Should police games reflect the fact that the vast majority of violent crime is committed by males? I only ask because easy-to-recommend The Precinct is another cop title in which you’re almost as likely to be shot by a gun moll as a gun man.
Any realism overhaul or mod would also need to address Averno City PD’s improbably relaxed attitude to prangs. Most shifts, although I return to the station in a rolling junk heap, having collided with an embarrassing number of vehicles, bits of street furniture, and Avernoans while carrying out my duties, there are no serious repercussions for my carelessness.
In other areas this £25 third-person sim is relatively truthful. Every criminal you encounter is tagged with a dynamic colour-coded ‘Authorized Force’ level. Exceed this while dealing with them and you’ll get a scathing radio reprimand from your boss, and sacrifice XP.
The game also cares about pedantic procedural stuff. Fine inappropriately or fail to Miranda suspects and the scorers back at the station will notice.
Compared to the delightfully Bruegelian Beat Cop, The Precinct is timid when it comes to depicting the seedier sides of US urban policing in the Eighties. Twelve shifts/days into my career I’ve yet to encounter a prostitute or pimp, hear an F word or racial slur, or be offered a brown envelope. Fallen Tree Games also don’t appear to have much of a sense of humour. The briefing room banter feels like its been signed off by a sensitivity reader.
Fortunately, dialogue and plot are fairly peripheral in The Precinct. You’re here primarily for the unscripted drama – the chases… the brawls… the firefights. While there are some authored scenario-style outings involving gang boss captures (once you’ve collected sufficient evidence you get to tackle Averno’s kingpins) and the search for a sadistic serial killer, most of the action comes courtesy of randomly generated incidents.
Out on foot or vehicle patrol in one of Averno’s atmospheric districts, it’s rare for a minute to pass without a new crime measle erupting on the mini map. You’re free to ignore these pustules if you’re otherwise engaged or the incident is far away, but the lure of another breathless pursuit through litter strewn alleys, another gun battle with trigger-happy gang members, can be awfully hard to resist. Not all perps run or resist, but when they do things generally get exciting PDQ. Rugby tackling a runner is immensely satisfying.
I found car chases a tad frustrating until I grasped the importance of support. On foot or behind a wheel, if you manage to stay close to a fleeing suspect, you earn support points that can be spent on-the-fly on AI assets such as cars, stinger strips, and helicopters. With this help, and some deft WASDing it’s generally possible to bring a chase to a satisfactory conclusion.
Pursuing lawbreaking pedestrians would be infinitely harder if skedaddlers could seek refuge in buildings. Because 99% of Averno’s structures are impenetrable, just about the only option for a car-less crook too knackered to keep moving is to hide in a dumpster. Locating rancid refuseniks is child’s play if you’ve a whirlybird overhead as choppers hover over hiding places.
At the standard difficulty level, combat is pretty forgiving. Dabbing C next to a car, wall, or similar causes your character, Nick Cordell Jr, to take cover. Right-click on a target – ideally when that target is reloading or distracted – and Nick will pop up and start shooting.
Melee is more demanding. Several times I’ve flattened my AI-controlled partner, Kelly*, while attempting to baton a knife-wielding or pugilistic perp into submission.
* AI-controlled Kelly generally earns his paycheck, his willingness to tackle suspects independently and handle paperwork during an arrest, being particularly useful.
For the player, death and ride destruction are both minor inconveniences. Fallen Tree seem out to please rather than frustrate, a vibe underlined by a leveling-up mechanic that tosses new treats in your direction at very regular intervals.
Five hours into my first playthough, I’m allowed to wear whatever I like while on duty, I’ve got access to almost the entire range of available road vehicles, and can customise shifts in numerous ways. I can even choose to go on patrol in the PD’s Squirrel helicopter if I wish to!
True, my weapon choices are still fairly limited (no assault rifles or SMGs yet), I’ve scaled very little of the upgrade tree, and I’ve yet to unlock many of Averno’s districts or earn the right to commandeer civilian vehicles.
Splendidly, it’s possible to explore the city by train as well as foot, car, and heli. A functioning subway system makes comparisons with GTA all the more valid.
Areas of this THC-approved cop sim where there’s room for improvement? Traffic and pedestrian pathfinding springs to mind. At present, stopping your motor in the middle of a street or sidewalk can throw other road/pavement users into confusion, and sometimes a fleeing perp will opt to clamber over a lofty wall or fence when a convenient gate or gap is close-by.
Access to a few of the camera angles used in the trailer would be nice to.