Video Game Review for August 2017 - by Ericca M.

True Crime: New York City 

I’ve always been into action games. There’s no better feeling than the rush of adrenaline you get from the sound of the sirens approaching, gun shots being fired in your direction and the screeching of tires as you head into on-coming traffic. Sounds like a hell of a day, but it’s just virtual reality.

The best way to describe True Crime: New York City, is to say that True Crime was Grand Theft Auto V before it was even thought of. True Crime New York City made it’s debut in November 2005. The game was released for the Gamecube, Playstation 2, and the Xbox. I was introduced to True Crime NYC by my older sister, who also introduced me to it’s predecessor, True Crime: Streets of LA a year before.

Now let’s get to the story. You play the character, Marcus Reed. Marcus is a former gang banger turned cop and the night he gets promoted to Detective in the Organized Crime Unit, he witnesses the murder of his mentor. Your objective is to find the people responsible for the murder and bring them to justice, by any means.

While the missions themselves were entertaining, the freeplay sessions were off the chain. Unlike GTA, you’re playing on the other side of the law so you have the ability to handcuff and arrest drug dealers and other criminals alike. On the flip side, you have to be careful not to fire your weapon at too many people otherwise, you start to be known as a dirty cop. After receiving so many negative points on your badge, you’ll be wanted by law enforcement.

I can’t forget to mention that the graphics were extremely advanced considering the fact that it was 2005. The cars glistened in the rain, the sun, and as well as under lamp posts. There were plenty of awesome cars at your disposal, all you had to do was flash your badge and civilians willingly gave up their vehicle to you. And the radio stations were up to date so you could jam to whatever your favorite song was at the time.

GTA fans, if you’re interested in playing this buried treasure, go out and pick up a Playstation 2 and treat yourself to the game that started it all. I promise you won’t regret it.