The Precinct is a game I’ve been watching for a while, and Kwalee was kind enough to send me a copy to check out a little bit ago. As you all know I like to get that out of the way up front and share my appreciation before we go any further.
The story itself is straight out of any cop movie or show from the 1980s and 90s. A new rookie joins the force; his father used to belong to the same precinct and was a hero to many. Cut down by the lawless criminals of the city for daring to fight the corruption. The son returns to finish what his father started and find the ones responsible for his death. That being said, I am a bit older than many of you, and you might not have seen a lot of those movies.
The game itself is straightforward: choose a beat for the day, collect evidence while hunting down graffiti artists, writing parking tickets, or chasing down stolen vehicles, trying to outrun the law. Beat up or shoot the occasion drug dealer. You know what, this is getting out of hand, the city of Averno is kind of a hellhole. Just go clean it up and collect evidence.
Also, don’t really worry about collateral damage. While shooting Random people isn’t a good idea, I’ve run over many people during police chases and flipped plenty of civilians’ cars. Nobody seems overly concerned about it. Stop and frisking random people also isn’t such a big deal. It even grants experience when you happen to be right.
The game controls very well, and I never felt like I couldn’t control my car or aim my weapon the way I wanted. The option to just turn down random call-outs is nice as well. Sometimes I just wanted to relax and focus on writing parking tickets to advance what I was doing, so I let the guy steal a car. It wasn’t my car after all. Progress never really felt stunted or not rewarded, either. Unlocking new weapons and cars felt natural, and my character always felt like he was improving.
My only real complaint comes from the fact that charging people with crimes felt like it was too predetermined. A few times, someone would flee in their car, and despite seeing a few crimes, charging them with those crimes was deemed wrong. How can a guy run from me and hit 7 other cars and me, but I can’t charge him with a hit and run?
That being said, for $30, this game is fantastic. Easily an 8/10 experience that I will probably continue to play like I do GTA games just because they are fun to screw around with. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
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