True Crime: The Streets of L.A.
Imagine entering the world of GTA, but on the other side of the law. That’s True Crime in a nutshell, but how does it measure up against its inspiration?
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| Nick demonstrates the bullet-time with his duel machine guns! |
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The Grand Theft Auto series is one of the most popular and successful franchises in the video games market, so it was no surprise when True Crime first appeared on the horizon from Activision as an obvious clone. But what does this game have to offer that can’t be found in the successful Rockstar franchise? The first major difference that really sets this title apart is that you play the role of a police officer, while the real strength of the game lies in the strong branching storyline. Every action you take, every criminal you bag and every civilian you arrest or rescue affects the outcome of each mission, sometimes leading you down different paths towards an alternative ending. However, while still not being as diverse as Grand Theft Auto, True Crime manages to do what it initially sets out to and we can safely say that it works.
In Control
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| Certain fights throughout the game will have an alternate ending if you loose. |
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You play the role of Nick Kang, who oozes the cockiness of the sort of hotshot cop we’ve seen in Hollywood movies over and over. The freedom available to you is immense, with you freely able to explore every inch of Los Angeles without any sign of loading times and very little landscape pop-up. Nick can get in and out of any vehicle with a simple push of a button and seamlessly switch between car and on-foot with ease. While on foot, Nick can perform various actions to aid him in the capture of suspects, depending on the situation. You can shoot, target hostiles, flash your badge and even fire into the air to alarm suspects. Like many games, Nick won’t begin with all abilities and attributes. Precision Aiming, new driving skills and even weapons upgrades and fighting techniques can all be improves as you progress, by visiting 24/7 locations. These can be located in various parts of the city and will require you to use cop shields to pay for your tuition. Apart from the main missions in the game, Nick will also be able to assist in random crimes that occur during cruising missions. Ignoring a crime won’t result in any loss or gain of cop points, however depending on how you deal with the situation - should you proceed - it will affect your overall cop rating. Killing a suspect or civilian will result in a loss of points, while incapacitating a suspect and saving the hostage or victim will result in a reward, which will eventually lead onto the best possible path and the ‘good’ ending.
Bad Boys
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| Environments can be used to your advantage during hand-to-hand combat. |
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Considering that there is no loading whatsoever. as you motor around the massive L.A. metropolis, True Crime looks surprisingly good. L.A. has been superbly recreated by Luxoflux, which enables Nick to freely explore the streets and suburbs of L.A. either on foot, or in a vehicle. One of the graphical features that are really impressive are the exterior fights. Nick’s movements are just as fluid as when he is inside, even with the entire city of L.A. running in the background. One of the biggest downfalls of True Crime however is the lack of pedestrians and vehicles, making what should be a thriving metropolis look more like a ghost town. What saves the game though, is the detail that has gone into depicting the City of Angels. Every road, boulevard and avenue is exactly where it should be, including many of L.A.’s famous landmarks, which can be a great visual aid for navigating the city. So if you know the streets of Los Angeles, you will certainly have a great advantage when in a timed mission.
All-Star Cast
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| When driving you can target enemies in cars or on foot with your precision aiming. |
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Like many big budget video games in recent years, True Crime has managed to secure an all-star cast of top Hollywood actors. Some of the characters lines may seem rather corny, but the delivery is spot on as Christopher Walken and Russell Wong lend their talents along with Ron Pearlman and Gary Oldman. The west coast vibe of the game is also kept alive with some fantastic music tracks from the likes of Snoop Doggy Dog and Ice-T. The music has been cleverly mixed so they fit in with the action on-screen, so depending on whether it’s hard-boiled gunfights or slow hand-to-hand combat, the music with change to suit the situation.
True Crime is by no stretch of the imagination a classic, but it does succeed in doing exactly what it sets out to do. The branching story lines and alternate endings really help you believe you are part of an investigation. Getting to a destination late could result in someone getting killed or a lead being missed, a fantastic feature that will have you playing through the game a second time, just to see what happens if Nick’s brother dies or if you lost the limo in the tailing mission. Although not a patch on Grand Theft Auto, True Crime is a thoroughly enjoyable experience while it lasts and is definitely worth checking out over the Christmas holidays.
Channels
True Crime for the PSP
Download manager
Boomtown.net
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