The Precinct – Game Review

The Precinct – Games for players to play the role of police officers are no longer strange in the market today. If you want to become an undercover police officer willing to go beyond the boundaries of the law to catch criminals in true Hong Kong movie style, you can Sleeping Dogs. If you like solving crimes in the classic style with crime scene investigation and suspect interrogation, L.A. Noire is a prominent name. And if you want to transform into a SWAT member and cooperate with your teammates to knock down doors and catch criminals, Ready or Not is an option not to be missed.

Bold style of the line GTA classic, The Precinct Aims for an experience that combines action, open world, and urban police work simulation.

YOU WILL LIKE

Experience police life in the 80s

The Precinct gives players the opportunity to transform into a true police officer – not just gunfights or breathtaking chases like in action movies, but a whole series of real jobs with clear procedures and processes. Instead of entering each shift with a fixed mission, you will be assigned to patrol a specific neighborhood and maintain social order and safety there.

Maintaining order does not always mean violence. Sometimes, it’s dealing with people who park illegally, warning people who write graffiti on walls, or intervening in light scuffles between residents. It is these randomly arising situations that create diversity for each shift, making the playing experience never become monotonous.

When faced with a situation, you need to apply the appropriate level of coercion to control the subject, before proceeding to verify the illegal act. The mechanism for determining crimes in the game has considerable depth: from checking identification documents to see if there is a wanted warrant, searching people to find prohibited objects, to measuring alcohol levels for drivers showing signs of intoxication. Each choice, each action affects the processing results and the number of experience points you receive – the deciding factor in the ability to “unlock” new missions and upgrades.

Instead of starting each shift with set tasks, you’ll drive your own car patrolling the city – and it’s the unexpected troubles on the streets that will determine your working day.

Although not focused on action, The Precinct still knows how to keep the dramatic pace with breathtaking shooting scenes and car chases. Confronting criminals armed with shotguns or submachine guns, players – with only a handgun in hand – must move wisely, taking advantage of hidden corners and terrain to survive and control the situation.

In particular, the chase scenes on the streets of Averno are designed to be dramatic. You can’t just step on the gas and hope to catch your target; Instead, you must skillfully control the car in crowded traffic, avoid causing accidents and take advantage of all support tools – from sirens, barriers, to forcing criminals’ vehicles to the side of the road.

The tense atmosphere is heightened with signature neon lighting effects and sharp turns that make you feel like you’re directing an 80s action movie. In addition, support systems from other units such as helicopters, spike traps or reinforcement patrol cars help bring a sense of smooth, professional coordination in a volatile city.

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Boring after the first few hours…

Umbrella The Precinct had a very impressive start with the brilliant Averno city setting and dramatic capture scenes, but the gameplay rhythm of the game quickly fell into a loop.

After the first few hours, you’ll start to realize that most missions revolve around a familiar formula: get orders, drive to the scene, give chase or shootout, then return to station. Even though there are changes in location or mission context, the feeling of repetition is still difficult to avoid because of the lack of diverse scenarios or unexpected variations.

Even if there is a change in location or mission context, the feeling of repetition is still difficult to avoid because of the lack of diverse scenarios or unexpected variations.

Even the chase scenes – the game’s strong point – gradually become boring without new details or tactical upgrades. The lack of situations that require creative handling or elements of surprise makes the experience monotonous, especially when players are familiar with the rhythm of the city and the way criminals operate.

This causes The Precinct becoming an ideal title to play for short periods of time or in short sessions, but difficult to retain players over the long term without content updates or new mechanics added post-release.

AI is poorly designed

A small but notable minus point is the internal AI The Precinct not really working effectively. The game allows you to coordinate with your partner during the shift, but when it comes time for real support, he… stands still like a wooden statue, making all efforts meaningless.

For example, when you encounter a dealer “selling bread dough” to an addict, the addict will usually surrender immediately, and the dealer will immediately run away. If you choose to chase the dealer, leaving the addict for your partner to take care of, you will be “disillusioned” – after catching the main target, you will still be deducted points for… letting the addict escape.

What if we stay and deal with the addict first? Then the merchant ran away. The lack of initiative from AI unnecessarily turns simple situations into “difficult” problems.

Even in intense chases, the teammate’s car that you summon for support sometimes becomes… an obstacle. Due to its poor tracking ability, instead of blocking the target, it often… crashes straight into your car, ruining the entire chase!