“That sounds like the kind of hard-living flat foot who gets the job done by cutting corners and bucking authority.” —Jake Bullet, Cybernautic Detective
Though he himself does not appear in the realistic/Hollywood world of True Crime™: Streets of L.A.™, Detective Bullet might well have been describing Nick Kang. Kang—the vengeful hero you’ll control through nearly 200 story-based and random missions in this expansive, open-ended new action title—is a tough-as-nails supercop like the type Jackie Chan has often portrayed in Hong Kong action movies (only without the cuddliness). But, Kang’s got good reason to be a cop on the edge, as Christopher Walken’s mellifluous tones will tell you the first time you pop True Crime: Streets of L.A. into your Xbox.
This cop doesn’t go for company cars.
I See By Your Outfit That You Are a Tough Guy Walken portrays George, a cop that once worked with Nick Kang’s father. Kang’s dad was also a cop, as it turns out, and as the game opens, we learn that Big Daddy Kang’s murder is still unsolved—though Nick has a few ideas as to who was responsible. But, right now, Chinese triads and Russian mobs have been setting up shop all over his city, and Kang’s got a job to do. How much you want to bet the organized crime bosses opposing Kang’s one-man war on crime were involved?
No one gets between Kang and a bratwurst.
We Loved the Supercop, Though He’d Done Wrong Fortunately, Nick Kang’s in the perfect position to investigate. Though he was drummed out of the LAPD, he moved on to the Elite Operations Department (EOD). The EOD (which doesn’t really exist, I think) is a quasi-legal, unofficial arm of the Los Angeles police—think of it as a local CIA—tasked with stopping the spread of organized crime, and Kang is the baddest cop in the EOD. Plus, since he’s an “unofficial” law officer, he’s free to pursue the job any way he sees fit. Along the way, he can improve his skills in the three arenas of combat—driving, hand-to-hand, and firearms—through story-driven training areas. Improving his martial arts skills, for example, means he must train in the right school. Lucky for him, his brother owns several dojos. Still, he can’t buy his way to improved hand-to-hand skills; he has to earn ‘em by defeating the sensei of that school. Eventually, he’ll take on his own unique personae, based on what you have him do, much like any RPG character.
That’s just one element that enhances the compulsive replayability Luxoflux has built into the game. With over 100 story missions as well as nearly 100 random objective missions, you’ll never play the same game twice. Multiple endings were built into the story, all resulting directly from how you play Nick. General behavior affects the story, of course—especially if Nick starts to become that kind of L.A. cop. Operating outside the law doesn’t mean you can slaughter innocents with complete abandon. Even L.A. has some standards.
Revenge is a dish best served promptly.
Once in the Saddle I Used to Go Driving The impact Nick’s actions have, for good or ill, on the game’s story line shouldn’t be underestimated—especially when you’re first getting the hang of things. I’ll admit my own Nick Kang tended to speak with the barrel of a gun and mow down civilians like they were bowling pins … until I got into the swing of things.
If you’re looking for the safe, linear confines of, say,Dead to Rights, look elsewhere. Simply put, few if any objectives have a right or wrong way to resolve them, but many will directly or indirectly affect other missions. Some crooks might buy their lives with a crucial tip. But, if you let one go, you might well see him again when the tables are turned. Yet indiscriminate slaughter of criminals, though technically legal for Nick Kang, could cause you to miss vital clues and information. Still, odds are you can dispatch most garden-variety thugs as you see fit. But, watch yourself around the bigger players. Taking a major crime lord out too soon might be even worse.
That said, you can’t really fail the game, no matter how good or evil you are. Even bad guys take revenge, and that’s Kang’s ultimate goal. Will he get there? That’s up to you and lady luck.
