A great game that has some imperfections.

User Rating: 8.1 | True Crime: Streets of LA PS2
By Sampas88 | Review Date:
True Crime: Streets of LA True Crime: Streets of LA is one of the most anticipated titles of 2003 and has received a lot of coverage and publicity in the run up to its release; now that it has finally hit the shelves questions remain as to whether the game lives up to the hype, and the inevitable query of whether it is the new Grand Theft Auto? In the game you are Nick Kang, a cop on the edge who is newly recruited to the E.O.D, the Elite Operations Division, which targets Los Angeles’ most notorious criminals. Kang is a tough-talking, butt-kicking son of a gun, the game’s makers claim that the “same over-the-line methods that got him thrown off the force enable him to succeed at the E.O.D.” because he gets results damn it! Unfortunately the first question that has to be asked of a game like True Crime is how it compares to the Grand Theft Autos series. A game should be judged by its own merits, however in this genre comparisons are always going to be made. In this respect credit is due to the developers as they have obviously set out to distinguish themselves from other titles and raise the standards; the game sets out to take the best aspects of other titles and combine them into a hard-hitting crime thriller. Regrettably it seems that makers of these titles always keep one eye on GTA and neglect certain aspects of their own title, in this sense Activision is no different. A game’s storyline and characters are pivotal to its overall success as they are one of the main factors in the player’s emotional involvement and attachment to the game. Other titles in the genre are not popular simply because they allow the player to go on a rampage and wreak havoc, but because the person playing enjoys being Tommy Vercetti or Mark Hammond. True Crime simply does not have the same fantasy appeal; with Nick Kang we have one of the most annoying characters in gaming history, you just can’t bring yourself to like the man. If Activision had put as much effort into the plot and characters as they have into the rest of the title then we would have undoubtedly been looking at a classic title. Kang is a throwback to rogue cops of the eighties and nineties and comes across equally as dated. He isn’t as rebellious as Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon, or such an obvious stereotype as McBain in the Simpsons. His character just flounders and dangles somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, he lies near either end of the extremes and comes across as a pale imitation of a million other cops who do the job their way. In one of the first scenes, when Nick is being introduced to his new partner, he mistakes her for a secretary and asks her for coffee. This childish attempt at humour falls flat on its face and the seeds of dislike begin to build, soon enough you could be sorely tempted to throw Kang under the wheels of an oncoming vehicle. The game is built on stereotypes which will have been seen in countless other television shows, movies and video games; the makers have even been so unoriginal as to name the E.O.D’s commanding officer “The Chief”. The only redeeming factor of this character is that “The Chief” is in fact a woman; however that the character is female is about the only feature in the game’s storyline that is slightly original. True Crime may as well have been written by a roomful of monkeys with typewriters; its plot is unoriginal and the dialogue belongs to another era. At times you begin to wonder whether it is all a bit tongue in cheek, but as it progresses you discover that the writers are in fact deadly serious. There are some redeeming qualities in True Crime: Streets of LA that overcome these defects, one of which is the gameplay. A lot of effort has gone into the control system and overall feel of play, with the game incorporating the best of what there is on offer from other titles in the genre. The obvious influences of Max Payne, the Getaway and Dead to Rights can be seen through the bullet time effects, making use of the scenery and beat ‘em up style moves. These features are often improved upon as well as adding other characteristics that add to the overall experience. In terms of storyline True Crime is broken up into episodes, each of which consists of a couple of missions. This is all linear mission-based guff, similar to the Getaway; it would be slightly unfair to call this game completely free roaming unless you are familiar with the city and sometimes there are also time limits on driving. Saying that the player is free to wander through the streets for the most part and solve random crimes with the aid of the police scanner; various crimes in the vicinity are reported and you are free to go after the suspects. With time the random crimes begin to get repetitive and you’ll begin to wish illegal street racing was legalised, they also expose one of the game’s basic flaws. The amount of reward points Kang is rewarded with depends on how he deals with the criminal threat; when a crime is reported over the scanner and the player simply runs over the suspects killing them, you lose out on reward points. On the other hand, if you are less excessive and simply bump into the perpetrators and incapacitating them, Kang gets the points which make the game’s distribution of points very annoying at times. The control system for True Crime caters for driving, fighting, shooting and stealth; making it a well rounded affair. As the player progresses through the game Kang’s skills improve through the accumulation of reward points. Unlike most other games the player improves his skills and abilities as he progresses through the levels, this allows for more enjoyable gaming experience as it progresses rather than going off the boil with repetitive gameplay. The title’s control system raises the bar for others in the genre; for example rather than opting to use a simple combat system the developers have developed a system which requires a little bit of thought. Reward points are the most important factor of the gameplay; the player’s actions during the course of his game influence his progression through the levels in terms of upgrades and the game ending. The more crimes Kang solves and thugs he eliminates, the more reward points he earns. These points can be used for various services like healing or can be accumulated and changed into badges which can be transferred for upgrades. At the same time if Kang goes on a rampage or accidentally harms civilians reward points are lost, or worse yet if his reward points total falls below zero then badges are converted back into points. In the bottom right hand corner of the screen are metres which give an indication of your performance and interaction with civilians and criminals, these meters determine how many reward points you earn and how characters interact with Kang. Two hundred and forty square miles of Los Angeles are digitally mapped for True Crime, resulting in a huge environment that the player is free to explore. Like GTA and the Getaway, Kang is free to commandeer vehicles to make his way across the city; there are large selections of cars to choose from, all of which suffer from real car damage. The biggest improvement on other titles is Kang’s impressive ability to shoot from his car, rather than just having a passenger window to shoot from the player is allowed to aim through a 360 degree angle; allowing for great car scenes and a huge improvement in control. Rather than filling a suspect’s car full of bullets, the zoom in feature can be used to shoot out the suspect vehicle’s tires; thus allowing Kang to earn more points. Graphically the game looks great, while it doesn’t stand head and shoulders above its peers True Crime’s graphics are among some of the best that you will find in any other title on the Playstation 2. As usual there are bits of clipping evident, when I made my first arrest the suspect disappeared into the wall and Kang looked as though he was doing the Macarena along to the soundtrack. Some of the game’s realism is also robbed when the player crashes though trees dragging the trunk along with him, it gives the appearance that a giant mutant mushroom was let lose on the streets. The cut scenes run smoothly and are reminiscent of the Getaway, giving it more of a movie experience. Camera angles are also very good and the player is free to use one of the analogue sticks to cast his view over the scene, the ease of use enables hectic fight scenes to become more manageable through the ability to switch targets along with being able to rotate the camera. One of the best features of True Crime is the soundtrack – is an all-star affair; it is full of rap music from west coast hip hop artists, most notably Snoop Dogg who performs the game’s title track “Dance With Me”. A huge amount of effort has gone into the game’s music and it plays a pivotal role in the marketing of the title, rap music’s growing popularity widens the appeal of the title, ensuring the game’s undoubted success. True Crime’s creators have even gone so far as to include Snoop Dogg as an unlockable character, upon completion the gamer will be free to play through again as Snoop complete with his low-rider. Not only that but the game also comes with a brilliant cast for the voiceovers for the characters; including Christopher Walken, Michelle Rodriguez and Russell Wong. The cast and soundtrack go some a long way to make up for the game’s poor plot and storyline. Who couldn’t enjoy driving through the streets of LA with music blaring as you take out the criminal threat? In terms of replay value there are a lot of features in the game to keep the player coming back; three different endings alone mean that it is worth playing through again. Each ending depends on the choices and actions of the player during the course of the game, which means that the player will have to a lot more vigilant and skilful every time he plays. Undoubtedly the biggest appeal in terms of replay value will be to unlock Snoop Dogg, who puts Batman to shame by cruising the streets in his pimped out low-rider whilst solving crimes. On top of that with repeated play the game’s various controls can be mastered so that you will be able to pull off various combos with ease, turning the game into an epic blockbuster complete with slow motion dives. True Crime is a very appealing title, Activision has gone out of their way to ensure that this will be extremely popular; however if the same effort was put into the storyline as was in the marketing this would have been a classic. Despite all the comparisons to the Grand Theft Auto series the game distinguishes itself from its competitors with its gameplay and presentation, above all Activision concentrate on establishing their own product. Those expecting a free for all beware as you have to stick to the formula somewhat, reward points will make sure that Nick Kang doesn’t go on an all out rampage like Tommy Vercetti. The main flaws in True Crime are the plot and characters, which more than likely came out of some thirteen year old boy’s imagination; simply put they are immature and stereotyped. The direction and soundtrack of the game do a great deal at making up for this and give True Crime a polished finish. If you’re looking for an action game to relax with then this is for you. It doesn’t take a genius to tell that True Crime will be a success regardless. This is an above average title which will help people with any Grand Theft Auto withdrawal symptoms.

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