Introduction:Luxoflux is back with the True Crime series and this time they have left the warm streets of Los Angeles for the cold harsh pavement of New York City. True Crime: New York City similar Grand Theft Auto is already surrounded by controversy because of its depiction of crime, drugs and violence. With the "M" rating clearly exposed I venture into the world of True Crime.

The Game: The first Luxoflux True Crime title, Streets of Los Angeles came out with a lot of mixed reviews, and gamers adamantly passed it off as a Grand Theft Auto clone. Although, similar in gaming style True Crime had totally different stories backing them up, and it's understandable that New York City might face the same prejudice. I never looked at True Crime as a clone and I believe that True Crime: NYC (TC:NYC) will exposes them as two very different entities. The staff here at Extreme Gamer loved Streets of L.A. and it managed to win our most innovative, and mojo most award for 2003. Needless to say New York City has been an anticipated release, and this time around are expectations are higher.

A Family Affair
Immediately True Crime starts you off with a bloody thirsty massacre that establishes our lead character Marcus Reed and his father Isaiah. It doesn't take long before you piece it together Isaiah was a drug lord, now behind bars, and his son was avenging the price on their heads. Marcus grows up and becomes a man of the law, pushed through the beat by the family's long time friend, Terrence Higgins. It doesn't take long for the drama to start and for Marcus to be involved in some major trouble. We've all seen this before in various movies, but its fun to run through this stereotypical adventure. There are four majors cases to deal with in the world of gangs, crooked cops and everyday perps. True Crime has always been about more then the main quest, and besides the main juice there is much more to do.

Crime on the rise
Like the original True Crime random crimes are always happening around and it gives the game an extra longevity. I would normally take my time between story sequences and have just had fun dealing with the loonies that have gone nuts in New York. These experiences rage gang fights and domestic disputes, to street racers and hold ups. You can also join an illegal Fight Club, or Street racing gang which takes a different approach then the other random crimes, as they are broken up into different stages. Each different scenario helps break up the monotony, and makes the world feel less generated. Although even with this all that True Crime has on the streets it understandably still gets a little stale over time, but then you know its time to break into the main game.

Interrogations
A new addition to True Crime: NYC is the interrogating that pressures perps into giving up valuable information. I think someone at Luxoflux was into THQ's The Punisher from earlier this year. It's basically the same idea as The Punisher, and who wouldn't use that idea, it was a great concept and works well in the True Crime universe. TC: NYC is also a larger game concerning content, options and size. The scale of New York is huge and they have kept the same amount of detail in the city as they did in Los Angeles . If you've never been to The Big Apple, here is your chance, and yes the driving is that crazy. Although it helps if you can do the Marcus side wheelie.

Close Combat
If you're a fan of the old game then you know they had a bunch of different combat systems on the go and it could get confusing. Well, it still can get confusing going from Kung Fu combos, to precision shooting, to high speed pursuits, but NYC seems to handle the action better. I was far less confused, and the systems have been overhauled to meet this generalized complaint. This is a game that you need to spend some time with which kicks up the learning curve a bit, but like all games once you know it you will be rolling. The beginning tutorial is really well developed and will help new players easy into the complexity of True Crime.

Roam Free Fuzz
One aspect in True Crime which is always interesting is the freedom to be on the good or bad side of the law. They opened up more options this time around like planting evidence, or selling illegal substances instead of reporting them, so you can get on the dirty side of the law and make some extra cash while raising hell. If you're good, and want to play by the rules you can become a higher ranking officer to earn larger paychecks and unlock new skills. Middle of the road how I usually approached True Crime, having some fun but not become a menace. The ranking points they have in the game is a nice touch, but in the end it really it feels a little artificial because of its lack of effect on the game as a whole.

Expectations
True Crime New York City had a huge expectation coming from our camp, and for the most part the game has improved and made it easier to deal with all its features, but it still feels like something is missing. Streets of L.A. overall was more fun then New York City, it could be that the story is too dark, or that we've been down this road before. Whatever step has caused Luxoflux to miss the beat, I hope they get it back.

Graphics & Sound: True Crime graphically isn't the best looking game, but it holds up its end of providing an overall good showing with a game of its scale. Obviously like competitor Grand Theft Auto a few aspects have to be toned down and this is where True Crime hits a few snags. One area of complaint is that they used the same character models too often. There definitely wasn't enough variety in the pedestrians, or the amount of vehicles, I know Ford must be loving it because everyone has a Crown Vic. The city of New York is visually darker then Los Angeles and less impressive overall. I actually think the textures are a little dull compared to LA, and the environments don't seem to have the same flair. Graphically, beside Marcus, True Crime New York City could use a new coat of paint and some new peds as painters.

Even with the drab graphics TC: NYC shines is the audio department because of the rich Soundtrack, and excellent voice work. Yes, True Crime brings in the stars of Hollywood , but the characters work because they are for the most part believable. It's cliché plot with the typical players, but what do you expect? The celebrities Laurence Fishburne, Mickey Rourke, Christopher Walken and Tracy Lords do a good job delivering their lines and just a friendly reminder, this is a Mature game and the "F" bomb will be dropped like its going out of style. The soundtrack is also a highlight in True Crime and it pumps. The customizable song selection lets you get exactly what you want from your radio with a large list of artists covering genres from Funk, and Hip Hop to Rock and Metal. True Crime needs to re-tooled, or given more time if that's the scenario. This game sounds the part, now it just needs the visuals.

Mojo: True Crime had the mojo back in 2003, and New York brings it once again. Although this time around TC: NYC doesn't have the same overall blistering impression. Even mojo lacking True Crime still has moments of cool, and it is always going to be fun to run around the city being a maniac. Besides terrorizing the city the main pudding had some appeal. It is nothing new, but I dug its brutal and gritty presence for the most part. New York unfortunately isn't going to steal the mojo award this year, but it still has some sweet moments.

Lowdown:True Crime New York is refined from Streets of L.A. and this time around you might have an easier time getting into the action. Although, I didn't have the same passion for this second outing by Luxoflux, I admit New York is a great location for this "fictional" story. No doubt True Crime is mature title, and this story has some grit. True Crime: New York City is worth the investment of your time, I recommend starting with a rental and maybe it will hustle you down, and make you love it.

Game: 7, Graphics/Sound: 6.5, Innovation: 7, Mojo: 7. Final: 7 / 10