Title: True Crime: New York City
Platform: Gamecube (There's also a PS2 and XBOX version)
ESRB Rating: M
# of players: 1
Game Type: Action/Adventure

100% objectional. 100% fair. Blah blah
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Okay, I was a huge fan of True Crime: Streets of LA. So this game was a godsend for me. When I first saw the commercials, however, I was impressed very little. The game looked like Streets of LA, but just remade into Manhattan NYC.
Playing the game, however, was another story. It's a totally fresh, remade experience.
The hero (or anti hero depending on how you choose to play) is street thug turned cop, Marcus Reed. The story starts Christmas Day, 2000. Reed pulls up to a crack house and the action begins. Apparently, there was some type of hit on Reed and his Father (known as the King), who is an influential Gang leader. The hit goes wrong, and an old friend of the Reeds' Kev-Lar is held responsible (when you first go into the crackhouse, Kev-Lar is wearing a robe with an 'M' embroidered on it, which is obviously Marcus or his father (can't remember his name).
Controls are pretty tight. I played this game for the PS2 as well as the Gamecube, and have to admit that the PS2 controls are a bit better. To enter the vehicle, you have to press A+Z, and to flash your badge you have to press Y+Z. Can be confusing, but worked around. A few times I'd flag a pedestrian (by pulling my badge) and go to get into their car, and accidently punch them (since the A button is light attack) so then they'd want to fight, I'd usuallly pull a gun on them and my cop rating would go down
Ah, the cop rating. This is where the game shines! As you cruise the streets of NY, things you do will raise or lower your cop rating. For example, hitting peds, wrongful arrests (ie planting drugs on someone), shooting unarmed perps will cause it to fall.
Something I liked about this release as apposed to the previous True Crime SOLA game was that the nuetralizing shots ACTUALLY counted towards your good cop rating. In SOLA if you shot someone with a nuetralizing shot, it wouldn't go towards your good cop rating, meaning you had to take down every perp by hand.
There are tons of driving skills, fighting skills and extras to unlock. You can get a sword and learn a few sword techniques, or learn some staff techniques which help with light melee weapons (ie: clubs, broomsticks, human legs ???)
A very good gaming experience if this is your type of game.
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Graphics: 8/10
The GOOD: Character models are great. When an explosion goes off, it looks nice (and any nearby peds or perps will blow to peices ... and you can use their body parts as weapons! NICE)
The BAD: Some cars looks bland and flat (the pedestrian cars).

BGM: 10/10
The GOOD: The friggen best BGM in any game I think. With a mix of Metal and Punk, to hip hop, Club music and Rock and Alternative (has the original Rapper's Delight and Mother by Danzig ....) Plus the theme of the game Welcome to ew York City by Cam'ron, Jay-Z and Juelz gets me pumped up!
The BAD: NOTHING! Perfect 10!

SE: 10/10
The GOOD: With that incredible soundtrack, I gave this section a 10/10 too, since you hear the music for most of the game, and the sound effects and pedestrian dialouge are great (at times hilarious) (I just want my 3 fiddy, you gonna take that too? Ocifer (actualy spelling lol suppost to be officer and he really says ocifer Dislexia anyone).
The BAD: BLEH Great again!

Gameplay: 9/10
The GOOD: Freakin awesome gameplay experience! You choose to be a good cop or bad cop.
The BAD: Hmmm ...... some missions are kinda hard for novice players (???)

Final Analasis
I haven't had this much fun in a while. This has been one of my favorite games of 2005 (review is kind of late, I know) and I'll write a review for it's predesesor SOLA soon! (gotta play it again!)
I hope that Activision makes a sequal to this great series, or better yet a prequal to SOLA as they promised (if you the the best ending in Streets of LA)

A definant buy. If not, rent it first and see if you love it. It gets my seal of approval.

300 Viz.