Scot takes to the streets of L.A. in order to find out if this GTA and Driver hybrid has been worth waiting for.

Hang on; haven't we seen this before somewhere? Here we have an ex-cop, suspended from duty indefinitely for flying off the handle somewhat, only to be re-instated when something bigger than anyone else can handle appears. After introducing yourself to (and insulting) your partner, you head off for a bite to eat, only to find yourself in something deeper than you could have ever imagined.

Yes, it all sounds like it could be pulled directly from any number of action movies but this is what True Crime is setting itself up as. Nick Kang is your typical rough-as-sandpaper, do-what-he-feels hero and sets about doing things "his way," completely disregarding the rules in order to get the results he wants. Predictably, he's got some amusing lines, and despite coming across as an arrogant jerk, you'll end up warming to his rebellious charisma.

The game starts slowly, allowing the player to become accustomed with the controls before dropping them into anything too demanding. The control system can take a little getting used to since many people will undeniably be comparing the game with the GTA series. While there are definitely elements of the gameplay that do pull from Rockstar's award-winning franchise, the core of True Crime is something much different.

First of all, it's a lot more linear than the GTA series. A mission can't be unlocked before the one prior to it is completed so the sense of freedom is reduced somewhat. You are still able to cruise the streets and take on any random crime events that appear on your radar, but these are completely unnecessary and seemingly worthless. There's a variety of different crimes that can erupt around the city but most of them can be resolved by nudging the offenders with your car, knocking them unconscious, earning you brownie points for taking them down in a non-lethal manner.

The advantage of taking down enemies in this manner is that you will earn points on your good-cop status meter. For every action you take in the city, the game will award points depending on the manner of your decision. For instance, if you approach a street fight, show your badge to warn them, take them down with a few well-placed blows and then arrest them, you'll earn good cop status. Simply walking up to them and placing bullets between their eyes will see you earn bad cop status.

It's a nice touch and forces you to think about your actions before you make them, encouraging you to side with the law in order to be rewarded with the "good" storyline as it branches out in the latter half of the game. It's interesting to see how the story develops depending on your actions as you progress throughout the game, and those keen on seeing alternative endings will no doubt go back through the game and do everything to the complete opposite.

The story is entertaining enough and is the kind of plot you'd expect to appear in a game of this nature. All of the characters are superbly voice-acted, adding considerably to the overall feel that True Crime has in fact been created with both the little screen and big screen in mind. Some originality would have been nice since everything the story throws at you can practicably be seen from a mile off, but it works well and fits in with the style of the game.

The game can be essentially broken down into three main areas: driving, shooting and hand-to-hand combat. Each episode is broken down to a set number of missions, each focusing on one of the three main aspects of the game. The driving sections are where the game draws most of its inspiration from GTA, but these missions mostly serve as a way for the player to drive from point A to point B. Occasionally you'll be asked to trail a car or shoot out enemy vehicles but these are all over fairly quickly and offer little to the game as a whole.

The shooting sections are an improvement but are affected considerably by the control system. Cover can be taken by standing next to the desired object and pressing the button on the joypad, but in many cases Nick will simply duck, leaving himself open to oncoming fire and frustrating the player in the process. When Nick takes cover, a simple press of the fire button will allow him to pop out and shoot at his targeted opponent.

Then there's the precision shooting system which would work brilliantly on the PC but does not seem to suit the consoles' analogue sticks. Precision shooting is a feature that allows the player to target different areas of the body in order to take hostiles down with a leg shot, earning them good cop points in the process. While a good idea, it doesn't quite work due to the required accuracy and increased pressure on the player in the heat of the battle.

The hand-to-hand combat sections are where the game draws its biggest strength and offers something missing in a lot of titles these days. It almost feels arcade-like in the fact that you can unleash combos, most of which can be learned in dojos around the city, and that multiple waves of adversaries will try to stop you from progressing further.

True Crime is a good game, has some great gameplay elements and definitely rewards the player with a greater experience the longer they play it. However, the controls and driving sections let this entertaining title down a little. It's obvious that True Crime has taken a lot of chances and for the most part, it delivers. It's just a shame that a little polish wasn't applied to the areas that needed it most.