True Crime : Streets of LA

True Crime: Streets of LA for PlayStation 2 is a 2003 open-world action game developed by Luxoflux and published by Activision. Released in North America in November 2003, it casts the player as LAPD detective Nick Kang, an officer returning from suspension who is assigned to an elite unit investigating bombings and organized-crime activity in Los Angeles. The PS2 game blends city driving, hand-to-hand combat, third-person gunfights, stealth sequences, and story missions in a police-centered take on the free-roaming action format.

Nick can travel through a large interpretation of Los Angeles between missions, using streets, freeways, and recognizable areas as the backdrop for the case. Vehicles can be commandeered for pursuits and travel, while the main investigation sends him after leads connected to Chinese Triads, the Russian mob, and a counterfeiting plot. The story also ties the case to Nick’s family history and the unresolved disappearance of his father, giving the campaign a personal stake alongside its police procedural framework.

The game moves among several distinct styles of play. Driving assignments can require chasing, escaping, or tailing another vehicle, with tailing missions asking players to maintain a useful distance from the target. On foot, Nick uses punches, kicks, grapples, and follow-up combinations in martial-arts fights. Shootouts let him use cover and a precision-targeting view for more deliberate shots, while stealth sections ask him to approach guards carefully and choose how to deal with them.

True Crime: Streets of LA makes its police role part of the progression system. While cruising the city, Nick can answer radio calls for optional crimes, earning or losing reward points according to the outcome. Those points can be exchanged for badges, which open challenge-based upgrades for driving, fighting, and shooting. Garages and pharmacies also use the reward system for vehicle repairs and healing, so moment-to-moment conduct has a practical effect beyond the story missions.

A Good Cop/Bad Cop meter tracks the player’s actions and helps shape the campaign. Arresting suspects, resolving crimes, using non-lethal precision shots, and knocking opponents out contribute toward the good side, while civilian casualties and more violent choices push Nick toward the bad side. Many missions can continue after failure rather than ending the game immediately, leading to alternate scenes, routes, and outcomes. This branching structure gives repeated playthroughs a reason to explore different approaches.

The PlayStation 2 release arrived alongside GameCube and Xbox versions, with Activision handling the original console launch. Its Hollywood-style presentation is reinforced by a substantial voice cast that includes Russell Wong as Nick Kang, with Christopher Walken, CCH Pounder, James Hong, Mako, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Madsen, and Gary Oldman in supporting roles. Later versions appeared on other platforms, but the PS2 edition is one of the original 2003 console releases and the starting point for the True Crime series, which continued with True Crime: New York City.