We have to admit it’s difficult to stand out in the open world genre. Not only are you up against some of the most polished examples of videogames in the form of Rockstar’s GTA series, but you have to contend with the task of proving you can create more than just a clone of that formula.

Bike-fu?

We were honestly surprised when we first learnt that Activision wanted United Front Games to resurrect the True Crime series (the previous games seemed classic examples of that ‘me too’ philosophy), but from what we’ve seen it looks like rather than aiming for a pale imitation of the GTA games, United Front is planning to bring its own stamp on the franchise.

The game’s setting in Hong Kong has had a major impact upon as Activision’s E3 build of the game showed, really underscored the deep influence of films like Jackie Chan’s Police Story, Infernal Affairs and Triad Election on True Crime as they showcased its unique combat system.

Its lead character, Wei Shen, is an officer of the HK Triad Bureau on an assignment that sees him needing to infiltrate the Triads – and get involved in their very violent lifestyle, both as a cop and a mole on the inside. Getting to grips with people more than happy to chop you to pieces with meat cleavers or fill you with bullet holes at the slightest hint of disrespect or of being a nark isn’t easy, but Wei is more than equipped to deal with it.

Uuuurgh!

United Front Games has created a deep martial arts-based fighting system with combos that enable you to pummel your opponents into bloody submission. Not only will you have an arsenal of devastating kicks and punches, but its counter system will let you avoid and capture attacks thrown at you, stylishly snapping arms or smashing knees in painful retaliation,

You’ll also be able to grab opponents and lay into them with close quarter combos and even use the environment around you as a weapon – we watched Wei fighting Triads in a grimy gang warehouse, smashing peoples faces into air conditioners, slamming their heads repeatedly in fridge and dumpster doors and kicking them over railings. If you’re feeling particularly vicious and they’re to hand you can even put enemies heads through TVs and windows. More than anything else so far it’s this complex series of combat choices that will promise to make True Crime: HK stand out

But United Front Games hasn’t neglected gunplay, arming Wei with a variety of weapons that he can use on the move, jumping across tables Stranglehold-style while pumping enemies with bullets, or grabbing foes to use as human shields while he guns down their companions.

The streets of Hong Kong will prove to be your playground as Wei is also master of a ground-based form of free-running. You’ll be able to duck and weave your way through packed streets in foot chases, jumping cars and fences to make your arrests and driving in the game has been modelled more along arcade lines, with an emphasis on speed and ease of control. We saw Wei engaged in a high-speed bike chase, and just like Jackie Chan in Police Story he was able to leap onto the roof of the car he was chasing, hanging on for dear life before clambering into it to subdue the driver.

… continued