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The Plot: "True Crime" certainly had a lot of pre-release buzz along with it; hype poisitioned the game as the latest-and-greatest answer to the "Grand Theft Auto" series, complete with a massive, accurate rendering of Los Angeles for players to ride around in. Although the final product certainly does have some issues and takes some getting used to, it's a compliment that it at least moderately lives up to the kind of hype it had in the months before release. Players star as Nick Kang, a rebel LA cop who - like many movie cops before him - has attitude problems and tends to shoot first and ask questions later. The game's main storyline has Kang chasing down members of a Triad gang, but - like "GTA", players have the option of simply driving around the city. Kang can grab any car he wants off the streets, frisk random passerby (to find illegal drugs or weapons), go to training centers that improve his shooting, driving and fighting skills and finally, solve (by brute force) random crimes that pop up on the map on occasion (most of which are serious, but a couple of which are somewhat amusing, such as the truckload of Activision video games that gets stolen). Occasionally, random criminals will attack and sometimes, criminals you're in the midst of busting will jump in a passing vehicle. When first sitting down with the game, the issue that struck me was the game's controls. Driving is done via the X/A buttons. The left trigger is used to get in and out of the car. It took me a little while to get used to the fact that the left trigger isn't used to brake - which had Nick constantly getting injured from rolling out of a moving vehicle. The other issue is that the right trigger is used for weapons fire - just clicking the trigger fires, but holding it down starts in a slo-mo aiming that allows more accurate fire (but also, it takes longer to aim). Unfortunately, this slo-mo isn't always the best method (it's more suited to firing while driving then on the street) and occasionally, I found I'd turned it on when I didn't mean to. The camera is also an issue at times. There's been many times when I stepped out of a car into a fight and found myself in trouble because I was facing the wrong way. Other technical issues were spotted - I watched criminals walk through concrete highway barriers, drove partially through some barriers, and when I tried to frisk passerby up against a fence, they went right through it. There are other issues. Kang's humor isn't always that funny; Ray Liotta's deadpan humor in "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" brought more laughs. The characters are fairly flat and nobody in the game is particularly compelling. While the random crime generator worked to create some interesting situations at times, it wasn't long before I found myself persuing the same criminal that I'd defeated earlier, only in a different area. The game allows the player to use martial arts to defeat enemies, but it's tough when most of the criminals will just start shooting and what fighting situations you do get into turn into button mashing. There are certainly positives, though. Driving is rather fun, once you actually get used to the controls. The game times any jumps/air, although I can't say I noticed the kind of jumping/air opportunities that were found in the "Grand Theft Auto" series. One of the game's best features is its accurate presentation of Los Angeles; this is a huge game that takes a looong time to get around - it'll be a while before you get tired of seeing the same scenery. The branching element of the game is also interesting; if you fail a mission, you can often continue, only with a different result. I failed one early mission, then ran into the same criminal later on in a different setting. Players are allowed to save at garages and can boost health via the local pharmacy. Additionally, there's a "good cop/bad cop" meter, which changes based on Nick's actions - if you accidentally hit a pedestrian, for example, it sends the meter into bad cop territory. Your choices can get you in trouble and cause an alternate ending. Overall, this was a decent game that I still found basically enjoyable, despite its faults. However, it's unfortunate that the game couldn't have been more polished and comparisons to "GTA" swing things heavily in the favor of the "GTA" series. Rating: 8.3/10 The DVD Graphics: "True Crime" may offer players an impressive recreation of Los Angeles (although the traffic level is not exactly accurate), but that doesn't mean it's always a pretty recreation. The game's graphics have clearly not been optimized for XBOX and look more like a PS2 game. As mentioned, the camera has issues at times and you'll get a mutant criminal or two who can magically step through a wall or fence. Character models are average and although there's a lot of objects in the environment (most of which can be destroyed), fine details aren't always crisp. Cutscenes looked pretty good (with lip-sync) and the environmental destruction looked well-rendered, though. Cars were the best element, with nice reflections and crisp details. Rating: 8/10 Sound: Anyone who dislikes rap will likely have trouble with the film's soundtrack, which is fully loaded with rap tracks. Sound effects are somewhat weak, with average sound effects that lacked dynamics. While the dialogue wasn't always the game's strong suit (you will hear passerby say the same thing about 5,000 times, for example), the voice acting handled the material well enough. The game is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 on the XBOX but, despite the action, there's not that much in the way of surround use. Rating: 7.8/10 Rating Issues: "True Crime" is rated M for Mature, due to graphic violence. Final Thoughts: "True Crime" is an entertaining action game that offers a decent story,but a lot of choices and freedom. It doesn't live up to "GTA" comparisons, certainly; however, it manages to get moderately close to the kind of hype it came with. Certainly worth a rental. |