Combine the gameplay elements of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City with the manic action of the Lethal Weapon movies, and you'll come out with something that looks a lot like True Crime: Streets of L.A. Players take on the role of Nick Kang, who is suspended from the police force for being a "loose cannon," but ends up being recruited for a special task force known as the E.O.D. (Elite Operations Division) where rules of conduct aren't as strict. From there, you jump right into a plot that involves various mafia groups and ancient mysticism, while at the same time rescuing your brother and uncovering the secret behind your father's mysterious disappearance.

Many people might not take very well to Nick's character, whose lone wolf attitude is backed by obnoxious behavior. Upon meeting his female partner for the first time, he treats her like his assistant and orders her out for some coffee. Much of Nick's dialogue follows this kind of rudeness. The one-liners he throws around during certain points in the game, like in shootouts, are ripped from movies. In truth, unless you enjoy that kind of personality, there is very little to connect the player with the main character.

The plot branches in different directions at key points and offers some alternate missions should the player fail one. However, players always have the option to retry failed missions. There is little difference between the alternate missions and the main ones, except that Kang looks battered and bruised in the alternate cutscenes. The plot falls apart midway through the game when supernatural forces become involved. There is a mission where Nick battles the undead, only to return to the streets and continue as though nothing out of the ordinary happened! Upon completing the final chapter, three endings become available. Snoop Dogg is available as a playable character bonus character with his own mode, for all those who complete all the necessary criteria.

Ultimately, different endings will depend on your performance and what kind of cop you've been. A counter keeps track of your karma, determining if you're a good cop or bad cop. Being good doesn't garner any immediate benefits, but being bad encourages people to riot and chase after you. It's actually very easy to be a good cop - all you need to do is keep the casualties at a minimum. The game has a very loose sense of morality. You can search passers by at random for contraband without any repercussions; in fact, this is a great way to increase your good karma, since points are given for busts. There are no problems with "commandeering" cars roaming the streets. However, it is a little unsettling that the only way to pull over a speeding car is to shoot at it until it is on the verge of exploding. You can break up conflicts by shooting assailants, as long as you shoot them in non-lethal areas. In the small collection of stealth missions, players have the option to perform a disabling move (good) or a killer move (bad). But, other that getting alternate endings, there is no incentive for being good or bad. In fact, every "bad" maneuver can be counteracted by a number of "good" deeds, making a small killing spree forgivable through a number of clean arrests.

Gameplay is broken down into three categories: driving, shooting, and hand-to-hand combat. The driving component is a lot of fun. 240 miles of L.A. has been mapped out and modeled. The scenery looks decent, with recognizable landmarks included. Oftentimes, it was fun to forget about the main plot for a while and hijack a car to cruise the streets. Random crimes help keep the game interesting and provide numerous opportunities to increase your karma. However, the driving control leaves something to be desired. The keyboard controls are very sensitive, and no combination of the keyboard-only or keyboard/mouse scheme seems to work correctly. It was nearly impossible to turn corners during high-speed chases, making casualties inevitable. Incidentally, there is no support for a gamepad to be used.

The shooting was fast paced, and players have a chance to enter a bullet-time effect. They will also be able to aim for either non-lethal shots or straightforward quick-kill shots to the head. Strangely, the game judges you badly if you perform a headshot, even though the enemy is firing fully automatic weapons at you. In addition, though the mouse control is already accurate, the auto-aiming makes actual skill almost unnecessary. Kung-fu fighting is also very easy through keyboard controls. Players need only memorize a number of easy key sequences to pull off special moves. It would have been nice if a moves list had been included since sequences can be easily forgotten. Environments have destructible furniture, and some hazards throw opponents into. All three game modes can be upgraded by successfully completing tasks in training areas. Skills such as faster reload times and wrestling moves can be added to Nick's repertoire of maneuvers. The lousy camera interferes with almost every aspect of this game. The developers, Luxoflux, did not put in very good freelook controls, so it is easy to be taken by surprise by oncoming assailants.

True Crime for PC boasts an extended soundtrack and multiplayer capabilities, which were not included in the original console release. The new music is comprised of old heavy metal songs that sound a little out of place in the predominately hip-hop soundtrack. The multiplayer mode is very nice, featuring a race to stop crime, racing cars across the city, and melee combat. However, four player competition over the Internet can be very sluggish. While the game resolution has been bumped up for the PC, there are definitely much better looking games out there. Perhaps the shining point of the game is Christopher Walken, who does an excellent job playing the narrator - an old cop who used to work with Nick's dad.

There are a lot points in the game that are fun, but just as many that are frustrating. Yet, this is sort of a cheap-thrills kind of game. Players looking for high action could do worse than True Crime.