True Crime: Hong Kong
Preview
Rebooting the franchise
by Davneet Minhas
previewed on X360
Instant Gratification
UFG wants True Crime’s combat to be fast, brutal, and seamless – it’s all about instant gratification. Wei Shen can punch, kick, block, and counter, all of which seems derived from Batman: Arkham Asylum (to good effect). He also has plenty of kitchen knives, meat cleavers, and guns at his disposal. UFG’s goal is for players to switch between martial arts, melee weapons, and firearms at will, without any clunky transitions. Punch a guy in the face, slash him with a knife, and then pop off a few shots from a pistol. Fast, brutal, and seamless.
This philosophy of instant gratification extends to mission structures. In traditional escort missions, you’re often resigned to the slow pace and poor decisions of your A.I. companion. Wei doesn’t have such patience when escorting people; he grabs the guy and drags him along while fighting off attackers.
UFG is also going for depth in True Crime’s combat. The game’s shooting mechanic will include both lock-on targeting and free-aim, in addition to a robust cover system.
The melee combat goes further to incorporate contextual and environmental attacks. Wei can stylishly vault over a table and connect his foot with an enemy jaw in one fluid motion. He can use a fridge door instead of his fist to bash a hoodlum’s head in. He can even fry semi-conscious bodies with exposed wiring.
Grounded
Of course, combat isn’t the only thing that needs to be fast and seamless. In a large open world like Hong Kong, getting from one place to another is just as important. Van der Mescht cites Burnout and Need for Speed as inspirations for True Crime’s driving mechanic; UFG is taking a more arcade-esque, less realistic approach to driving than Grand Theft Auto 4. After all, UFG is made up, in part, of former Need for Speed developers.
True Crime also borrows from Assassin’s Creed and Mirror’s Edge in its free running mechanic. With the correct timing, Wei can sprint and jump from place to place, though he’ll be a little more down-to-earth than the characters in those other two games. True Crime’s free running incorporates more realistic foot races like those seen in Point Break and Seven, both of which Van der Mescht cites as further inspirations. There will be no leaps from clothesline to clothesline or flights across rooftops.
Wei will, however, face a penalty if he gets his timing wrong, other than the bumps and bruises he’ll receive after slamming into an object. He’ll lose face.
Saving Face
Chinese in origin, but particularly prevalent in Hong Kong, face is a reflection of a person’s reputation, dignity, and prestige – it’s the outward projection of social standing. You can lose face, save face, and even give face to another person with sincere respect and compliments. Corporations also have face, which can often affect business transactions.
In True Crime, Wei has a face meter that will fill with successful free running moves and creative environmental kills. A high face value can scare off would-be attackers and provide access to characters that will give Wei needed information or side missions. Of course, a low face value means Wei will have to deal with muggers a lot more frequently.
Meeting Inspirations
Many of True Crime’s features, from the environment to gameplay mechanics to side missions to the story have yet to be revealed. Regardless, the game is definitely looking a lot more serious and gritty than its predecessors. If it lives up to any of its inspirations, film or video game, it’ll definitely be worth your time.
