Wield the ultimate power as a rogue street cop in True Crime™: New York City, the first in a two-part series of True Crime games set in New York. Assume the role of Marcus Reed, a former criminal turned cop, and use and abuse your authority to hunt down the murderer of Marcus' mentor while also cleaning up Manhattan neighborhoods from Harlem to Chinatown. Undercover investigations weave you through a murderous web of gangs and deceit as you battle crooks, Marcus' past, and everything else the city throws at you.

• Live the street cop life: As Marcus Reed, bust criminals; take down murderous gangs; extort, interrogate, search, and seize; and dispense justice however you choose, either by the book or by indulging in the temptations of the job.
• Rule New York City: Navigate an expertly recreated Manhattan complete with subways, interiors, internationally recognized landmarks, GPS-accurate streets, and real neighborhoods, from Hell's Kitchen to Times Square.
• Experience dynamic changes: Your "law enforcement" decisions affect Manhattan's neighborhoods dynamically: If you let crime go unchecked, the crime rate soars as the streets fill with trash, potholes, and unsavory characters while buildings and foliage deteriorate. Alternately, if you clamp down on crime in a neighborhood, not only do crime rates fall, but visual improvements also indicate your progress as well.
• Interact with the environment: Access almost everything in the environment that will help you defeat enemies, including stovetop burners, ovens, and industrial machinery. You can even lock a suspect in a freezer or use broken chair legs as clubs.
• Engage in high-speed shootouts: Race through the streets of Manhattan in shootouts, pulling off stunts on motorcycles or in a variety of vehicles such as customizable black market vehicles and police-issue cars.
• Employ brutal combat styles: As a street-smart cop, you can switch fighting styles—from street fighting to various types of martial arts—on the fly against opponents, opening up an array of moves and strategies designed to take down enemies.
• Take advantage of heavy weaponry: Earn an arsenal of high-powered police-issue weaponry or obtain black market arms like flamethrowers or grenade launchers, in addition to dozens of melee weapons such as bats and swords.