True Crime: Streets of LA

True Crime: Streets of LA
North American cover art
Developer(s)	Luxoflux
Publisher(s)	Activision Executive Producer Chris Archer
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Mobile phone, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X
Release date(s)	November 3, 2003 PlayStation 2 & Xbox[1][2] NA November 3, 2003 EU November 7, 2003 JP October 28, 2004 GameCube[3] NA November 3, 2003 EU November 21, 2003 Mobile[4] NA February 3, 2004 Windows[5] NA May 11, 2004 EU May 28, 2004 Macintosh[6] NA November 6, 2004
Genre(s)	Third-person shooter, sandbox
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ACB: MA15+ CERO: Z ESRB: M PEGI: 16+

True Crime: Streets of LA is an action-adventure video game developed by Luxoflux and published by Activision for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube in November 2003 and the first game in the True Crime series. Activision later released versions for Windows in May 2004 and the Mac in November 2004.

Overview

One of the first open world action games to be released after Grand Theft Auto III, True Crime: Streets of LA focuses on the other side of the law in the genre of the police procedural. The player controls police officer Nick Kang, and is to set out catching criminals and doing missions for the police force.

True Crime's gameplay has been called "the GTA III clone where you play a cop," ^[7] as the core mechanics are identical - the player wreaks havoc across the city and progresses through the story at their own leisure. However, as the game focuses on the other side of the law, committing similar crimes in True Crime: Streets of LA in comparison to that of Grand Theft Auto will result in lasting consequences, such as negative karma which will need to be amended by enforcing the law.

Plot

Story

The player assumes the role of Nick Kang, a young Chinese-American detective and the living bane of every police chief, because of his highly unorthodox and destructive means of catching criminals. When the game begins, Kang returns to Los Angeles after being suspended for going after a suspect and disobeying a direct order from his superiors.

Kang is at a police shooting range practicing his two-fisted technique when the Chief of the E.O.D (Elite Operations Division), Wanda Parks, enters. Parks welcomes Nick back to the fold and asks his assistance in solving a rash of bombings of local businesses in the Chinatown district. Though seemingly unrelated, the pattern of the crimes indicate the work of one or more of the Chinese Triad groups. At first, Nick is uninterested in the case, wanting to focus on his personal matters; Parks subtly coerces him to help out, on one condition — he does things his way. Despite Kang's reputation, Parks quickly agrees to this.

Parks partners Nick with Rosie Velasquez; when Nick teasingly remarks how she's a "good girl", Rosie angrily responds, saying before going straight and becoming a detective, she "ran with more than a few Latino gangs in her time." Like others in the department, Rosie is uneasy about Nick and his reputation, but for Rosie, it is more personal — if Nick goes wild again, she doesn't want to get dragged down with him.

Why Nick first refused, and then accepted this case is personal; his father, Henry Wilson, was an exceptional police officer who was involved in a major drug operation in the 1970s; one day, he disappeared and was never found. Soon afterwards, Internal Affairs found a stash of cocaine in his locker, bringing his motives and role in the situation into sharp question. Though heartbroken by his father's disappearance, Nick refuses to believe this.

Rosie learns of Nick's backstory, and when his mother died and father disappeared, Nick and his brother Cary had traveled to Hong Kong to grieve. Nick then returned for revenge while solving another case. His methods grew increasingly reckless in his pursuit of justice. Nick went under the surname "Kang" when his father Henry Wilson died, As Nick unravels the thread tying the smaller criminal dealings together throughout the game, he faces Triad thugs, as well as crime lords like Jimmy Fu, Big Chong, the mysterious and legendary Ancient Wu, Rocky (a member of the Russian Mafia) and Han Yu Kim (a general of the Korean People's Army).

In the game, the plot takes one of three different turns: Bad, Average and Good. Nick's actions and his Good/Bad cop rating decide the course. Each ending path concludes with a one-on-one brawl.

Characters

• Nicholas "Nick" Kang-Wilson: Although he was recently suspended indefinitely from the police force due to repeated incidents of excessive brutality, property damage, and refusing to follow orders, Nicholas Kang (Wilson) was recruited into the E.O.D. as the group's first field agent. The same over-the-line methods that got him thrown off the force enable him to succeed at the E.O.D.. Nick Kang's skills in martial arts are only matched by his ability to expertly wield firearms and drive like a professional stuntman.
• Rosie Velasco: An ex-gangbanger turned straight, Rosie Velasco is determined to prove herself worthy of her badge; unfortunately, she's just been partnered with Nick Kang, and isn't too happy about hitting the streets with a loose cannon. Nick isn't too happy about it either, but when their first meeting together concludes with her being wounded in a shootout, she winds up behind a desk working intel for the rest of the case. Voiced by Michelle Rodriguez
• Chief Wanda Parks: Wanda Parks is the Chief Detective of the LAPD, as well as head of the Elite Operations Division, with jurisdiction over the entire City of Angels. She has two decades of law enforcement experience and is one of the most well respected officers in the LAPD. Parks puts up with Nick's brash and over-the-top nature because she knows when all hell breaks loose, Nick is the only man who consistently delivers.
• George: An old friend of Henry's, and a father figure and mentor to Nick. He reveals the backstory of the Wilson family to Rosie, and serves as a narrator at the beginning and end of Nick's quest. Voice of Christopher Walken.
• Rasputin "Rocky" Kuznetskov: Not much is known about Rocky at the beginning of the game, except he is a member of the Russian Mafia and is involved with the Chinese Triads in some matter. As the game progresses, more about this character is revealed, including his peculiar habits. Voiced By Gary Oldman
• FBI Agent Masterson: He is called on the scene to oversee the case that the EOD is working on throughout the game. He doesn't like working with the EOD, especially because of Nick. voiced by Gary Oldman
• bouncers: Sixteen of the bouncers/security men of Rocky's club, the Gulag, When Nick sneaks in, the bouncers and DJ open fire on him. Nick kills all of them, save for the DJ Ricky, before confronting Rocky and his goons. In an alternate next mission, two of the bouncers and the DJ survive and they fight Nick in an alley.
• Don Rafferty: An old friend and partner of Henry's when they were working on the drug case, Don Rafferty knew the Kang brothers as they were growing up. It is eventually revealed he was corrupted by Rocky, and went along with his drug smuggling and money laundering operations. Though Rafferty attempted to turn Henry, Henry refused and was subsequently murdered.
• Misha: Rocky's bodyguard, visible a number of times throughout the game. Depending on the path Nick takes, he may have to fight him. In one ending, he is killed by a vengeful Nick, in response to Rocky's killing of his brother, Cary. Misha first appears as a bathing guest in the Spa. His next appearance is in the average ending when Nick kills him. In the average cop storyline Mischa either has his neck broken, electrocuted to death, shot, or in the good cop ending throw off a balcony instead of being simply arrested.
• Misha 2 Another right-hand henchman, this Misha looks like one of the normal Russian goons. Misha is first seen in the Spa, when the player fails the sneaking mission, or the fight against the bathers. Misha interrorgates Nick, but Nick kicks a bench against Misha's head. Misha is next seen acting as a bodyguard for Rocky in the Gulag.
• Ricky: The DJ at the Gulag. When Nick first visits the Gulag, Ricky discovers him and starts a firefight. Apparently he survived, because he is seen two more times. In the alternate mission, "Back Alley Brawl", two of the club doormen and Ricky take Nick in the back alley and engage him in combat, but Nick beats all three of them. In another alternate mission, Nick comes looking for Rocky inside the Gulag again. Ricky and two other Russian thugs fight Nick, but Nick beats them, then interrogates one of them, Rocky's right-hand-man Misha.
• Chyort: Rocky's new bodyguard in the average ending after Misha is killed. Apparently he doesn't trust the Triad.
• Han Yu Kim: A General from North Korea, seeking to strengthen his country's position in the world scene through illegal means. To this end, he is working with Rocky and his Mafia connections, as well as the Chinese Triads. He is seen in all three endings, and fought as the last boss in two; his ultimate goals are only revealed in the true ending, however. The character's image is based on Kim Jong Il.
• Ancient Wu: This mysterious figure is said to be the creator of the Chinese Triad, though many view him only as a myth or a legend. Nevertheless, Nick learns the truth of this legend as he pursues Rocky and the Triads. In later branches, he is viewed as Nick's mentor and often helps him escape sticky situations (he releases Nick's handcuffs when he was captured in the airport and appeared in one scene to get Nick out of a police car).
• Jimmy Fu: Jimmy Fu is a lesser Triad crime lord, working for Big Chong. Nick sneaks into his warehouse, but is trapped and forced to shoot his way through Jimmy's men. After killing his attackers, Nick is about to question Jimmy, but is forced to defend himself against a sniper determined to silence Fu. If Kang fails, his vest saves him, but Jimmy will be killed, and Nick is yelled at by a furious Rosie who reveals Jimmy's last words as the next link in the case. If Kang kills the sniper, Jimmy is arrested, and under heavy interrogation spills the name of his boss: Big Chong.
• Big Chong: A crime lord from Ancient Wu's gang, Nick tails him from his house to the Cyrus Hotel where Nick loses him. Nick then finds out he is at the Russian spa, having a meeting with Rocky. Nick then jumps from where he's spying Rocky and shoots through Chong's crew. Chong comes out to kill Nick himself but is killed in the ensuing firefight.
• Cary (Kang) Wilson: Nick's little brother, owner of a vast chain of 24-hour dojos throughout the city, where Nick can improve his fighting ability. Nick is very protective of his younger brother who, for his father's sake, he has vowed to defend with his life.
• Jill: Rocky's girlfriend; she uses her charm to trap and lead Nick astray more than once. She appears in the intro movie and various other times through the game
• Snoop Dogg: Snoop Dogg is an unlockable playable character in the game, with his own minigame and quotes. He is unlocked by either collecting 30 Dogg Bones scattered throughout Los Angeles or by entering a cheat code.

Bad Ending: Nick faces off with Han Yu Kim at the top of a high-rise bank, after shooting his way through the General's mercenaries. If Nick loses the final fight, he is thrown off the building and only wakes up in time to realize his fate, as the General escapes. If Nick wins, it is the General who falls off from the building before Nick receives any information from him.

Average Ending: Cary is dead, Rosie is kidnapped by Rocky, who forces Nick to drive an armored car full of counterfeit money to the Chinatown Plaza, in exchange for her life. After being ambushed and killing the General's men, Rocky and Nick have a final fight. If Nick loses, he dies and Rocky escapes. If Nick wins, Rocky surprises him and is about to stab him to death, when he is shot down by Rosie. Earlier, he had taunted Nick about knowing the truth about his father; however, the secret died with him.

Good Ending: After battling through Ancient Wu's trials, the truth is revealed: Rocky was formerly a plant by the KGB, who quickly turned criminal when given the opportunity, along with Rafferty, Henry's former partner. Kang tracks the two to the Santa Monica airport, but is surprised by Jill and knocked unconscious. Coming to, Rocky reveals the rest of the story: when Henry refused to be turned by Rocky or Rafferty, Rocky shot him in the head and dumped his body in the ocean. Rocky prepares to kill Nick, but Rafferty takes the bullet. Rocky dies after Nick blows up his jet. The General arrives and explains that the Russians stole their money and must deal with loose ends. If Nick loses, the General escapes and Nick either passes out or dies from his injuries just as the police arrive. If Nick wins the fight, the General is killed just as the police arrive.

Los Angeles

True Crime: Streets of LA recreates 240 square miles (620 km²) of Los Angeles

The game features an extensive 240-square-mile (620 km²) re-creation of a large part of Los Angeles, most of Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica with most street names, landmarks and highways. However, there are unmarked neighborhoods surrounding the game. The player cannot enter these parts of town, as an attempt will respawn Nick back onto the nearest street in the game. The game in general features many Los Angeles landmarks, such as the US Bank Tower, Hollywood Sign, Santa Monica Pier and Marina del Rey.

Soundtrack

Main article: True Crime: Streets of LA (soundtrack)

True Crime has around 50 songs. In addition to those 50, more songs were added to the PC version of the game. A CD soundtrack is available. Despite being a 16+ rated game, the songs in the soundtrack are uncensored, and contains profanity like "fuck" and "nigga", as well as in gameplay, unlike the soundtrack of Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, rated 18+, which doesn't use the words until the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in 2004.

The soundtrack was released through Vybesquad Entertainment / Koch Records. The soundtrack was the recipient of a (2004) Billboard Digital Award/ Best soundtrack in a Video Game and nominated for “Best Soundtrack To a Video Game” on MTV’s 2004 Video Music Awards. The song "Dance Wit Me" went on to gain radio play as the single from the soundtrack. Mixed by Rich Niles, this title featured Snoop Dogg and Doggystyle Records' Quazedelic.

Reception

The game was inducted into the Greatest Hits for the PlayStation 2 in 2004, as well as becoming Xbox Classics for Xbox and the Player's Choice title for the Nintendo Gamecube. A sequel, True Crime: New York City, was released in late 2005 for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube.

Critical reception for the game was mixed but fairly positive overall, with the PS2 version^[8] and other console versions holding average scores of 77 on Metacritic, and the PC version holding a score of 68.^[9] Common criticisms included the main protagonist, who was described in Gamespot's review, rated 7.2/10, as "completely unlikeable",^[10] and the perceived low level of difficulty. IGN rated the game 9/10.

References

1. ^ "Release Information for PlayStation 2". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/data/561383.html. Retrieved 2008-02-13. 
2. ^ "Release Information for Xbox". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox/data/561382.html. Retrieved 2008-02-13. 
3. ^ "Release Information for GameCube". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/data/561381.html. Retrieved 2008-02-13. 
4. ^ "Release Information for Mobile". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/mobile/data/923629.html. Retrieved 2008-02-13. 
5. ^ "Release Information for Windows". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/data/919766.html. Retrieved 2008-02-13. 
6. ^ "Amazon.com: True Crime: Streets of LA: Video Games". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002W30E4. Retrieved 2009-01-17. 
7. ^ http://www.thegamereviews.com/article-988-Top-10-StarStudded-Games.html
8. ^ "True Crime: Streets of LA (ps2) reviews at Metacritic.com". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/truecrimestreetsofla. 
9. ^ "True Crime: Streets of LA (pc) reviews at Metacritic.com". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/truecrimestreetsofla. 
10. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (2003-11-04). "True Crime: Streets of LA Review for Playstation 2 - Gamespot". Gamespot. http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/truecrimestreetsofla/review.html. Retrieved 2009-12-12. 

External links

• Official True Crime website
• True Crime: Streets of LA at MobyGames
• True Crime: Streets of LA at the Internet Movie Database