First off, let me start by saying that I really like this game. I've been playing for about 4 days now, and I can't wait to get home and play some more. Fist the bad... TCNYC borrows much of it's gameplay from various other games, and like TCSoLA, it fails to live up to the original games in many ways. The shooting engine, while better than GTA:SA is still not as polished or fun as Max Payne, or Total Overdose for that matter, and I think it even falls a little short of Dead 2 Rights. It includes a slo-mo dive and a slowed down, zoomed in "precision aiming" mode, neither of which feel completely fleshed out. Both of these features can be upgraded, but the shooting still falls short of the more polished shooting games. The driving engine is alright, but it is not as good as almost any driving game or the last 3 GTA games. It does make up for less polished driving physics with some nifty moves, like a quick 180 when you double tap the hand brake, but its just not as fun to drive around the city as it is in GTA. The fighting engine is obviously not up to the high standards of fighting games, and it probably falls short of the best of the beat-em-ups, but its still pretty damn good, especially when compared to games like GTA, which it puts to shame in this regard. The reason for this is the depth, in the form of unlockable styles, special moves such as counter attacks, and a plethora of melee weapons to be found or purchased throughout the world. I would've like a little more depth to each fighting style in the form of more combos (there are only two attack buttons each of which has a 3 or 4 hit combo, and a seperate multi-directional attack when you press both together,all of which change depending on the equipped style of fighting) but the fighting is still, by far, above and beyond any game of this type. The storyline of this game is actually pretty good, helped along by some great performances from actors such as Christopher Walken, but it lackes the wide array of characters and storylines that make GTA so engrossing. Don't get me wrong, it's still better than average, it's just no GTA. The only other negative about this game is the glitches, and there are quite a few. The draw distance is terrible, people get out of their cars through doors, bad guys get knocked back through walls and trapped in the graphics, when you take a train, after you get out you're still in the same station you entered, but when you exit the station you are magically transported to your destination... and the list goes on. On top of theses bugs, the game has frozen on me a few times, and stalled more than a few, and it skips from time to time when you're driving fast.
Yet somehow I still love it.
Onto the good... I'll try and wrap this up quick, I know this is a very long review, it's my first and I wanted to do a thorough job. The biggest thing I love about this game is the size of it. I grew up in Manhattan, and I am amazed by how much they got right. The gas station on 110 and CPW, the Cathedral on 111 and Amsterdam, hell they even got the contstruction site on 67 and Broadway. What's even more amazing is that you can enter so many of the places. Some are stores with health to buy, or clerks to extort, some are clothing stores, some are gunshops, or car dealers, or pawn shops to sell the evidence you "forgot" to turn in, they even have music stores to buy new tracks to bump as you cruise the city. They have a couple of upgrades for your cars, which you can purchase at repair shops, and you can access all the cars you have purchased at the police precinct. There is a wide variety of clothing to choose from, as well as weapons, all of which, once acquired, can be accessed at the police precinct. The sheer amount of things that can be purchased, from guns to clothes to fighting and driving moves, to upgrades is impressive, and the ability to access all this from the precinct is quite convenient. Another aspect I really like is the comstat map which lets you know which districts are crime ridden and which ones you've already cleaned up. This in addition to the main story missions, side missions, races and fight arenas around the city give you plenty to do, and all add to the feeling that you are really in one of the busiest cities in the world.
All in all, there are some areas where the games may fall a little short, and there are definitely some glaring bugs, but True Crime: New York City is a solid game with lots of fun to be had,and a huge world to explore. Fans of the genre should unquestionably check this one out and anyone who enjoys video games will probably find at leat something they can get into here.
Please let me know what you think of my review or for questions/comments:
dubbzny@yahoo.com
Other Helpful Reviews for True Crime: New York City
I gonna make this one short and sweet, no change that to short and bitter. True Crime: New York City started off to be a really good game and then it got kinda off track with all the side missions and kinda confusing in ... Read Full Review
Alot of people think this game is wack, its a waist of time, and very glitchy n etc. To me its just as good as San Andreas. The graphics are cleaner and crisp then San Andreas, but it doesnt run as smooth as San Andrea... Read Full Review
