7.0

True Crime New York City

This one is a bit of a conundrum. I enjoyed the first True Crime and despite some of it’s flaws, played it through. This time round I am not sure what happened but the game has taken a fair bit of a backstep in terms of quality and overall playability. 

This time round you are a gangsta trying to make good on the life you led before by becoming a cop and trying to take back the streets. Of course this would not be a True Crime title if there were no criminals and those you will come into contact with plenty of as your character Marcus finds out who set him and his father up on a botched hit and also more about the man who set him up on the straight and narrow.

The game attempts to give us a true storyline to follow and in that respect it works. There are just a number of things getting in the way of the game that prevent it from working as well as it should like wonky controls, missions that you say “What the?” to and the side missions that are there in abundance also might distract some gamers from the main story. 

I think one thing that has made it hard for True Crime is the fact that there is a series out there called Grand Theft Auto and if you have ever played that series, you are gonna keep making comparison to it as True Crime initially felt like it was being developed to compete with that game, and maybe it was. It simply did not succeed.  

There are some well thought out moments in the title where you have to get information out of a hostile person and there is a meter with which you can threaten and cajole the person you want info out of. Once the meter balances you can then get your information and get on with the game. Failing to get info will involve side missions for various entities who will then send you on missions with what you need. So you are not going to go for long with being stuck. 

A strength of the first TC was it’s hand to hand combat and this has been improved somewhat with more options for locking onto characters and also a touch more camera control. As stated earlier though, it could be tightened up a bit more. 

The title looks good and sounds great with a brilliant soundtrack accompanying the game. Many well known performers and actors were involved in the voicework and their interpretation of their characters is spot on. 

You are going to have many hours play with True Crime NYC and if you can get over the niggles in the game, it’s a fairly engrossing experience. For me it was a bit sloppy though and I’d recommend a rent before you purchase. 

For Music Fans, you can just go get it with this killer soundtrack! 

Redman - "Rush the Security"

Cam'Ron featuring Jay-Z - "Welcome to NYC"

Run D.M.C. - "Sucker MC's"

Kool Moe Dee - "Wild Wild West"

The Sugarhill Gang - "Rapper's Delight"

Public Enemy - "Bring The Noise (Chuck D Mix)"

DMX - "Where The Hood At"

Busta Rhymes - "Put Your Hands Where my Eyes Can See"

Agnostic Front - "Police State"

Bad Brains - "I Against I"

Bob Dylan - "Knockin' On Heaven's Door"

Danzig - "Mother"

The Ramones - "Beat on The Brat"

Interpol - "Slow hands"

Wu-Tang Clan - "Protect Ya Neck"

Jungle Brothers - "Straight Out The Jungle"

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - "New York New York"

Hatebreed - "Another Day, Another Vendetta"

Misfits - "Last Caress"

Blondie - "Hangin by the Telephone"

Sonic Youth - "Kool Thing"

Skarhead - "New York Crime"

Dope - "The Life"

Kool G Rap and DJ Polo - "Streets of New York"

Biz Markie - "I'm The Biz"

Big Daddy Kane - "Ain't No Half Steppin'"

24-7 Spyz - "Yeah X 3"

Suicide - "Ghostrider"

Iggy & The Stooges - "Search and Destroy"

New York Dolls - "Subway Train"

Bloodsimple - "Blood In Blood Out"

Biohazard - "Shades of Grey"

Gang Starr - "Full Clip"

Big Punisher - "Twinz (Deep Cover)"

Vision of Disorder - "Imprint"

Mandrill - "Echoes In My Mind"

The Damned - "Neat Neat Neat"

The Velvet Underground - "I'm Waiting For the Man"

Helmet - "Unsung"

The Rapture - "The Killing"

Black Star - "Definition"

NaS - "N.Y. State Of Mind"

Slick Rick - "Children's Story"

Youth Of Today - "Break Down The Walls"

Cramps - "Wrong Way Ticket"

The Casualties - "Sounds from the streets (Death Toll)"

White Zombie - "Thunder Kiss 65"

Unsane - "D train"

A Tribe Called Quest - "Scenario"

Mark Ronson - "Bout To Get Ugly"

X-ecutioners - "Let Me Rock"

Black Rob - "Woah!"

Madball - "Pride (Times are Changing)"

Richard Hell And The Voidoids - "Blank Generation"

The Walkmen - "The Rat"

Kurtis Blow - "The Breaks"

Black Sheep - "The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)"

De La Soul - "Thru Ya City"

Gorilla Biscuits - "New Direction"

Eric B & Rakim - "Paid in Full"

Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Force - "Planet Rock"

Sam Scarfo - "Homicide"

Bobby Womack - "Across 110th Street"

Marley Marl - "The Symphony"

My Chemical Romance - "I Never Told You What I Did For A Living"

Mobb Deep - "Shook Ones Pt. II"

Quicksand - "East 3rd Street"

Vordul Mega - "Neva Again"

Black Moon - "Who Got The Props?"

Jeru the Damaja - "D. Original"

Leaders Of The New School - "Case of the P.T.A."

LL Cool J - "I Can't Live With Out My Radio"

Sick of It All - "Potential For A Fall"

The A.K.A.'s - "Shout Out Loud"

Blue Oyster Cult - "Don't Fear the Reaper"

Digable Planets - "Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like dat)"

Murphy's Law - "Crucial Bar-B-Que"

Yeah Yeah Yeah's - "Black Tongue"

Harley's War - "Criminal (4 Life)"

The Bravery - "Honest Mistake"

Television - "See No Evil"

We Are Scientists - "Callbacks"