True Crime: Streets Of L.A.
[Xbox]

First things first. This game IS NOT a terrible game. TC is a work in progress. Just as the first game in this genre (GTA 3) on next gen consoles had problems, so does this one. TC is a magnificent game, just plagued with a lot of problems. A sequel is a must for the team behind this first strike.

The positives: Amazingly huge game. Its easily the bigger than the GTA cities. No load times while driving. Neat 24/7 training where you have to learn new bad ass moves for combat, shooting, and driving. The driving is really entertaining and there are tones of cars (no motorcycles or flying/water vehicles however). Great storyline with lovable and hate-able characters (Christopher Walken makes a great narrator). A nifty way of shooting while driving with slow down and target (aim for tires, guys head...whatever). Solid, fitting soundtrack with customizable tunes in 3 categories : Driving/Fast Action/Slow Action which adds an innovative way of setting songs to the mood.

The negatives: Awful, Awful, Awful fighting system. Horribly un-fluid fighting with camera falling behind or roaming in wrong directions. Gun fights occur very often and are very awkward feeling because of the strange aiming system that seems to have a mind of its own. Finding your way to certain 24/7 training facilities can be annoying to a point of quitting because the game is so large and there’s no way of knowing where they are, at least until you get on the same street (which is when an icon pops up on the map telling you where it is, but goes away as soon as you leave the area).Short game, and gets repetitive about 3/4's of the way through. The same crimes happen over and over and the actual storyline uses the same formula over and over (Find, Chase, Sneak, Shoot, Shoot, Get Away, Shoot, Shoot). Minor glitches will happen (Getting caught on cars that aren’t visible, locking on to walls and not being able to move...just try to get in a car that’s close to another one and watch Nick vibrate like nothing you’ve ever seen!!)

When it comes down to it, TC is a solid game and it actually is quite addictive. I played through the whole game in 2 days. It wont be a game that you keep in your gaming library how ever.

7.5 / 10

---Frayed