In the past two years, the release of new Grand Theft Auto titles has created in PS2 owners a new Pavlovian response to seeing the leaves change color. But since Rockstar is too busy remaking The Running Man this year, Activision has stepped up to with a potential lust-inducer. Thankfully, despite many superficial similarities, there's more to True Crime than GTA emulation. For where GTA was a grand crime simulation, here we have the opposite, a law enforcement model that tries to link your behavior to the game's outcome. It's not as polished as the competition, but True Crime: Streets of LA adds enough to smart, free-roaming gameplay that it's definitely worth a look. You're Nick Kang, the son of a famed LAPD officer, recruited to the elite EOD, which has jurisdiction over the entire city of LA. Over a six-act mission arc, you'll hunt mafia of every nationality in missions that require driving, running, shooting, and a bit of stealth. Each act is made up of at least a half-dozen missions, and your success or failure in each can change the telling of the story, with a couple of major points of divergence based on your performance. But there's not as much riding on a mission outcome as you might think, since there's always an option to replay a task.

Information Superhighway

Right off the bat, there's a lot of info to watch. Health and ammo are just the beginning. At bottom right is a shield with a couple of numerical readouts. Taking down criminals increases your point total, and every 100 points buys a shield, which can then be traded for lessons in driving, shooting, and martial arts. Those are essential upgrades, as you're kinda weak at the outset.

Also down there is what I like to call the Mark Fuhrman meter -- a Yin/Yang symbol that shows what side of the force you're fighting for. Bust innocents, shot perps in the head, and the meter ticks down into the red. Bust up street crime or disable a violent suspect with tolerance and it'll creep back up, flashing "Good Cop!" on the screen.

Traffic in LA is killer.
With all that detail onscreen, it should come as no surprise that TC relies on a dense control set, though like the HUD, most players will pick up the system quickly. L1 jacks a ride, or leaves one, while R1 fires and (when held down) pulls up precision firing. R2 acts as a cop action modifier, letting you flash your badge, fire a warning shot, or make an arrest. Get into combat, and there's even more to do. But as is so often the case, the Dual Shock 2 proves to be more than adequate for everything the game throws your way.

Fists of Fury

Gunplay is always an option in True Crime; this is serious stuff, and running blind into a fight will get you killed fast. Nick carries a pair of pistols, and can pick up weapons dropped by downed perps. Shoot from the hip, use the Max Payne-style bullet dodge, or enter precision mode for a zoomed slow-time view. But guns are often more than you need, and there's a surprisingly full-featured hand-to-hand option, with three basic attacks that can be strung into combos. There's even a host of special moves that can finish opponents.