True Crime: Streets of LA

"Critic's, you have the right to remain silent. This game is great."

I rented True Crime: New York City for the Gamecube not so long ago and loved it despite the glitches. So when I saw the original True Crime for only ten dollars I had to buy it. But was it worth even the bargain price?

Graphics: 6/10

Let me get this straight out. Compared to recent games the graphics in this game are horrible. But even compared to games of the era in which it was released they are pretty bad. The character models are the ugliest I've ever seen in a video game. The mouths don't move in sync with the voices and they look like Mr. Potato Heads but uglier. But the environments and cars look pretty good for the era. It gains one point for environments, two for cars, but loses 7 for everything else.

Sound: 9/10

This game has great sound effects. The gunshots sound very realistic as do the punches and kicks. Nick Kang's quips are funny and never get repetitive. The only repetitive thing is that every time you fast aim he says "Steady, Steady" intensely disrupting my concentration. Also as previously said the voice acting is bad and cardboard and does not sync with the lips.

Controls: 3/10

The controls in this game are almost unbearable. I was expecting it to be quick and intuitive like the sequel but I quickly remembered that 3rd person shooters for PC are very hard to pull off. The aiming is wonky, the combat system is extremely weirdly worked, and driving is impossible without killing at least 2 civilians.

Gameplay: 9/10

Despite the control issues the game is very fun. The good cop/bad cop meter is very cool as are the branching storylines. The combat is fun and the random crimes while driving around the city is a good way to keep me interested.

Replay Value: 8/10

This game has some of the best replay value I've ever seen in a game. The constantly branching storylines give a lot of playthroughs before you see everything. The random crimes provide hours upon hours of fun and just messing around in the city is great. However once you do fully beat the game and spend about 6 hours on the random crime True Crime: Streets of L.A. becomes a game you play for about an hour when you are bored of your other games.


Overall: 7/10

This game is a good game. If you can find it for cheap like I did definitely buy it. If you like GTA or Saint's Row and get tired of those games definitely buy it. But if you can find the sequel for a console for the same price, I would recommend that over this as it has more features and a better control system.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/28/07

Game Release: True Crime: Streets of LA (US, 05/11/04)