True Crime: Streets of LA

Some comments already referred to this game ripping off GTA, and that's basically its only appeal. It's missing a lot of the things that made GTA great, though. The radio only plays rap music, there's no humor, you only get one gun (unless you kill somebody and take theirs, but then it's only until it runs out of ammunition--then you lose it), and the story is really lame and hackneyed (so are GTA's, but there the references are at least tongue-in-cheek). Also, the game was pretty clean-cut and had this stupid Karma system that punishes you for breaking the law. "He's a cop. He's supposed to always obey the law." Well, ok, but that makes for a really horrible game premise. The whole thing seemed a lot like Activision was trying to capture the GTA market while avoiding the backlash from religious groups and over-the-edge "WHAT ARE WE TEACHING OUR CHILDREN??" housewives that Rockstar received for their games. Unfortunately what resulted was a huge piece of boring, bug-filled **** that was just barely interesting enough to let the plastic on the Vice City CD cool off for a week.

True Crime owes a lot, if not everything, to the Grand Theft Auto series. Indeed it is very difficult these days to have a free-roaming action game and not compare it to GTA but True Crime is so alarmingly similar that I'm surprised Rockstar didn't try to sue.

The story of True Crime is right out of a direct-to-video action film of the late 80s. It starts out as your typical renegade cop shoots first and ask questions later kind of pulp but ends up being about ancient Chinese wizards, huge fire-breathing dragons and sewer-dwelling zombies. If it began far-fetched then what it ends up as is just plain weird. However, that's not to say you'll not have fun. The plot is spread out over 9 different stages each with about 10 individual missions. It's possible to replay your favorite missions too.

True crime has 5 different styles of play. First their is the free-roaming bit where you can run all over LA solving street crimes. There there's the car chases in which you run bad guys (and sometimes airplanes) off the road. Third is the stealth missions in which you must sneak into places unnoticed and render unconscious anyone you see. Fourth is the one on one combat and fifth, my favorite, is the shoot-em-up levels, where you can do loads of stunts and diving through the air blasting away at bad guys. The slow motion as you zero in on the targets is brilliant. But I would have preferred if the game was bloodier. A few splatters here and there ain't enough.

But much of this game is boring, aesthetically at the least. The geographically accurate LA is impressive but it's so unbelievably bland. The dullest colors are used to paint the environment and the city is pretty made up of grey-scale. The cars also cannot do stunts. Which is crap. How brilliant would it be to drive right off the freeway and fly into the sky before plummeting 100 feet? Too bad, you can't do it because of the pointless invisible wall.

Pros:

Loads of action.

Blowing up stuff is fun.

Cool cut scenes with funny dialogue.

Great tunes.

Cons:

Some missions are boring.

No stunts.

LA is bland and thoroughly NON-interactive.

The fights with General Kim are IMPOSSIBLE!

Loads of very long loading times!

No matter how disappointing some parts of the game are I will still be getting the sequel, True Crime: New York City. But please do not make as boring as LA was and cut out those awful loading times!

Graphics B+ Sound A Gameplay A- Lasting Appeal A-

Just played "True Crime" and even though its most obvious inspiration from a gaming point of view is the ever popular "Grand Theft Auto" series. From a movie point of view, this action title seems to be a throwback to those wildly absurd, but oh so entertaining martial-arts thrillers from the 1990's.

Like Dirty Harry, the lead character, Nick Kang, voiced by Russell Wong ("Romeo Must Die") is a cop who doesn't play by the rules. He was raised in Japan, where he and his younger brother learned the martial-arts. His father, also cop from LA, was killed in the line of duty under mysterious circumstances. The police department still wonders, was he a dirty cop?

With a little help of his unwanted new partner, voiced by Michelle Rodriguez, and an old timer who knew his dad, voiced by Christopher Walken (where have he heard this before), Nick is determined to solve the mystery and avenge his father's death. But in order to this, he must survive both the Triads and Russian mob, who seem to up to something fishy in the streets of LA.

Unfortunately, midway through, the story pulls a 180 and starts to involve the supernatural that's right out of "Big Trouble in Little China". It doesn't mix with the rest of the story and seems a bit contrived. Still, as a gaming expierence, I enjoyed this title, although it's a bit brief. It involves a little bit of everything action-oriented, although it doesn't tower over the competition in any of the genre it delves in

Wong's cliched cop reminded me of the Brandon Lee character from "Showdown in Little Tokyo" and the areas in which build up your fighting skills in various dojos seemed right out of Jeff Speakman's "The Perfect Weapon". I loved the fight sequences in this game, more so than the "Max Payne"-esque shooting segments, which are also fun. Dozens of firearms and melee weapons are up for the taking and the indoor enviroments are fully destructable.

The "drive anywhere, doing anything" aspect from "Grand Theft Auto" is a bit limited, but is entertaining. You can play as good cop or bad cop, though I wish there was more variety to the random crime acts that occur. Also, the "choose your own adventure" branching storylines is welcomed and I also liked the soundtrack, which was appropriate, given that LA is a mecca of hip hop culture.

Still, as a whole, the game isn't up to the standard of Rockstar's "Max Payne" and "Grand Theft Auto" franchises. Few games are, but I felt this game was too short and the Chinese ghost story twist in the middle, was, well it was bad. But, its a hit with American gamers and I can see why, since I am one. I do hope the sequel is better and more worthy of a purchase. As far as this title goes, I think you should rent it before you buy.

I'd give it two and a half stars out of four. Not bad, but not really good, it's just fun.

Don't listen to frank gifford. I don't know who gave him a computer to use, but he's wrong.

Sure, there are games that will and have taken the GTA go anywhere, do anything gameplay and the attitude that keeps you playing, but there was so much put into True Crime that you have to applaud it. Russel Wong must have gotten a lot of cash for lending his voice to this game, because he's all over it. There are hours of his dialogue, wisecracks and his grunts and groans as his character, Nick Kang, fights. Christopher Walken is in here as well, playing the old friend of Nick Kang's father.

The major similarity to GTA is that you can do what you want when you want, and you can go on to the next mission when you feel like it. The twist is that you're a cop and if you act violently, you become a bad cop, making cops your enemy as well.

There is a large soundtrack- about 50 songs or so- that are unedited. There are also some nice cheats and options as well for replayability.

So If you're looking for a game to hold you over until the next GTA, this is definitely it.

Sound: 8/10 Graphics: 8.5/10 Gameplay: 8.0

"True Crime: Streets of LA" came across to me somehow by accident, but after learning that the game has a cool action movie, I decided to explore this product. The abstract promised an exciting open world and the opportunity to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Los Angeles with elements of detective and action. In those years, such games were at the peak of popularity, and "True Crime" tried to meet expectations. However, despite the many positive aspects, she left behind mixed feelings.

The first thing that attracts attention is the huge map of Los Angeles, which the developers have tried to recreate with a high degree of detail. At the beginning of the game, it's impressive: the ability to move freely around the metropolis, patrol the streets, deal with criminals and complete various missions seems exciting. However, the scale of the map turns into a disadvantage over time. The locations begin to seem monotonous: the streets of the districts, although different at first glance, soon begin to repeat themselves, and it becomes difficult for the player to remember or study them. This has a negative effect on the immersion process, since Los Angeles in the game does not feel like a living city, but like a set of identical streets and buildings.

On the other hand, the combat mechanics are pleasantly surprising. The game has a decent hand-to-hand combat system with the possibility of using various techniques. The fights feel dynamic and spectacular, allowing the player to apply a variety of combinations of punches and blocks. Shooting also does not disappoint: in addition to an arsenal of firearms, the player can improve his character's skills, which adds tactical depth. Leveling up firearms and skills makes gunfights all the more exciting, especially in the later stages of the game, where skills are key. By the end, the main character's gun turns into some kind of futuristic cannon with an unprecedented list of improvements.

However, this is where the strengths of the game end. Despite attempts to add non-linearity and variability, the tasks and missions in the game are often of the same type and do not offer significant variety. As a result, "True Crime: Streets of LA" begins to feel routine, and because of the repetitive streets and neighborhoods, the motivation to explore the world is rapidly fading.

This project could be something more. It offers a good combat system and leveling elements, but suffers from a monotonous open world and repetitive missions. This is a good game for its time, but it does not reach the level of the best representatives of the genre.

6 out of 10.