True Crime: New York City

True Crime: New York Cityis a 2005action-adventurevideo game developed byLuxofluxforPlayStation 2.It was ported toGameCubeandXboxbyExakt Entertainment,toMicrosoft WindowsbyAspyr,and tomobilebyHands-On Mobile.It was published on all systems byActivision.The PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube versions were released in November 2005, the PC version in March 2006, and the mobile version in March 2007. It is the second and final entry in theTrue Crimefranchise, after the 2003True Crime: Streets of LA.

True Crime: New York City
Developer(s)	Luxoflux
Publisher(s)	Activision
Producer(s)	Brian Clarke
Designer(s)	Peter Morawiec
Programmer(s)	Cary Hara Matthew Whiting
Artist(s)	Joby Otero
Writer(s)	Peter Morawiec Duane Stinnett Arthur Usher
Composer(s)	Sean Murray
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2,Xbox,GameCube,Windows,Mobile
Release	November 16, 2005 PlayStation 2,Xbox&GameCube NA:November 16, 2005 EU:November 25, 2005 Windows NA:March 28, 2006 EU:March 30, 2006 Mobile NA:March 27, 2007 EU:2007
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

The game tells the story of Marcus Reed, a formerNew York Citygang memberturned police officer. On his first night on the job after receiving a promotion todetectivein the Organized Crime Unit, Reed witnesses the death of his mentor. Helped by anFBIagent who is investigating amolein the OCU, Reed sets about finding out who killed his friend and bringing down the mole. The game features a 25-square-mile (65 km²) recreation of theboroughofManhattan,with most street names, major landmarks and highways reproduced withGPSaccuracy.

New York Cityreceived mixed reviews from critics. Originally intended as the first of a two-part series set in New York and featuring Marcus Reed, Activision scrapped the direct sequel and put plans for futureTrue Crimegames on hold. In 2007, they hiredUnited Front Gamesto develop an open world game set inHong Kong.By 2009, this game had becomeTrue Crime: Hong Kong.However, in 2011, the game was canceled. The publishing rights were picked up bySquare Enixseveral months later, andTrue Crime: Hong Kongwas ultimately released asSleeping Dogs,which has no connection to theTrue Crimeseries. In 2014, Activision dropped theTrue Crimetrademark completely.

Gameplay

Basic gameplay in the PlayStation 2 version of the game. TheHUDshows themini-mapon the bottom left, Marcus' funds, rank andhealthon the bottom right, and his current fighting style on the top right.

True Crimeis anopen worldaction-adventure gameplayed from athird-person perspective,in which the player controls Detective Marcus Reed of thePDNY.There are four "major cases" in the game; the Magdalena Cartel, the Palermo Mob, the Presidents Club, and the Shadow Tong. When the game begins, only the Magdalena Cartel case is available for play, but once that case has been closed, the player is free to play the remaining three cases in any order they wish.

The game falls into the subgenre ofGrand Theft Autoclonesas the coregameplayandgame mechanicsare very similar to 2001'sGrand Theft Auto III,2002'sGrand Theft Auto: Vice City,and 2004'sGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas.The player can travel across the city freely, commandeer vehicles, do whatever they want in terms of attacking and/or killing innocent civilians, progress through the storyline at their own leisure, spending as much time traversing the city as they wish, and engage inminigamesandsidequests.The three main sidequests are astreet racingcircuit, an undergroundfight clubtournament, and securingconfidential informants.

A major difference from previous open world action-adventure video games, including the game's predecessor,True Crime: Streets of LA,is that many buildings throughout the city, beyond those related to the game's story, are accessible to the player. These includepharmacieswhere the player can purchase medicine,delisandhot dog standswhere they can purchase food, clothing stores where they can purchase new outfits, car dealers where they can purchase new cars,dojoswhere they can purchase new fighting techniques, record stores where they can purchase new songs for the game'ssoundtrack,gun stores where they can purchase new weaponry and ammunition, and other random buildings such as hotels, nightclubs, restaurants, and apartment buildings. In most business interiors, players canextortthe owner for extra cash orplant evidenceto make afalse arrest.

Another new addition to theTrue Crimefranchise is the ability for the player to traverse the city not just on foot or by car, but by usingpublic transport.TheNew York City Subwayis available for use, and the player can also hailyellow taxisat any time, requesting transport to any point on the map. Both modes of transportation require a minimal fee.

The main game involves three main types of mission, each with its own unique gameplay;shooting,fightinganddriving.

During shooting missions, the game auto-targets the closest opponent. If the player wishes to switch target to another opponent, they must do so manually. When the player is in shooting mode, they can enter "Precision Targeting" at any time. At this point, the game switches tofirst-person,zooms in on the target, and goes intoslow motionmomentarily. While in Precision Targeting, if the targeting reticule turns blue, the player can hit the enemy with a neutralizing, non-lethal shot. If the player fires when the reticule is red, the enemy will be killed instantly.Players can alsotake coverduring shootouts, firing from behind cover when the opportunity presents itself. Players are also free to pick up any weapons dropped by enemies. Once the ammo of these weapons is depleted, however, Reed will drop the weapon and revert to his standard issue.38 ACPhandgun,which, although it does need to be reloaded, never runs out of ammo.

In hand-to-hand combat, the player has three main attacks; light attack, heavy attack, and grapple. When the player grapples an opponent, they are free to throw them, or hit them with a number of light and/or heavy attacks. At certain points during combat, the enemy will be stunned, and a meter will appear on-screen prompting the player to press either the heavy attack or light attack button as much as possible within a set time. The more times the player presses the button, the more devastating the resulting special attack.The player can also toggle between different fighting styles, and switch to using a melee weapon at any time.

The map of Manhattan in the PC version of the game. Note the various different precincts (the larger map on the right shows that every precinct is clean, indicated by its green color). Symbols on the map include a red square for a random crime, an orange square for a side-mission, yellow circles for police depos and white circles for shops.

Driving missions can involve either trying to catch another car, or escape from another car. At all times, when the player is in a car, their car's condition is shown on screen. If the car's health meter empties, the car is close to destruction.As withStreets of LA,during normal driving missions, the player can solve random crimes given by theradio dispatcher,although, unlike in the first game, these crimes can now take place inside buildings as well as on the streets. Additionally, the map is divided up into twenty differentneighborhoods.When Reed solves a random crime in a particular area, the crime rate in that area drops. After he has solved a set number of crimes in one area, that area is considered "clean," and crime rates will not increase (although random crimes will still occur within the area). If Reed continues to ignore random crimes in a given area before it is clean, the crime rate in that area will increase, leading to stores closing, dirtier streets, boarded up buildings, more aggressive civilians, and resulting in more random crimes needed to clean the area up.

UnlikeStreets of LA,where the player could purchase upgrades at the costs of reward points and upon completion of a challenge, upgrades inNew York Citysimply cost money, with no points system and no challenge in place.Upgrades become available for purchase as the player moves up through five grades of promotion.Money in the game can be earned legitimately by collecting wages, or illegitimately by selling evidence atpawn shopsand/or extorting business owners.

The player also has a "Good Cop/Bad Cop" meter. If the player arrests criminals, solves crimes, shoots opponents with neutralizing shots, and knocks out rather than kills opponents, they will get Good Cop points. If, however, they kill civilians, kill unarmed criminals, shoot armed criminals in the head, fail to identify themselves as a police officer before opening fire, extort businesses, or sell evidence to pawn stores, they will get Bad Cop points. The player's status as a Good Cop or a Bad Cop will affect the game's ending. If the player performs actions that lead to Bad Cop points, it will also fill a rogue meter and when it gets too high, the player is considered to have "gone rogue," and other police officers will begin to attack Reed.

Plot

"New York City.Manhattan Island.Twenty-five square miles of crowds, concrete, and crimes so cold, they'd whither the soul and freeze the blood. Millions exist here. Walking streets that may swallow them whole and spit out their bones. When you've been locked away for the better part of fifteen years, you've got no choice but to rely on those closest to you to watch out for your interests outside. In my absence, my son was given the keys to my kingdom, placing his trust in those who claimed my allegiance. As it turned out, it was a decision both of us would turn out to regret. And on the streets of New York City, regrets are measured in bullets. "

— Isaiah "The King" Reed; opening narration

OnChristmas2000,gangsterMarcus Reed (voiced by Avery Waddell), the leader of anorganized crimeempire run by his imprisoned father, Isaiah "The King" Reed (Laurence Fishburne), arrives at the safehouse of a former associate who called an attemptedhiton the Reed family and exacts his revenge by killing the traitors in a firefight.PDNYdetective Terry Higgins (Mickey Rourke), Reed'sgodfatherand a close friend of Isaiah, arrives at the scene and offers to cover up the killings on the condition that Reed gets his life together.

Five years later, Reed has reformed and is now a PDNYbeat copunder the command of Lt. Deena Dixon (Mariska Hargitay). Reed's application to join the Organized Crime Unit, led by Chief Victor Navarro (Esai Morales), is accepted, and he is partnered with Higgins. On Reed's first shift as an OCU detective, Higgins travels to a nondescript meeting at a warehouse, but it explodes shortly after he enters, killing him. Navarro returns Reed to Dixon's command in the Street Crimes Unit, and she allows him to keep working as aplainclothesdetective, but orders him not to investigate Higgins' death, as Navarro wants the investigation to remain internal to OCU. Reed is soon contacted byFBISpecial Agent Gabriel Whitting (Christopher Walken), who informs him there is amolein the OCU; Whitting believes Higgins was killed because he knew who the mole was, and states Higgins told Whitting to bring Reed into the investigation should anything happen to him. All Whitting knows about the mole is that they are in contact with four major crime organizations in Manhattan.

Reed's first investigation is the MagdalenaCartel,believed to be responsible for 75% of New York'scocainetrade. Higgins had made contact withsocialiteandphilanthropistTeresa Castillo (Socorro Santiago), who he believed may be able to help him get inside the cartel. She gives Reed information leading him to the Magdalenasafe house,where he chases down their leader, Rey (Paolo Andino). However, Rey is revealed to be the head of the Latin Lords, the main rival of the Magdalena Cartel; the Cartel was using Reed to take out their competition. Reed discovers Teresa's real name is Magdalena Rojas, the true cartel leader. He arrests her, but she tells him she only knows that the mole is a higher-up in the OCU.

Next, Reed goes after the PalermoMob,aNew York City mafia family.When the lastdonwas imprisoned in 1995, the mob went into decline, but they have recently begun to organize; Whitting believes a new don has emerged, but he does not know who. After taking down the mob's lucrativeorgan traffickingoperation and interrogating the don's right-hand man Alfie, Reed is led to the family's don, Vincent Tuzzi (Fred Berman), who states he only ever spoke to the OCU mole over the phone, and notes that the mole has a Spanish accent.

Reed then investigates the Presidents Club, anAfrican-American street gangrun by five men usingpseudonymsofformer U.S. Presidents—Lincoln(Phil Morris),Hamilton(Richard Yearwood),Jackson(unvoiced) andGrant(Greg Eagles), led byBenjamin(Cornell Womack), who takes ironic pride in the fact that his namesake was never President—who control the supply of "Pop", a combination of cocaine andecstasy.Whitting sends Reed to adrug deninHarlemrun by Lincoln, who leads Reed to Hamilton, who tells him they are at war with theYakuzaand that Jackson is attempting to kill Kobi (Jeanne Mori), the Yakuza leader in New York City. After Reed saves Kobi from adrive-by shootingand kills Jackson, Kobi reveals Benjamin's real name is Lionel Jones, a famedrapperandmusic producer.Reed heads to Jones' factory in time to see Kobi's men killed by Grant, who leads Reed to Jones' building. Reed fights through Jones' men to hiszen gardenon the roof, but he is too late to stop Jones from killing Kobi. Reed interrogates Jones, who states he only knows that the OCU mole calls himself "El Jefe".

Reed goes after the Shadow Tong, aTriadoutfit run by Leeland Shen (Jerry Ying). Whitting has only one way for Reed to make contact with Leeland; his step-sister Vivian (Jennifer Chu) recently ran away, and Shen has been unable to find her. Whitting tells Reed where she is, and Reed returns her to Leeland, pretending he wants to cut a deal for Isaiah to distribute Leeland's merchandise in Harlem; Leeland puts Reed in contact with Lin (James Hong), who handles local distribution. However, Leeland discovers Reed is an undercover cop and orders Lin to kill him. Reed survives and, based on the information Lin has given him, he raids a docked Chinese ship the Triads use for theirhuman traffickingoperation. After he takes down and interrogates the ship's captain, Reed returns to Leeland's headquarters, where Leeland explains he does not know the mole's identity, but informs him of abribescheduled to be picked up soon from a locker atGrand Central Station.

Based on the information provided from the gangs, Reed suspects the mole is Navarro. Reed and Whitting get asearch warrantfor the locker and find the bribe money. They confront Navarro at Grand Central Station, who claims he has been set up. The ending depends on the player's score as a "Good Cop" or "Bad Cop".

In the good ending, Whitting arrests Navarro, and Reed closes the case and heads home. However, in the subway he is approached by an alive and well Higgins, revealed to be the true mole: Higgins knew Whitting was getting close to him, so he faked his own death and set up Navarro to take the fall. Higgins asks Reed to join him, offering him a bribe and threatening to expose his role in the Christmas 2000 massacre, but Reed refuses. He pursues Higgins through a subway train and eventually kills him by causing it to crash. Reed meets with Dixon and Whitting, who promises to pull some strings to get Isaiah a hearing with theDA.

In the bad ending, Navarro kills Whitting when he tries to arrest him; Reed pursues him onto the subway train and kills him in a fistfight. As Reed heads home, he is approached by Higgins, but is unsurprised, having realized he had faked his own death, and kills Higgins after refusing to go with him. Reed prepares to leave on the next subway train, but he stops himself and sits alone in the subway station, contemplating what to do with Higgins' money.

Development

The game was first announced on July 21, 2004, whenActivisionCEO Ron Doornink announced plans for "sequels toTrue Crime,Call of Duty,Spider-Man,Tony Hawk,Shrek,andQuake."However, nothing more was heard about the game for almost a year, until May 2005, when Activision revealed that the game was so big, developersLuxofluxhad drafted in staff from another Activision owned developer,Z-Axis.The game, under the provisional titleTrue Crime 2,was unofficially scheduled for a third quarter release, and was expected to be unveiled at the upcomingE3event.Doornink stated "In the third quarter, we plan to release our strongest and most diverse lineup ever--specifically, brand-new games forTony Hawk,Call of Duty,X-Men,True Crime,Quake,andShrek.Each of these franchises is targeted at a different consumer. "

Promotion atE3in May 2005

On May 18, Activision debuted a trailer for the game. The trailer revealed nothing about the plot or the location, but simply featured Marcus Reed arresting some criminals. Attached to the trailer was a competition called "True Crime:Guess the City and Win Marcus' Ride. "Players were encouraged to go to the game's official website and guess in which city they think the game is set. The competition's winner would win aChrysler 300,Reed's car when the game begins.At the E3 event, Activision dedicated a large part of their booth to the upcoming game, but no footage was made available, nor was any plot information, or even a title, with the game now going byTrue Crime 2005.The Chrysler available in the competition was present, as wereDJsplaying songs which would be featured in the game. All that was confirmed at E3 was that the game would definitely be released oncurrent generation systems.

On June 22, 2005,True Crime's official website revealed the game would take place in New York City, with an image of the Manhattan skyline appearing as the site's wallpaper.In August,IGNpublished an interview with former NYPD detectiveBill Clark,who had previously served as executive producer and technical advisor ofNYPD Blue,and was now working as head technical advisor forTrue Crime: New York City.Clarke has been with the NYPD for twenty-five years, seventeen in homicide. During his time on the force, he was involved in such major cases as theSon of Saminvestigation, and the collapse of several of the "Five Families".Of his involvement with the game, Clarke stated:

Activision approached me because it set out to create a really deep cop game in New York City and felt I could provide insight into what it is really like to be on the front lines and do police work in the city. They felt the more they knew about the realities and details of the job, the better game experience they could make. Specifically, they wanted to know everything -- howinterrogationswork, how we useinformants,what type of weaponry is available to officers, how we train, theranking system,how you become adetective,howprecinctswork, what members of theStreet Crimes Unitdo, how murder investigations work, what the badge looks like, how crime tracking stats work, how officers talk, the most dangerous parts of New York, the types of crimes I encountered, some of the stranger situations I've encountered, the humorous stuff that happens on the job, whatundercovercops wear, the dangers of undercover and more. I also looked at the game itself for authenticity -- to give them advice on how to make NYC look and feel real. I also reviewed the script to give them tips -- having helped create an authentic cop drama, I was able to help them translate the realities into an entertaining game experience.

In his efforts to help Activision make the best game they could, Clarke found a compromise had to be reached between reality and the nature of videogaming:

Working on an entertainment vehicle, and specifically working on a videogame where it is all action all the time, you have to find a way to make the reality of police work fun within the context of the game. For instance, in real life, an interrogation may take five to ten hours to get a toughperpto "flip" and tell you what really happened. Obviously, that doesn't always make a good gaming experience. I tried to lend my expertise to describe all the major events and key interactions that take place in "real life" police work and then Activision finds a fun way to integrate this police work into the game. You'll find interrogations,citations,arrests, use of informants, undercover work, pursuits, and more in the game. We also talked about some of the more dubious behaviors that have taken place in police work -- cops going bad and takingbribes,extorting,going rotten -- these types of events are also in the game.

"WithTrue Crime: New York City,we wanted to remove it from the more juvenile humor that we had inTrue Crime: Streets of LA.We don't have dragons anymore. We wanted to give the audience more of a mature flavored game. We really wanted it to be like watching a crime drama on TV;The Shield,CSI,The Wire,good story, good feel, more serious tone. "

— Jim Hess; Producer, Activision

A work-in-progress build of the game was first shown on September 7. Activision revealed the basic plot and announced the branching storyline system fromStreets of LAwas not being used. Instead, when the player fails a mission, they would simply be given the option to replay it, meaning story content wouldn't be missed. They also announced several features new to the game, including a continuous day/night cycle, a more populated city thanLos AngelesinStreets of LA,a much darker palette than the first game, more cars and vehicles, the ability to travel by taxi or subway, and the ability to enter buildings beyond those related to plot.They also explained the precinct component of the game; if the player ignores random crimes in particular areas, shops will begin to close down, the city streets will become dirtier and buildings will be boarded up. It was also revealed the playing area would be 25 square miles (65 km²).

Laurence Fishburne(left) andMickey Rourke(right) play Marcus Reed's father and godfather, respectively.

The following week, the mainvoice castwas announced, includingLaurence Fishburne,Mickey Rourke,Christopher Walken,Mariska Hargitay,Esai Morales,andTraci Lords.Marcus Reed would be voiced byAvery Waddell.Details of the soundtrack were released a week later. The soundtrack's headliner wasRedman,who was recording an original song for the game, and would also be an unlocakble character with his own minigame, much asSnoop Dogghad inStreets of LA.Tim Riley, worldwide executive of music at Activision, stated "As anEast Coast artistwho paid his dues performing in the clubs of New York City, Redman's inspired rhymes bring the gritty realism of the city to life in our game. His bold lyrics and hard-edgedfunkbeats capture the vibes of the city, fromWashington HeightstoHarlemand all the way down toBattery Park."Activision also announced that although the game had only one original song, it would feature over eighty licensed tracks from artists such asJay Z,Fat Joe,A Tribe Called Quest,The Ramones,The Velvet Underground,My Chemical Romance,The Bravery,andBob Dylan.

As part of the video game's launch,PUMAannounced a uniquesneakermission within the game, and the production of a special edition sneaker. In the game, if players find all of the True Crime RS-100 sneakers throughout the city and return them to real New York City retailers featured in the game, the player unlocks an exclusive PUMA outfit for Reed. In addition, players could purchase the limited-edition True Crime RS-100 sneakers within the same New York City stores in the real world.

NYPD controversy

On September 26, 2005,NYPD CommissionerRaymond KellyandPatrolmen's Benevolent AssociationPresidentPatrick Lynchcalled for aboycottof the game, citing its depiction of law-breaking police officers as damaging and offensive. In an interview with theNew York Daily News,Kelly stated "It's an outrage. I think it disrespects all police officers." Although the game was made in conjunction with two former NYPD detectives, Bill Clarke and Tom Walker (author ofFort Apache: The Bronx), and the police force in the game is called the PDNY (as opposed to the real life NYPD), Kelly stated "It's totally inappropriate. It's a tough job, a dangerous job, and this undermines what police officers try to do. I'm saddened that some former members of the department are linked to that video game." Lynch said of Clarke, "The cop who worked on this video should look in the mirror. He makes it harder for everyone working the job." Clarke responded by commenting that police unions "should stop worrying about video games and spend more time getting cops more than a $25,000 starting salary."

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
	GC	PC	PS2	Xbox
Metacritic	59/100	54/100	60/100	60/100

Review scores

Publication	Score
	GC	PC	PS2	Xbox
Eurogamer			6/10
GameSpot	4.6/10	5.2/10	4.6/10	4.3/10
GameSpy
IGN	7.8/10	6.5/10	7.8/10	7.8/10
Nintendo Power	4/5
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine(US)				6.5/10
PC Gamer(US)		62%

True Crime: New York Cityreceived "mixed or average reviews" across all systems; the PlayStation 2 version holds an aggregate score of 60 out of 100 onMetacritic,based on forty-seven reviews;the Xbox version 60 out of 100, based on forty-three reviews,the GameCube version 59 out of 100, based on twenty-five reviews;and the PC version 54 out of 100, based on twelve reviews.

IGN's Chris Roper scored the console versions 7.8 out of 10, praising "how well your general duties as a cop are tied into the game, working very well alongside your own personal investigations," and finding thegameplayandgame mechanicssuperior toStreets of LA.His main criticism was "it doesn't really take any risks [...] it doesn't feel like it's an altogether new gaming experience." However, he wrote "True Crime's strengths lie in the solid ways that everything is put together. "He concluded" it's a solid title through and through, but you won't find a whole lot ofwater coolermoments in there [...] If you're tired of the wholeGTAthing and want more substance, this may not be the game for you. For everyone else though,TC: NYCis definitely worth checking out. "He scored the PC version 6.5 out of 10, and was critical ofAspyr's work on the port; "it seems the company did little more than get the game up and running on the PC and didn't bother to fine-tune a few of the controls for the system." He was highly critical of thegraphics;"Pop-upis a major problem [...]LODon characters is also pretty screwy, with entirely mis-matched low-res models filling in for some characters [...]shadowsand such pop in and out of view, camera movement duringcutsceneswould cut at odd times or display the wrong angle for a split second, etc. etc. It simply feels unpolished. "

Eurogamer'sJim Rossignolscored the PlayStation 2 version 6 out of 10, writing "True Crimetrips over its own inflatedNikeswith just a few too many moments of lamentable emptiness. "He was critical of theAI;"The perps you take down never suggest that they are anything other than mindlessautomataready to be slain, and exhibit an artificiality that could never be described as 'intelligence'. "He also compared the game unfavorably toGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas;"while artistically more accomplished,New York Citylacks the personality of the big daddy. And there is little in the way of humour. "

GameSpy's Sterling McGarvey scored the PlayStation 2 version 2.5 out of 5, writing Luxoflux have "turned a slightly above-parGTAclone into a sub-par franchise. "He was critical of the recreation of New York;"textureslook rather drab and plain, and the draw distance looks blurry and uninteresting [...] it really feels as though the development team failed to capture one of New York's most distinctive traits: the raw humanity of it all. "Of the graphics, he wrote," theframe ratehas a knack for chugging. Considering it's a console and not a five year-old PC running this game, it's unacceptable. Out of nowhere, the frame rate will completely bottom out while Marcus patrols the streets. "He concluded by criticizing the game for being unfinished, arguing anyone who buys it will" have dropped their hard-earned money to beta test a truly unfinished game. "

GameSpot's Greg Mueller was extremely unimpressed, scoring the GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions 4.6 out of 10,and the Xbox version 4.3 out of 10.He accused the game of being "so riddled with problems that it feels like it was rushed to make it to store shelves in time for the holidays." He cited "bugsthat will make you randomly fall through the ground into a bunch of nothingness, bugs that make textures change when you get in and out of a car, bugs that cause you to inadvertently break a scripted sequence, thus making it impossible to complete a mission. There are alsocollision detectionissues andedge detectionproblems that cause you to get stuck on the edge of a platform. That's not all--the game will actually freeze up entirely from time to time [...] There are also some pretty uglyclippingissues here too. "He concluded"True Crime: New York Cityshould be avoided regardless of whether or not you enjoyed the firstTrue Crime.The gameplay has a few almost-decent spots, but the technical problems far outweigh any faint hope this game ever had of being enjoyable. If you're curious about what a video game looks like before it goes through adequate testing and quality assurance, then by all means give this one a try. "He scored the PC version 5.2 out of 10, writing, "while it manages to address some of the more egregious glitches that appeared in the console versions of the game, it still doesn't feel like a finished product."

Sales and awards

True Crime: New York Citydid not sell well, falling considerably short of Activision's expectations.In North America,True Crime: Streets of LAsold over 300,000 units across all platforms in its first week. By the end of its first month, it had sold over 600,000 units.Ultimately, it went on to sell over 3 million units worldwide across all platforms.By contrast,New York Citysold only 72,000 units in its first two weeks, earning only $3.6 million.

At the 2005Spike Video Game Awards,True Crimewas nominated for four awards; "Cyber Vixen of the Year" (Traci Lordsas Cassandra Hartz), "Best Supporting Male Performance" (Christopher Walkenas Gabrial Whitting), and two "Best Supporting Female" nominations (Traci Lords as Cassandra Hartz andMariska Hargitayas Deena Dixon). It won "Best Supporting Male Performance" and Lords won "Best Supporting Female Performance." Cyber Vixen of the Year was won byMaria Menounosas Eva inJames Bond 007: From Russia with Love.

Cancelled sequels

True Crime: New York Citywas originally intended to have been the first part of a two-part series set in New York and featuring Marcus Reed,but the second part was never made.

Due to the game's commercial failure, Activision dropped plans for any futureTrue Crimegames. However, towards the end of 2007, they approachedUnited Front Gamesto develop an open world game fornext generation consolesset inHong Kong,and unrelated to theTrue Crimeseries.Originally calledBlack Lotus,the game went into production in early 2008.A year into development, Activision proposed thatBlack Lotusbe incorporated into theTrue Crimefranchise, due to the similarities in their designs and plots; all three games were set in open worlds with narratives centered on an undercover cop in a criminal organization. Activision hoped the new ideas brought to the table by United Front could help revitalize theTrue Crimefranchise. At the 2009Spike Video Game Awards,Activision debuted the game asTrue Crime: Hong Kong.Although originally slated for a Fall 2010 release, in May 2010, Activision announced the game had been pushed back to early 2011 "in order to give the development team more time to deliver the high-quality entertainment experience they envision for the game."

In February 2011, however, Activision cancelledTrue Crime: Hong Kong,claiming that due to "quality issues," further investment would not make the game competitive in the open world genre.United Front executive producer Stephen Van Der Mescht expressed disappointment with Activision's decision, stating the game was "playable from start to finish and virtually complete in terms of content."In June, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg explained that an escalating budget and development delays were the main contributing factors in the game's cancellation. Hirshberg stated that the increase in budget and subsequent delays meant the game would have to be "a pretty incredible success in order to be worth the investment that it was taking to get it done." Due to competition posed by other titles, particularlyGrand Theft AutoandRed Dead Redemption,and the fact that the previous game in theTrue Crimeseries had been a critical and commercial failure, Activision's view was that the game would not be able to compete.

However, in August,Square Enixacquired the publishing rights to the game, although they did not buy the rights to theTrue Crimefranchise, which were retained by Activision.Ultimately, the game was renamedSleeping Dogsand released in August 2012. In December 2014, Activision abandoned theTrue Crimetrademark completely.

External links

• True Crime: New York CityatMobyGames