The Precinct: A Nostalgic Dive into 80s Cop Life – Review Roundup
The Precinct, a new open-world game, throws players into the gritty, crime-ridden Averno City of the 1980s, promising a blend of classic GTA-style sandbox gameplay with a sober approach to police simulation. But does it live up to the hype? Reviews are mixed, highlighting both the game's addictive qualities and its repetitive shortcomings.
At its core, The Precinct tasks players with patrolling the streets as rookie cop Nick Cordell, solving procedurally generated crimes ranging from issuing parking tickets to chasing down armed bank robbers. One review praises the game's dynamic crime system, where "every crime's totally dynamic," and paying attention to detail rewards players with additional experience points. The reactive NPC AI and potential for spontaneous chaos add to the unpredictable nature of each shift.
However, the game isn't without its flaws. Multiple reviews note the repetitive nature of the mission design. "The cycle of repeating patrols is novel at first but soon grows dull as the same scenarios repeat." While the game aims to simulate the mundane aspects of police work, the sheer repetition can become a test of patience.
Falling Tree Games, the developer, aimed to capture the essence of 80s action games and movies. Art Director Lewis Boadle explained, "First and foremost, this is not a simulator... it is an over-the-top love letter to action games and movies, especially those from the 1980s." The Precinct attempts to balance high-octane chases and shootouts with slower-paced activities, offering players a varied experience.
Technically, the development faced challenges in creating a dense open world. As one of the programmers, Harry says "One of the main optimization challenges we faced was in building a dense open world filled with interactive elements." The team used a Building Generation Tool to speed up production and implemented features like FSR upscaling and screen space global illumination.
Despite the technical achievements, some reviewers found the gunplay and car chases lacking. "The car chases involve so much ridiculous accidental property destruction... the city and its vehicles seem to be made out of wet paper towels." The writing was also criticized for being unexciting and filled with context-free 80s movie references.
The Precinct attempts to offer a different kind of police simulation, one that implicitly criticizes accepted police conduct. But the game's inability to decide whether it's more interested in modeling the action movie image of a cop or the less exciting realities of the job leaves it struggling to find a cohesive identity.
Conclusion: Is The Precinct worth your time? It depends. If you're looking for a nostalgic trip with dynamic gameplay, it might scratch that itch. However, be prepared for repetitive missions and a narrative that fails to fully captivate. Will future updates and content additions improve the experience? Only time will tell. What are your thoughts on police simulator games?
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