Most police games to this point have been incredibly static: officers who hit the streets on a mission to clean up the streets from rampant lawlessness, or detectives seeking revenge against criminals who’ve personally wronged them. Trapped on a linear path, players don’t really affect the fate of their characters, they simply direct them through each situation, reacting to threats and progressing along a stable plotline. Well, True Crime actually allows players to change the destiny of their character, providing a more open-ended sense of play in a crime-ridden Los Angeles. Players assume the role of Nick Kang, a second generation police officer of the L.A.P.D. Nick has followed in the footsteps of his father, a highly decorated detective gunned down in the line of duty. Suspended for using questionable methods, Nick is quickly invited to join the Elite Operations Division, or E.O.D. A special squad in the L.A.P.D. tasked with eliminating gangs and other lawbreakers, E.O.D. detectives achieve their goals using any means necessary. This includes the use of deadly or unnecessary force as Nick sees fit to deal with any situation he gets himself into. Immediately, this may seem like a stereotypical plot from any number of movies or games, but True Crime hosts a number of unique features that completely distinguishes it from other titles. The first one is the acquisition of new skills and abilities through training at various schools. Unlike games that either dole skills out over a number of levels or feature obscenely powerful heroes, Nick starts out with only a few abilities at the start of the game, such as driving a car and firing a gun, but to augment his talents, he’ll have to train at dojos, firing ranges or driving schools. Doing so will teach him how to break arms, fire two guns at different targets or drive on two wheels, amongst other skills. These will come in handy as Nick canvases the immense territory that True Crime features. 250 square miles of Los Angeles, its suburbs and surrounding areas have been meticulously captured and placed into the game as the backdrop for True Crime. While Nick drives at breakneck speed through the streets and freeways of L.A., he’ll often receive messages over the police band about different crimes being reported in the city. Nick can choose to respond or ignore these minor incidents as he wants, but accepting these tasks can have two separate effects on the game. The first is that successfully solving these events will provide Nick with the currency necessary to train at the various schools around the city. The other important facet is that it also affects the Karma system established within the game, allowing players to decide if they want to be a good cop or bad cop. The creative part about True Crime is that making this moral choice changes the plot and missions that Nick will go on later in the game, a la Choose Your Own Adventure. Highly detailed, with an amazing amount of depth depicting each square inch of L.A., the city completely comes alive. Pedestrians will quickly leap out of the way, screaming at you as you speed past them. Nick is slickly animated, running, jumpkicking and arresting punks with very fluid movements. The voice acting sounds rather solid, and the soundtrack alone should be worth checking out, featuring Snoop Dogg, Kam, Westside Connection and tons of other West Coast bands. Keep your eyes on this game as it prepares to arrest stores next month, and keep looking here for a full review! Questions or comments about the upcoming release of True Crime: Streets of L.A. for all next-generation consoles? Talk to us! [ E-Mail Jeff 'Linkphreak' Haynes ] [ Comment in our Forums ]

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