by Erik Pearsall - December 27, 2005

Your dad is in lockup, the streets of New York are filthy with corruption, and gangs are out of control. Someone needs to step in and clean up the situation, that someone being you. Enter the life of Marcus Reed, a gangster turned street cop and detective for the New York Police Department. With the death of your mentor, w ill you control of the streets on the side of the law, or get swept up in the corruption and go rogue?

Police huh? Lemme see your Badge.

The game consists of the player as Marcus Reed, starting life anew as a detective for the New York Police Department. His daily job is now to clean up the mess that you he had been a part of as a youngster. The game is a single player, free roaming role playing game, the object of which consists of cleaning up New York City and progressing the story line through five major elements of the game�Major cases, Street racing, Fight Arenas, Informants, and City crimes.

Major cases are the storyline part of the game. There are four major cases to be done in the storyline, each involving investigations into different gangs. The introduction opens up with the Magdalena Cartel chapter, and upon completion allows the player to select the next one out of a list. Street racing and arena fighting are a sort of side missions as you work your way to the top of each ladder, and then attempt to arrest the ringleader of each, being a good cop and turning in the evidence or being a bad cop and keeping your winnings for yourself. Same goes with the informants�some get you good cop points, and some bad, depending on the informant and the task they ask you to do in order to get their information. Good cop and bad cop points are earned depending on the player�s actions. Many citizens are in possession of illegal contraband on their person, and Marcus will confiscate it as evidence. At this point, the player can either keep it and sell it, getting Marcus bad cop points, or turn it into police headquarters for good cop points. Black market weapons and cars can be purchased at shops around the area, or Marcus can strictly go through legitimate purchases at Police HQ. City crimes are what bring home the bread. While roaming the city of New York, dispatch will call you informing of domestic disputes, hijacked buses, bomb threats, stolen vehicles, and drug dealers to be dealt with. Arresting or otherwise dealing with these crooks get you career points. Career Points are the experience system in this game, whereby getting enough career points earns a promotion for the player. Rank promotions allow you a higher pay grade and access to some of the more fun cars/ police weapons.

The game controls are a bit difficult, with each button on the Playstation II controller being used for multiple things depending upon the situation�the circle button is used to both grapple, tackle, and handcuff someone (and special finishing moves).

Manhattan in the Digital.

When they say �True New York,� they mean it; New York City is deeply rendered out for the character to roam around in. The streets and subway locations are GPS accurate to their real-world locations. Graphics are good for the Playstation II�s standard, without much slowing of game speed. The streets of New York are portrayed as an actively dirty city, with papers and trash blowing around in the wind. Only every once in a while will the player encounter a clipping issue that disrupts gameplay.

My A.K. Ain�t Even Tucked.

The sound aspect of True Crime: New York City contains one of the widest ranges of music for a video game not dedicated to music. Anything with a theme of New York City or police is likely to be found here in the game. Artists like the Ramones, Agnostic Front, Misfits, Grandmaster Flash, and The Sugarhill gang make an appearance.

New Crime.

This is one game that has actually kept my interest because of the fact that there is such a huge world to explore, and many multiple tasks occurring at the same time. An involved game this deep demands my attention from me, rather than a mediocre tug that most games have nowadays. The game may come across as overwhelming to some, as gangs will fighting over near Times Square, while you have to chase down a fleeing suspect on motorbike, all while trying to avoid injuring civilians. There are a many little things that add to the enjoyment of this game. Coffee and donuts can be bought at street vendors around the city, and they replenish your health.

New City.

The game was down and dirty though, chocked full with constant swearing and language. Citizens are always flicking off the main character, because he is a cop, and that�s just the �normal� thing to do to the police. There�s plenty of drugs, and sexual content in there as well. Violence too, so keep the little ones away�this isn�t daddy�s cops are good, robbers are bad style game. I did enjoy how New York City was fleshed out to play in. Other games would have simplified versions of the Big Apple�s city, but here it is, presented for Marcus Reed to run through. Replayability is a factor here too, as there are two paths for the player to travel along, the good cop or the bad cop. This game was enjoyable, and it kept me thinking on my digital feet for most of it.

Freeze! Police!

True Crime: New York City is a big game, enjoyable for the player who likes to multitask. The language and violence overwhelm the game some, wanting the player to select a lower volume setting while the Playstation II is running. You won�t finish the game by renting it, as the storyline takes a long while to unfold. I hear at the end there may even be a bonus feature, for those of us who reach 100 percent completion. So go out and finish this well thought out game.