True Crime: Streets of LA

True Crime: Streets of LA is an open-world action game set in a sprawling 240-square-mile recreation of Los Angeles, where players take on the role of Nick Kang, a suspended LAPD detective with a vigilante streak. After being recruited by the Elite Operations Division to investigate attacks in Chinatown, Nick navigates the city on foot or by hijacking vehicles, engaging in third-person shooting, martial arts combat, and stealth missions. The game features a branching narrative with multiple endings based on the player’s choices, rewarding ‘good cop’ or ‘bad cop’ behavior, and blends crime-fighting with a gritty, cinematic storyline.

True Crime: Streets of LA: A Flawed but Ambitious Open-World Classic

Introduction

In the early 2000s, the open-world genre was dominated by Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series, which redefined player freedom and narrative-driven gameplay. Amid this landscape, True Crime: Streets of LA emerged in 2003 as a bold attempt to carve its own niche. Developed by Luxoflux and published by Activision, the game dared to flip the script: instead of playing as a criminal, players stepped into the shoes of Nick Kang, a rogue LAPD detective navigating the morally gray streets of Los Angeles. While often dismissed as a GTA clone, True Crime distinguished itself with a unique blend of martial arts combat, a branching narrative, and a painstakingly recreated Los Angeles. Yet, despite its ambitions, the game struggled with technical limitations, uneven execution, and an identity crisis that left it in the shadow of its inspiration.

This review explores True Crime: Streets of LA in exhaustive detail, examining its development, narrative depth, gameplay mechanics, world-building, and lasting legacy. Was it a misunderstood gem, or a flawed experiment that failed to live up to its potential? Let’s dive in.

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Development History & Context

The Studio and Vision

Luxoflux, a California-based developer founded in 1997, was no stranger to ambitious projects. Before True Crime, the studio had worked on titles like Vigilante 8 and Star Wars: Demolition, but True Crime represented their most ambitious undertaking yet. The game was conceived as a hybrid of open-world exploration, martial arts combat, and police procedural storytelling—a far cry from the criminal fantasies of GTA. The developers drew inspiration from Hong Kong action cinema, blending the kinetic energy of films like Hard Boiled and The Killer with the gritty realism of L.A. crime dramas.

The game’s lead designer, Peter Morawiec, envisioned True Crime as a love letter to Los Angeles, aiming to create a living, breathing city that players could explore freely. The team employed satellite imagery, GPS data, and on-location photography to meticulously recreate 240 square miles of L.A., from the neon-lit streets of Hollywood to the sprawling highways of Downtown. This commitment to authenticity was unprecedented at the time, especially for a non-GTA title.

Technological Constraints

Developing an open-world game in 2003 was no small feat. The PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube—True Crime’s primary platforms—had limited memory and processing power compared to modern systems. Luxoflux faced significant challenges in streaming the massive city without excessive loading times or pop-in. While the game’s streaming technology was impressive for its time, it wasn’t flawless. Players often encountered clipping issues, where characters or vehicles would phase through walls, and the draw distance was limited, leading to sudden appearances of buildings and NPCs.

The game’s combat system also pushed the hardware to its limits. Unlike GTA III, which relied on simple gunplay, True Crime incorporated a robust hand-to-hand combat system with combos, grapples, and environmental interactions. This required precise animation and hit detection, which occasionally faltered under the strain of the PS2’s aging architecture.

The Gaming Landscape

True Crime launched in November 2003, just a year after Grand Theft Auto: Vice City had cemented Rockstar’s dominance in the open-world genre. The market was hungry for more sandbox experiences, but True Crime faced an uphill battle. Critics and players alike were quick to label it a GTA clone, despite its distinct mechanics and narrative focus. The game’s marketing leaned heavily into its differences—emphasizing its martial arts combat, branching storylines, and the ability to play as a cop—but the comparisons were inevitable.

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Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Plot Overview

True Crime: Streets of LA follows Nicholas Kang, a suspended LAPD detective with a reputation for excessive force. Recruited by the Elite Operations Division (E.O.D.), Nick is tasked with investigating a series of bombings in Chinatown. As the story unfolds, Nick uncovers a web of corruption involving the Triads, the Russian mafia, and a shadowy North Korean general. Along the way, he grapples with the legacy of his father, Henry Wilson, a former cop who disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

The narrative is structured in episodes, with each chapter offering branching paths based on Nick’s actions. The game’s “Good Cop/Bad Cop” system influences not only the story’s direction but also its tone. Playing as a “Good Cop” leads to a more heroic, by-the-book experience, while embracing the “Bad Cop” path results in a darker, more violent narrative.

Characters and Performances

One of True Crime’s standout features is its star-studded voice cast. Russell Wong delivers a mixed performance as Nick Kang—charismatic at times but often undermined by cheesy one-liners. Supporting roles include Christopher Walken as Sergeant George, a grizzled veteran with ties to Nick’s father, and Gary Oldman as Rocky, the game’s primary antagonist. Michelle Rodriguez and Michael Madsen round out the cast, lending credibility to the game’s cinematic aspirations.

Despite the talent involved, the writing often falls short. Nick’s dialogue oscillates between tough-guy bravado and unintentional comedy, and the story’s pacing is uneven. Some missions feel rushed, while others drag on without clear purpose. The game’s attempt to blend realism with over-the-top action—such as a surreal sequence involving zombies and fire demons—further muddles its tone.

Themes and Symbolism

At its core, True Crime explores themes of justice, corruption, and identity. Nick Kang’s journey is as much about uncovering the truth behind his father’s disappearance as it is about defining his own moral compass. The game’s branching narrative reinforces this duality, forcing players to confront the consequences of their actions. Will Nick uphold the law, or will he succumb to the same brutality that defined his father’s downfall?

The game also critiques the LAPD’s relationship with the communities it serves. Nick’s status as a Chinese-American cop places him in a unique position, straddling the line between law enforcement and the marginalized groups he’s tasked with policing. This tension is explored in missions involving the Triads and the Russian mafia, though the game often defaults to stereotypes rather than nuanced commentary.

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Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Open-World Exploration

True Crime’s Los Angeles is a sprawling, detailed sandbox that rewards exploration. Players can hijack vehicles, engage in street races, and respond to random crimes broadcast over the police radio. The city is divided into distinct districts, each with its own aesthetic and criminal underbelly. While the map is impressive in scope, it lacks the density and interactivity of GTA’s worlds. Many buildings are enterable only during missions, and the city often feels hollow outside of scripted events.

Combat and Gunplay

The game’s combat system is a standout feature, blending martial arts with third-person shooting. Nick can perform a variety of punches, kicks, and grapples, chaining them into combos for devastating effect. The hand-to-hand combat is fluid and satisfying, though it can feel repetitive in prolonged encounters. Gunplay, on the other hand, is less refined. The auto-targeting system is clunky, and the lack of manual aiming makes shootouts feel less precise than they should.

Stealth and Mission Design

Stealth missions are a mixed bag. While the idea of sneaking through enemy strongholds is compelling, the execution is flawed. The game’s AI is inconsistent, with enemies sometimes failing to notice Nick even when he’s in plain sight. The “Good Cop/Bad Cop” system adds a layer of strategy to these missions—knocking out enemies earns Good Cop points, while killing them nets Bad Cop points—but the rewards often feel arbitrary.

Progression and Upgrades

Nick’s abilities can be upgraded at 24/7 facilities scattered throughout the city. These upgrades, which improve driving, shooting, and combat skills, are purchased using “badges” earned by completing missions and arresting criminals. While the progression system adds depth, it’s hampered by the game’s short length. Many players will reach the end of the story before fully upgrading Nick’s abilities, rendering some upgrades pointless.

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World-Building, Art & Sound

Visual Design

True Crime’s Los Angeles is a technical marvel for its time. The city’s streets are lined with recognizable landmarks, from the Hollywood Walk of Fame to the Santa Monica Pier. The game’s art direction captures the grit and glamour of L.A., though the PS2’s hardware limitations are evident in the muddy textures and occasional pop-in. The character models are detailed but stiff, with facial animations that struggle to convey emotion.

Sound and Music

The game’s soundtrack is a highlight, featuring a mix of licensed hip-hop and original tracks. Artists like Snoop Dogg, Westside Connection, and Ice-T lend their talents to the game’s radio stations, creating an immersive auditory experience. The voice acting, while inconsistent, benefits from the star power of its cast. The sound design is less impressive, with gunshots and car engines lacking the punch they should.

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Reception & Legacy

Critical Reception

True Crime: Streets of LA received generally positive reviews upon release, with critics praising its ambitious scope and innovative combat system. However, many noted its technical flaws, uneven writing, and inability to escape GTA’s shadow. The game’s Metacritic scores reflect this divide, with the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube versions averaging around 77/100, while the PC port fared worse at 68/100.

Commercial Success

Despite its mixed reception, True Crime was a commercial success, selling over 3 million copies worldwide. Its strong sales led to a sequel, True Crime: New York City, which launched in 2005. However, the franchise failed to gain the same cultural traction as GTA, and plans for a third installment were ultimately scrapped.

Influence and Legacy

True Crime’s legacy is complicated. On one hand, it demonstrated that open-world games could explore themes beyond criminality, paving the way for titles like Sleeping Dogs and Watch Dogs. On the other, its technical shortcomings and identity crisis prevented it from achieving the same level of acclaim as its contemporaries. Today, the game is remembered as a flawed but ambitious experiment—a testament to the challenges of innovating in a genre dominated by a single titan.

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Conclusion

True Crime: Streets of LA is a game of contradictions. It’s a technical achievement marred by glitches, a narrative experiment undermined by weak writing, and an open-world experience that struggles to escape the shadow of Grand Theft Auto. Yet, for all its flaws, it remains a fascinating artifact of its time—a game that dared to ask what an open-world cop drama could look like.

Final Verdict: 7.5/10 – A flawed but ambitious classic that deserves recognition for its innovations, even if it never quite lived up to its potential.

For fans of open-world games and martial arts action, True Crime is worth revisiting, if only to appreciate its place in gaming history. It may not have dethroned GTA, but it carved out a niche all its own—and that’s no small feat.