The threat-advisory activities don't do the main action any favors either. A nonsensical aiming-and-shooting mechanism makes for the most brow-furrowing moments in the game. With the shotgun at point-blank range, it takes numerous shots to kill a bad guy and with the AK-47, a single inaccurate shot turns enemies into a splatter of blood. Taking damage doesn't make much sense either. Anthony can withstand several shots from an automatic gun, but he gets killed immediately if he gets hit by a car. Then, when he dies, the game automatically loads again, and to add insult to injury, doesn't always load the most current save point.

As the game progresses, Anthony builds a misfit posse that consists of a vomiting boy, a Hispanic chainsaw-wielding gardener, a Paris-Hilton-like LA socialite, and a gruff one-armed military commander. While accruing a squad usually translates into more firepower, these guys seem to do little more than get in the way, at times disappearing with no explanation and then appearing again later.

Speaking of stereotypes, Bad Day LA can't seem to include enough. If the game actually made it onto the pop culture radar, then I'm sure special interest groups would be having a Grand Theft Auto-style heyday with all of unflattering ethical archetypes (and slurs) presented throughout. There's also plenty of crass humor, which could be entertaining, but an attempt to make it extra edgy and quirky simply backfires. Do we really need to hear a wanking noise when Anthony runs over a porno mag power-up? And, in moments when Anthony should be finding redemption as the game's hero, he still seems content to continue his decidedly unfunny "crude"sade.

In the meantime, McGee might have better luck with his big screen endeavors. Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer picked up the options for his Oz game (though that camp has been quiet for several years now). And, after a rocky history, Universal Studios will purportedly be releasing a film adaptation of his Alice game in 2007, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar.