA.  Not only can you go wild on the streets of everyone’s favorite deranged city but it also combines fancy driving and John Woo-styled gunplay.  So are we looking at a poser trying to leech off Rockstar’s winning formula or is this a game that honestly wants to give us a unique lovechild with a familiar face?  Please read on if you want to find out.

True Crime’s key location is the City of Angels and not a fictionalized version of it either.  You play Los Angeles police officer Nick Kang whose the kind of cop that you see in most action movies involving cops.  He’s a no nonsense officer of the law that bends the rules and is unapologetic when it comes to bringing criminals down.  Having been suspended for excessive violence and property damage, the Chief of a special department known as the Elite Operations Division recruits Kang to deal with a series of crimes involving the Asian and Russian crime syndicates.  As Kang, you are thrown into an intricate web of deceit and violence.  Yeah, this does sound a lot like LA.

As I mentioned above, the GTA series has made its mark in the gaming industry and its fingerprints are all over this one.  The city of Los Angeles is recreated down to its most famous streets to the more obscure ones that gamers living in that particular neighborhood will quickly recognize.  Just like the GTA series you are able to interact with this living and breathing city--and that includes the many pedestrians and vehicles that move along.  You can practically go anywhere on the massive map, pull over and walk around patting random pedestrians down looking for drugs or concealed weapons.  That's right, you can forget about that mission you’re working on and just spend the entire time solving petty crimes that occur all around you.

You can also jack any car that just happens to catch your eye and thus turning it into a driving game of sorts.  Yet Kang is an officer of the law and that means he’s got an excuse to carry firearms (that’s plural since he favors using two guns at the same time).  When he gets into gunfights, which is often in this game, your character automatically targets the threat the same way it’s done in Dead to Rights.  You can also aim your weapon for more precise shots but this takes a lot of practice on the shooting range.  That’s right, Kang can upgrade everything from his shooting skills (reload more quickly or aim more accurately), driving skills (unlock faster cars by winning races) and even his kung fu fighting skills (more finishing combos).  Kang’s martial arts fighting style also makes him pretty deadly with his hands and feet.

The game’s missions (or chapters) put you through a series of tasks that blend all of Kang’s three major abilities.  One mission will have you whizzing through the 10 Freeway on your way to rescue somebody before the time runs out while another one will have you kung fu fighting a whole nest of exotic dancers and then shoot your way out of a meat packing building.  All of these things are handled quite cleverly and the animated cut scene give the game its Hollywood action flick feel.  As a reward for completing each mission, you are able to play through a bonus cruising level that is designed just to drive around the city or solve petty crimes that range from random muggings to Hollywood inspired crimes (stop a Winona Rider-type celebrity that just shoplifted or a Halle Barry-like actress that just did a hit-and-run).

While Kang is nowhere near as homicidal as Vice City’s Tommy Vercetti or GTA 3’s silent crook, he can still cause enough violence.  Then again, you are punished for every civilian casualty caused by your hand and when your Good Cop rating moves down to Bad Cop, you’ll find yourself being chased by fellow officers as well as civilians that are angry with you.  A great thing the game offers is it allows you to make things up by arresting baddies.  True Crime, though, feels comfortable enough since everything from jacking cars to driving them is done smoothly.    

True Crime on the Xbox also looks amazing and its high-in-details visuals will not fail to impress gamers.  The city actually does feel alive and its not because of the neatly rendered characters that move realistically enough but it’s the faithful recreation of streets and the attention to detail placed on key locations.  You’ll know you’re nearing LAX because you’ll see plenty of planes passing overhead.  Cars shine beautifully and realistically and take specific damage that is very visible.  The main characters, especially during cut scenes, are nicely detailed to the point that you can make out blemishes or other physical features.  There’s also some great effects like the dramatic (and bloody shootouts) to the damage caused to vehicles during crashes.

Sound-wise, the game’s soundtrack is heavily laced with hip-hop tunes (and just a few speed metal tunes too) that are just too numerous to list here.  You’ll find songs from hip-hop artists like Snoop Dogg, Mac 10 and even Ice-T.  You can also use your own tunes but you’ll find the soundtrack certainly does a good job of immersing gamers into the whole West Coast thug vibe.  Yet what really stands out here is the voice acting that is done excellently mostly because it’s done by actors such as Christopher Walken, Gary Oldman, Michelle Rodriguez and Michael Madsen just to name a few.  There are also some top-notch sound effects here.

While it definitely pays homage to Rockstar’s revolutionary crime games, True Crime’s addictive brand of cops and robbers and mixing of genres make this a game with much more to offer than the average clone.  With a great Hollywood-style action flick story, stellar voice acting and plenty to see and do, gamers will love the game’s style.  Go out and buy this one right away, you won’t regret it. 

Gameplay: 9.0
Whether it’s swerving through the streets of Santa Monica, getting into a shootout with crazed Russian mobsters or kicking the tail of a group of gang members, True Crime’s controls handle these feats very smoothly.  The RPG-styled character upgrades are also a great feature and are cleverly designed by completing tasks in the streets, a martial arts dojo and a firing range.  The beauty of this is that you can drive to these locations anytime during the game.

Graphics: 9.0
Visually one of the most impressive games since the Grand Theft Auto games hit the Xbox.  You’ll find plenty to see here and thanks to the Xbox’s graphical capabilities, this game sees plenty more details than the PS2.  The characters look great during cut scenes and during the action (although there are a few clipping issues, it really doesn’t hold the game’s graphics back at all) and the effects of car crashes is handled wonderfully.  Yes, sir, this is one great looking game.

Sound: 9.5
Complimenting the visuals are the sound effects, which sound even more amazing hooked up to a good sound system.  When cars crash, you’ll hear the grinding of fenders, the smashing of glass and the screeching of tires.  To top it off, many well-known Hollywood actors voice the game’s many characters.  There are plenty of tunes to keep you company and the majority of them are hip-hop tunes that seem to work well with the theme of this game.

Difficulty: Medium
True Crime’s blending of genres adds variety to the game as well as three very different sets of challenges.  Certain missions require you to use your gun skills while another tests your martial arts abilities.  The game’s true challenge comes from the driving missions, especially those that are timed.  Often times you’ll be restarting the same driving mission just looking for far better routes . . . something that might frustrate gamers.  Tailing enemies are also difficult feats and require a lot of patience.  There are also some missions that require stealth but its challenge is certainly very entertaining.

Concept: 9.0
There’s no beating up old ladies in this game since you’re on the law enforcement side of things, but half the fun is being the type of cop that just crosses the line without even blinking.  The game is filled with various little crimes and how you handle them is entirely up to you.  That means you can be the good cop and arrest the crazed CEO or put him down without giving him the chance to put his gun down.  The game also offers three different endings depending on your behavior out on the field.  And did I mention you could unlock a hidden stage that allows you to play as Snoop Dogg?

Overall: 9.3
True Crime delivers its own brand of addictive free-roaming fun that’s just too clever and entertaining to put down.  You’ll spend hours just going through the massive environments looking for crimes to solve and mayhem to cause yourself.  There are also some pretty exciting missions that intertwine with a great story filled with interesting characters and plenty of action.  Make this a holiday present for those gamers that just love a good action game with a lot going for it.