True Crime: Streets of LA

"A pretty good game, but not the best in its class"

True Crime: Streets of LA is an odd breed of cat. It takes the general idea behind Grand Theft Auto, free roaming action with car-jacking and general mayhem, and switches the tables. Now, instead of playing as a thug with a 'tude, you play as a cop with an even bigger 'tude. Essentially, you can still be a thug and go around killing helpless citizens, but the game penalizes for such actions not just in the short-term, but for the whole game. Anyway, as I was saying, True Crime milks the Grand Theft Auto cash-cow quite nicely, and is a good enough game on its own merits to warrant a rental, if not a purchase. There are a few things that really stand out in this game, and had the game been tweaked just a little more, would have actually given this game the big thumbs up over Grand Theft Auto. Most notably, the biggest enhancement this game has going for it is the random crime generator, which creates a crime somewhere in the city, and gives you the option of investigating the crime or ignoring it. Unlike GTA, this keeps the game going well after the storyline ends. Unfortunately, however, the storyline ends pretty fast, and there aren't any other complicated quests to be found in the game outside of the main story. Anyway, to the review.

Graphics

True Crime's graphics look much better than the Grand Theft Autos for PS2, but aren't quite as good as the GTA games for Xbox. Questionable damage to cars, poor texturing on buildings, and somewhat awkward animations ruin an otherwise smooth and fast game. The framerate is good enough for what it does, and the speed of some cars blows GTA out of the water. The chases in True Crime are much more energetic and intense than anything GTA could throw at the player.

Unfortunately, the game looks like it was designed on the PS2 and ported to Xbox. The polygon count is low for Xbox standards, and the jerky animation isn't something any system should have to deal with.

Sound

Nothing but Gangsta rap. You'll hear so many profanities within the soundtrack of this game you might actually wonder how it didn't get an Adult rating. If you're a gangsta rap fan, then this game is heaven for you. However, if you're like me and don't particularly like Rap, you're going to dread every time you get in a car. Unless you use the Custom Soundtrack feature, which I personally haven't utilized but I imagine it greatly enhances the experience.

The voicework is great, especially Nick Kang. Some of the lesser voices sound a bit acted, but nevertheless the game has some great voicework. Along with excellent punchlines and snide remarks, Nick really develops a personality in the game that the player can enjoy.

Gameplay

The game has some fundamental flaws that ultimately keep it from being what it should have been. Essentially, playing as a cop and roaming the streets of LA for thugs is really fun, and countless hours can be spent busting petty crimes and being a good cop that you are, but the storyline is where the game's at. The story is very well thought out, and flows extremely smoothly, but is so short that its disappointing. If Activision would have just let Nick do his thing for a bit longer, this game would have been a definite buy.

Overall

This game almost deserves an 8, but as it stands it lacks some fundamental features to give it the extra heads up in the Xbox library. Overall, though, it is still worth a rental and probably even a purchase for people who have totally beaten Grand Theft Auto and are willing to try the same concept from a different perspective.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/06/03