True Crime: Streets of LA

"A good try to live up The Grand Theft Auto series"

At first I thought that this game going to be really bad. I thought my friend was crazy for getting it for Christmas! So one day I was over at his house and decided to give it a go. I was amazed, I was so wrong about this game being bad. Read on...

Story 7/10
The story is good but kind of dull. You are Nick (I forget his last name) a cop out to bust up crime in anyway possible. Yep that's right, to get away from the Grand Theft Auto series, it has you being the good guy instead of the bad guy. You have missions that slowly reveal the plot, but even when something with the story clicks, it's still only one step up from mediocre. The story is still good but it needs some more twists, and slightly more dramatics.

Graphics 7/10
Not that incredible, but still decent. You can compare these graphics to Grand Theft Auto III. The developers however did a very good job of transferring LA into the game. The people on the streets look kind of dull to me. The buildings need a little bit of work to. On the good side, Nick, your character looks real, as well as most of the main characters.

Sound 9/10
Great sound! First of all the radio music is good, and filled with mostly rap music. The cars' engine sounds realistic. Out on the streets you hear people talking, if they are committing a crime you hear them punching or shooting at people. Great effects, and great music. My only complaint here is that the radio could've used some more songs, but nothing to worry about.

Gameplay 9/10
Good Grand Theft Auto style gameplay, but with a big twist. You being a cop can choose how to take out criminals. You can be a good cop shooting off a warning shot, and punching them to the ground to arrest them. Then you can be a bad cop just shooting and running over criminals. It gives you points on whether you be a good cop or a bad cop, displayed in a ying-yang. If you beat the game with a good cop status, you get the good ending. However if you get bad cop status, you get the bad ending. You get many different guns, however most of the time you don't need them. You can make a bullet time move shooting off your guns, which is cool.

Replay 7/10
The replay is high because you can unlock a secret character (Hint: It's a rapper) and because this game is fun to play!

Buy or Rent
I suggest if you're weary about buying this you should rent. However if your looking for a good solid game you should get this.

Overall: 8/10- Great Game!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/17/04