TRUE CRIMES SCREENSHOTS Comparisons were obviously going to be made, but Luxoflux never lacked confidence or ambition. At a glance Luxoflux’s westside GTA clone appears to hold its own, with early code suggesting a comprehensive game. Although, with minor bugs plaguing the basic mechanics, True Crimes may fall short of becoming the GTA Killer that so many a Nintendo and Microsoft fan were hoping for. True Crimes: Streets of LA puts you in the shoes of Nick Kang, a cop renowned for his unorthodox methods of sweeping the streets clean of crime. Around 240 square miles of real Los Angeles have been recreated accurately, from Beverly Hills to downtown Hollywood (with seedy alleyways, prostitutes, and drug lords all-inclusive).  | | Does True Crimes really match up against the competition? |
In a similar fashion to the GTA series True Crimes rolls three genres (driving, shooting, and fighting) together and places them onto a branching narrative of crime, sordid affairs and greed. And like GTA, having to forcefully ‘borrow’ any vehicle one chooses (from the game space) plays an intrinsic role in navigating and manipulating the storyline (an attribute that has almost become generic to the crime genre). But this is where the similarities end. As a crime-busting cop, Nick Kang can skilfully use up to two different weapons independently to repel the immoral sinners of LA, and can learn new fighting disciplines (such as wrestling, Kung Fu, grappling etc) from a selection of Dojo’s scattered throughout LA. Each of these components, with exception to the fighting mechanics (which are at present a little undeveloped), offer a more rewarding and satisfying gaming experience to that of the recent GTA games. A feat achieved through Luxoflux’s decision to assign a separate team to each of the three core game-play dynamics. Despite this, True Crimes still fails to offer a totally polished experience, lacking any real art style; opting for a look that falls a little too close to ‘realism’.  Each of these components, with exception to the fighting mechanics (which are at present a little undeveloped), offer a more rewarding and satisfying gaming experience to that of the recent GTA games.  | | Clarkester |
One fears that this could throw its acts of gratuitous violence into a realm that holds very little context, which is a factor the GTA games (with their unique style) never really had to worry about. Regardless of moral judgement, it is this feature that is providing a focal point for discussion among gamers, with many a forum already brimming with fans (despite the fact that it hasn’t seen a release date, not even on import). And here is where the uncertainties lie. How will True Crime fair against the re-release of GTA3 and Vice City on XBOX this December? And will the developers have time to tweak the gameplay if it is to meet its planned Christmas release? Time will surely tell – Secret Level remains confident. True Crimes will no doubt sell like hot cakes this Christmas (for at least, predictably, the GameCube, a platform that lacks any real crime/fighting genre).
Expect a full review soon.
Clarkestar TRUE CRIMES SCREENSHOTS | 
