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Platform: PS2, Xbox, GC Genre: Action Publisher: Activision, Inc. Developer: Luxoflux ETA: Fall 2005
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True Crime: New York City
True Crime: Streets of L.A. was arguably the most successful games inspired by the Grand Theft Auto series. It boasted 240 square miles of Los Angeles, with every street however big or small present inside. It was an action packed drama-filled storyline that told the story of Nick Kang and also had consequences for every action you made - even as insignificant as stopping a random street thug. It also featured an impressive and massive soundtrack that can easily rival the best games out there. Expanding on this success, Luxoflux has taking the elements that made True Crime: Streets of L.A. the success it was, and expanded on them to create a well-anticipated sequel. This time, set in the Big Apple, True Crime intends to take you through an experience that makes you feel like living a movie.
While Nick Kang may be a thing of the past, there is a successor to take his place. Marcus Reed, a rogue street cop that resembles Kang on a personality level. If you remember from the past, Kang was a cop with a bad streak. While he may have had good intentions, he had no qualms about doing anything, no matter how extreme, to further his cause. He also was a snarky individual with one-liners that were downright annoying. Reed may be a more likeable hero than Kang but he is just as tough. He is a rare breed of police officer as he has the dubious distinction of being an ex-con. And unlike Martin Lawrence playing Miles Logan in the movie Blue Streak, Reed isn't just masquerading as a cop but rather it is his job every single day.
The story revolves around Reed's quest to find the murderer of his mentor and bring him to justice. Whether that justice is to Reed's discretion or the law remains to be seen, however. You will discover things about Marcus' past and clean up Manhattan while you are at it. Just like the first True Crime, you can choose to do it as a law-abiding police officer or an out-of-control reckless time-bomb. You can apparently extort, interrogate, search and seize. I hope the searching is a lot more accurate and realistic. In the first True Crime, it seemed as everyone, especially nearly every single little old frail grandma, had illegal drugs on them. If you had played as a bad cop and wanted to go to the good side, random street searches could get you there incredibly fast. It didn't seem to make any sense at all.
One of the best parts of True Crime was the fully detailed and accurately constructed city of Los Angeles. If you knew the city and its streets, you had a big advantage in the game. Any street or shortcut you've used in real life is accessible in the game. True Crime: New York City does not disappoint in that aspect. It boasts a completely recreated Manhattan, including famous landmarks, the entire subway system, and real neighborhoods from Hell's Kitchen to Times Square. The streets are GPS-accurate so if you are a native New Yorker or have been in the area repeatedly, you will be able to cruise around with ease.
As mentioned earlier, there are consequences for every action you take. In the earlier True Crimes, the actions affected your good cop/bad cop rating which determined what kind of ending you got. In True Crime: New York City, the same principle is present but it is much deeper. Not only will it affect your path in the story but it will also affect the world around you. If you ignore crime, the streets will be filled with trash, potholes and criminals. Buildings and nature will deteriorate, making it look like many run-down crime infested areas might. On the other hand, if Reed chases down crime, the area will start looking better like many crime-free upper middle class neighborhoods you might see. It's an interesting idea |
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to see the world dynamically change around you based on your actions. I think it's the one idea that could distinguish this game from just simply being good and could catapult it to being great.
In battle, Reed is at his best. He's able to not only street fight, but can use a variety of different martial arts to take down his enemies. He can also switch between these moves on the fly, creating unique combos and strategies for tough enemies. In Streets of LA, Nick Kang was able to go to dojos scattered throughout the city to learn more powerful moves. No word if this is included yet, but I wouldn't be |
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surprised. To top it off, Reed is not only limited to straight hand-to-hand combat. He can also use many items in the environment. Some examples of environment interaction provided are stove top burners, ovens, industrial machinery, locking a suspect in a freezer and using broken chair legs as clubs.
Of course, not every street thug is willing to fight by hand. A lot of them are packing heat and it would be a dangerous situation to try to knock them out with your fists. Reed is equipped with a lot more, from high powered police issue firearms to black market weapons like flamethrowers, grenade launchers and more. And of course he can beat people with a bat - repeatedly.
True Crime is also about the cars. Streets of LA had some nice looking rides and you had the opportunity to make them look like trash. In NYC, you can race around in police-issue cars or step into some black market customizable cars. You can even perform stunts on motorcycles. And of course, you can shoot and be shot at while you cruise around the city and cause mayhem. You can also take the flashiest cars and make them worth absolutely nothing with damages, bullet holes etc.
If all this is put together well, True Crime will be a great game. When the series started, it was initially branded a Grand Theft Auto clone, which is understandable. However the game proved to be pretty fun. If True Crime: New York City can provide everything it promises, it'll be a step in carving out a niche for the series. It wouldn't hurt to be optimistic because at the very least, True Crimes: New York City has the potential to provide numerous hours of fun.
-Stefan Shetty (September
16, 2004) |
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