True Crime: Streets of LA

Gameplay

True Crime is an open world action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective, in which the player controls Detective Nicholas Kang of the "Elite Operations Division" (E.O.D.), a hand-picked autonomous unit of the regular LAPD.

The game was one of the first non-Grand Theft Auto open world action-adventure games released after Grand Theft Auto III (2001). It was labeled by many as a Grand Theft Auto clone, since the core game mechanics are identical to Grand Theft Auto III, and its successor, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002). Much like in Grand Theft Auto, players can travel across the city freely, commandeer vehicles, do whatever they want to attack or kill innocent civilians, and progress through the storyline at their leisure. However, the major difference from Grand Theft Auto games is that in True Crime, the player controls a law enforcement officer. As such, True Crime has been called "the GTA III clone where you play a cop."

The game involves four main types of mission, each with their own unique gameplay: shooting, fighting, stealth and driving. In many levels of the game, even if missions are failed, the storyline will continue, sometimes with a different opening cutscene for the next level, with an alternate version of the level, occasionally by branching into another storyline entirely.

During shooting missions, the game auto-targets the closest opponent. If the player wishes to switch target to another opponent, they must do so manually. When the player is in shooting mode, they can enter "Precision Targeting" at any time. At this point, the game switches to first-person, zooms in on the target, and goes into slow motion momentarily. While in Precision Targeting, if the reticle turns green, the player can hit the enemy with a neutralizing, non-lethal shot. If the player fires when the reticle is red, the enemy will be killed instantly. Players can also take cover during shootouts, firing from behind cover when the opportunity presents itself. Players are also free to pick up any weapons dropped by enemies. Once the ammo of these weapons is depleted, however, Kang will drop the weapon and revert to his standard issue revolver, which, although it needs to be reloaded, never runs out of ammo.

In hand-to-hand combat, the player has four main attacks: high kick, low kick, punch, and grapple. After hitting an enemy a certain number of times, the enemy will be stunned, at which point the player can perform a combo by pressing a series of buttons. During stealth missions, the player is automatically placed into stealth mode. The player can approach enemies from behind and either knock them out or kill them. Bumping into objects or walking over broken glass or plastic bags will cause nearby enemies to become aware of the player's presence.

Plot

LAPD Detective Nick Kang Wilson (voiced by Russell Wong) returns from a suspension for excessive force and is selected for the autonomous Elite Operations Division at the behest of Chief Wanda Parks (CCH Pounder), who believes he can help the E.O.D. break a case involving a series of bombings in Chinatown. Nick is partnered with Detective Rosie Velasco (Michelle Rodriguez), an ex-gangster turned cop. Rosie voices her concerns with Nick and his reputation, not wanting to work with him in the field. Nick reciprocates the feeling, preferring to work alone. Parks, however, believes E.O.D. needs all the help they can get to investigate the bombings, and suggests the two meet for food to discuss the matter and try to connect.

Suspecting the Triad is behind the bombings, Nick and Rosie meet at a Chinese food bistro to discuss the matter and the two of them working together in the field, but Nick soon stops a Triad member he sees attempting to extort the owner. The Triad member escapes after Nick beats him in a fight, but later ambushes the two outside and takes Rosie hostage at gunpoint. Rosie gets shot by the gunman trying to escape on her own, while the gunman tries to run to his waiting getaway driver. When Nick shoots the car before the gunman gets in, the driver panics and takes off, leading Nick to neutralize the other. Rosie recovers quickly and decides to let Nick work solo in the field while she provides intel from the precinct. Meanwhile, Parks puts an APB on the Triad's getaway car, which is soon spotted at a Chinese bar. Nick heads there and catches the driver, learning he works for Jimmy Fu (Keone Young), a small-time criminal. Nick confronts Fu inside his crooked imports warehouse, who explains the extortion orders are from higher up, and warns him "something big is about to go down", before they are nearly shot by a sniper. Nick manages to disable the sniper, but finds they are gone before he can arrest them. Back at the precinct, an incarcerated Fu later reveals he is working for "Big" Chong (also Keone Young), an enforcer for Triad boss "Ancient" Wu, a supposedly 300 year old crime lord who is thought by many to be a myth.

While at the precinct, Rosie learns from Sergeant George (Christopher Walken) about Kang's background: his father, Henry Wilson, was involved in a drug trafficking scandal in the 1970's when he suddenly disappeared; Internal Affairs deduced Wilson fled the city, but George never believed it, believing Henry was to much of a straight cop to suddenly go rogue. Meanwhile, Nick tails Chong and sees him bringing large amounts of money into a building owned by Cyprus Holdings, a company linked to the Russian mafia. Nick then follows Chong to a spa, where he observes him meeting a Russian named "Rocky" (Gary Oldman). Rocky complains Chong is not laundering the money from Chinatown quickly enough; Chong tells Rocky Ancient Wu is unhappy with the whole affair, but Rocky is unconcerned, warning Chong that "The General" is in town looking for the money. Chong retorts that The General is only Rocky's problem, and warns the police are all over them. Nick takes the opportunity to reveal himself and confront them: Rocky escapes, but Nick neutralizes Chong.

Development

The game was first announced on May 15, 2002, when Activision revealed Luxoflux were developing an "original action-racing game inspired by Hong Kong action films" for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. According to Larry Goldberg, executive vice president of Activision Worldwide Studios,

Mission-based driving and action-adventure collide in this bold new direction for interactive entertainment. Infused with the unique flair of Hong Kong action films, True Crime: Streets of LA allows players to experience first-hand the car stunts, close calls, quick wit and high-action that are synonymous with this distinct style of cinema.

Activision stated the game combined the gameplay of beat 'em ups, third-person shooters, and vehicular combat games, and would include over twenty branching missions and multiple endings. They also revealed the game would recreate 400 square miles (1,036 km2) of Los Angeles, and the player would be able to visit multiple LA landmarks. Although only 40% complete, True Crime was first shown at the 2002 E3 event in May, where it was slated for an April 2003 release. Activision emphasized the geographical accuracy of the game's Los Angeles, as well as the different styles of gameplay.

In December, Activision showed a 60% complete version of the game. They revealed the size of the game's Los Angeles had been reduced to roughly 300 square miles (777 km2). To recreate the city, the developers used commercial satellite imaging, GPS technology and traditional photographs, with the in-game city stretching from the Hollywood Hills to Downtown to Santa Monica to Marina del Rey. They also revealed details of the branching plot, with many levels having two or three opening cutscenes, depending on what the player has done in previous levels. They stressed it would be rare for the player to find a "Game Over" screen; usually a failed mission will simply lead to a later level by way of a different path than had the player completed the mission successfully. They also revealed the game would have three alternate endings, and that the player could play through the game multiple times, experiencing a different narrative and different levels each time. They also announced the game would feature roughly one-hundred randomly occurring crimes that the player has the option of solving while driving around the city. The "Good Cop/Bad Cop" system was also shown for the first time, although it was still in a rudimentary state of development. The casting of Russell Wong as protagonist Nick Kang and Gary Oldman as the game's main villain was also announced.

Lawsuit

In late October 2003, two weeks prior to the game's scheduled release of November 4, novelist Robert Crais claimed that the game's protagonist, Nicholas Kang, was a direct copy of the protagonist of many of Crais' novels, Elvis Cole. Crais filed a lawsuit which claimed "True Crime is substantially similar to the Elvis Cole novels," and accused Activision of copying "protectable expressions". The suit sought for an injunction to prevent Activision from shipping the game, for undisclosed monetary damages, and for the "destruction of all infringing works".

The lawsuit failed to prevent the scheduled release of the game, and on November 6, Crais dropped the complaint entirely. After reviewing Luxoflux's development materials for the game, Crais was satisfied lead designer Peter Morawiec had not copied the character of Kang from that of Cole, but was in fact a fan of Crais and was paying homage to his work. Shortly thereafter, Crais released a statement on his official website in which he wrote,

Activision's and Luxoflux's open and honorable response both surprised and impressed me. They allowed me and my lawyers full access to a special unlocked pre-release version of the game, provided a complete game script, flowcharts of game action, and provided all-important clarifications to statements that had been attributed to Mr. Morawiec (turns out the guy was a fan of my work, and was simply expressing his admiration). In short, they did a damned fine job of defusing what could have been an ugly situation. Based upon our review of those materials, we have concluded that Activision has not infringed upon my copyrights. Accordingly, I have dismissed the lawsuit against all parties. I want to thank Activision, Luxoflux, and Mr. Morawiec for the cooperative nature in which they brought the case to a quick conclusion. Cynics please note: No money exchanged hands. And, lastly, be advised that I spent several hours reviewing this amazing game. It rocks.

PC port

The PC port was first announced by Activision on January 29, 2004, although no details were given on who would be porting it, or when it was slated for release. The only solid information was that it would feature an online multiplayer component. More details were revealed on February 18. The game was being ported by LTI Gray Matter, and would feature five different online gaming modes: "Street Racing" (racing customizable cars), "Dojo Master" (fighting in teams or individually), "Battle Master" (same as Dojo Master but with weaponry), "The Beat" (four players compete to make the most arrests in a set time) and "Chase Mode" (one player plays as a criminal and tries to avoid being caught by the other players, who play as police). The port would also feature several new weapons, enhanced graphics, thirty additional songs not in the console versions, and PC-optimized controls.

In March, Activision announced the PC version would also feature character skins not found in the console versions, mainly characters from other Activision games; Pitfall: The Lost Expedition, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (both 2004), Call of Duty (2003), and the Tony Hawk's and Tenchu series. Later in March, more details were announced about the game's new soundtrack. Thirty-two additional licensed tracks were being added, mainly rock tracks from artists such as Alice in Chains, Queensrÿche, Spineshank and Stone Sour. On April 14, Activision showcased an almost finalized build of the game at a gaming event in San Francisco. IGN's Dan Adams praised the superior graphics and PC-specific controls. The port went gold on May 3.

Soundtrack

True Crime: Streets of LA: The Soundtrack was released on November 11, 2003, for Vybe Squad Ent. and Koch Records. The album was produced by Bigg Swoop, Battlecat, Damizza, DJ Quik, Warren G and King Tech.

Activision first revealed details about the game's soundtrack on September 2, 2003, when they announced the game would feature over fifty original tracks from artists such as Snoop Dogg, Westside Connection, E-40, Kam, Lil Eazy, Lil' ½ Dead, Bad Azz, Damizza, Jayo Felony, Bigg Swoop, as well as licensed tracks from artists such as Ice-T, the D.O.C. and N.E.R.D. Chris Archer, executive producer at Activision Worldwide Studios stated, "True Crime: Streets of LA represents the largest collection of original West Coast hip hop music ever assembled. The collision of the game's intense action with the pulse pounding sounds from the powerhouses of urban music will elevate video game soundtracks to a whole new standard." Bright Riley, CEO of Vybe Squad, stated "This album marks the first time that the entire west coast is joining forces to create some of the hottest flows L.A. has to offer." On October 15, Activision announced full details of the soundtrack, which would feature twenty tracks.

AllMusic's Heather Phares scored the soundtrack 3 out of 5, writing "True Crime is something of an achievement when it comes to gathering popular music in support of a video game." She concluded "It's not a perfect soundtrack, but True Crime is entertaining enough to please gaming and non-gaming rap fans alike." IGN's Spence D scored the soundtrack 7.5 out of 10, writing "Where The Streets of LA: The Soundtrack really succeeds is in the fact that the 20 track album features all new material written specifically for the game." He concluded "The most interesting thing is that for all intents and purposes the West Coast gangsta scene, musically speaking, has more or less run its course, succumbing to the bling and blitz of the Dirty South. But this album proves that it's still alive and well. Whatever your take on the gunz-n-thugs mentality may be, one thing can't be denied: the 20 tracks included here are rife with game, style, and serious funktafication."

The soundtrack peaked at No. 100 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 42 on the Independent Albums chart. The soundtrack was nominated for "Best Soundtrack From a Video Game" at MTV's 2004 Video Music Awards, losing to Tony Hawk's Underground.

Reception

True Crime: Streets of LA received "generally favorable reviews". The PlayStation 2 version holds an aggregate score of 77 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on thirty-nine reviews; the Xbox version 77 out of 100, based on twenty-five reviews; the GameCube version 77 out of 100, based on twenty-nine reviews; and the PC version 68 out of 100, based on thirty-one reviews.

IGN's Aaron Boulding scored the console versions 9 out of 10, giving the game an "Editor's Choice" award. The GameCube version was also the runner-up in the November 2003 "GameCube Game of the Month" award, losing to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Boulding wrote "the greatest strength of this Luxoflux game is the integration of story and layers of game design into one cohesive package." He praised the gameplay, especially the Good Cop/Bad Cop system and the upgrades system. He also praised the absence of loading screens. However, he wrote of the graphics, "there are far too many clipping issues that come up far too often to be ignored. Similarly, the camera ties into the clipping problems so that there will be times when the camera will float through and behind a wall or tree during a fight so that you can't see the action at all." He concluded "True Crime is an enjoyable game if you can clear your mind of Grand Theft Auto expectations [...] It's a lot of fun despite the burden of the camera system and other technical glitches. It doesn't, nor should it, replace Grand Theft Auto by any means. True Crime has enough good to counter the bad and stand on its own." Boulding and Tom McNamara scored the PC version 8 out of 10, writing "the multiplayer that many of us have been salivating for is almost disorientingly low-budget." They were also critical of the controls and graphics, concluding "the rich fighting component and the shooting and driving mechanics aren't translated well to the PC, with awkward controls, poor texture quality, and odd visual bugs. Plus, multiplayer, the hot magnet exclusive to the PC version, is decidedly half-baked."

Game Informer's Andrew Reiner scored the PlayStation 2 version 8.5 out of 10, writing "True Crime is the first game to come along and truly give the Grand Theft Auto series a run for its money." However, he also wrote "a number of roadblocks hold True Crime back from achieving greatness [...] The game has amazing variety. Unfortunately, none of these individual components feel particularly polished." Of the protagonist, he wrote "Nick Kang is quite easily the most annoying new character in video games." He concluded "It's not nearly as good as GTA, but entertaining nonetheless." Justin Leeper scored the GameCube version 8 out of 10, writing "this is the worst of the three console versions of this title. Fortunately, it's still pretty darn good." Of the graphics, he wrote "the replication of LA suffers from some of the worst pop-up I've seen in a game."

Sales and awards

The game was a commercial success. During its first two weeks upon release in North America, it sold over 300,000 units across all platforms. By the end of its first month, it had sold over 600,000 units. By July 2006, the PlayStation 2 version of True Crime had sold 1.5 million units and earned $65 million in the United States. Next Generation ranked it as the 27th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. Combined sales of True Crime console games reached 2.8 million units in the United States by July 2006. In the United Kingdom, the PlayStation 2 version received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 300,000 units. Ultimately, the game went on to sell over 3 million units worldwide across all platforms.

At the 2003 Spike Video Game Awards, True Crime was nominated for five awards; "Best Action Game", "Best Animation", "Best Music", and two "Best Performance by a Human" nominations (Christopher Walken as George and Snoop Dogg as himself). It won Best Action Game, but lost in the other categories; Best Animation was given to Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, Best Music to Def Jam Vendetta and Best Performance by a Human to Ray Liotta in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It was also nominated for "Most Innovative Story Design – Interactive Media", and Snoop Dogg was nominated for "Outstanding Character from an Interactive Media" at the 2004 Satellite Awards; it lost in the first category to XIII, while Snoop Dogg lost to Ray Liotta's performance in Vice City. It was also nominated for the "Technical Achievement" award at the 1st British Academy Games Awards in 2004, losing to EyeToy: Play. During the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, True Crime received nominations for "Outstanding Achievement in Licensed Soundtrack" and "Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance – Male" for Snoop Dogg's vocal portrayal of himself.