Crime Cities Review Summary

Superb cyberpunk atmosphere and a memorable soundtrack shine, but frequent crashes, clunky controls, a weak disconnected story, and dated shallow gameplay hold it back.

Superb cyberpunk atmosphere: The cyberpunk atmosphere, with neon, towering architecture, and moody lighting, is consistently described as strong and immersive. Multiple reviewers compare it to Blade Runner, and it is considered a defining feature.

Interesting story and premise: The story premise of being a supposed crime boss or undercover cop is simple but engaging. It features mystery, unexpected endings, and world-building through missions.

Memorable and excellent soundtrack: The music is frequently highlighted as brilliant, memorable, and perfectly fitting the cyberpunk mood. It enhances both atmosphere and combat intensity.

Excellent audio design: Sound effects are spectacular for the time, and the voice acting is excellent. Ambient audio enhances the cyberpunk mood.

Varied and original missions: Mission variety includes combat, transport, and faction objectives, with some original tasks. They are praised as sources of world-building.

Frequent crashes and freezes: Players report the game freezing or crashing when accessing shop menus, during main menu navigation, at crucial progression points, and with OpenGL rendering. Many cannot find a fix, preventing completion.

Unintuitive clunky controls: Controls are not intuitive and feel unwieldy in tight spaces and combat. Default keyboard settings require numpad keys absent on modern laptops, sensitivity is hyper-reactive and unchangeable, and no controller support is listed despite the design.

Weak and disconnected story: The story is minimal, predictable, and mostly unrelated to the main plot. About 70-75% of missions have nothing to do with the storyline, and the ending is abrupt with hanging threads.

Dated and shallow gameplay: Gameplay execution feels dated, repetitive, and not deep, involving buying weapons and killing flying cars repeatedly. Missions become repetitive over time, and content lacks modern variety.

Broken widescreen support: The HUD is cut off, stretched, or completely off-screen on widescreen and ultrawide monitors, with maximum playable resolution limited to 1280x1024 or 4:3 aspect ratio.

Cyberpunk flying car combat: Players engage in vehicular combat using flying cars in a cyberpunk urban setting. This core gameplay involves piloting an armed flying vehicle to shoot enemies and complete missions.

Open-world city exploration: The game features open city environments across multiple planets that players can explore. Driving the flying car is the primary way to interact with the world.

Controls and interface: The game features customizable controls and resolution settings. Various keys are used for navigation and menus, such as WASD for movement, Tab for map, and Enter for ship menu.

Varied missions and side quests: The game offers a mission-based structure with a main plot thread and side quests from radical zealot groups, criminals, and weirdos. Some missions require using a radar or specific weapons.

Mission-based progression and upgrades: Players earn money by completing missions which is then used to upgrade the vehicle with new weapons, defenses, and performance enhancements. This creates a progression loop that drives the gameplay.

Frequent crashes on modern systems: Reviewers report crashes on both Windows and Linux, freeze-ups when accessing shops, and occasional crashes severe enough to require a PC reboot. These stability problems appear across several different system configurations.

Poor widescreen and ultrawide support: Multiple reviewers report missing support for modern widescreen and ultrawide resolutions, with the HUD stretching or being pushed off-screen and hiding key information like shield status and ammo. The game has not been modernized for current display standards.

Terrible port with many errors: The port is widely described as poor, producing numerous errors and requiring extensive troubleshooting, including roughly half an hour just to get it working. Some users report the game simply does not run or function at all.

Strange behavior on new hardware: Some users report the game runs strangely on modern hardware and has not been updated to run smoothly on current gaming PCs. This suggests ongoing compatibility issues beyond simple crashes.

OpenGL renderer crashes and instability: Reviewers note that the game only runs properly via OpenGL despite advertised 3Dfx renderer support, and that the OpenGL path frequently crashes and freezes. Uncertainty exists about whether OpenGL and 3dfx Voodoo perform the same.

Positive recommendations for target audience: Several reviewers recommend the game for those who enjoy classic games, retro enthusiasts, or the specific cyberpunk setting. They suggest giving it a chance as it can draw you in for long hours.

Appeal limited to retro enthusiasts: Many reviewers emphasize the game is only for old-school players, retro cyberpunk enthusiasts, or fans of classic games. Several note it is not for everyone and those seeking modern standards should look elsewhere.

Unfixable technical issues block recommendation: Multiple reviewers state they cannot recommend the game until crashes and technical problems are fixed. One notes positive review is impossible due to unfixable technical issues, and another would recommend it if the crash issue were resolved.

Negative recommendations outweigh positives: A significant number of reviewers give negative recommendations, stating the game is not worth it, not recommended, or impossible to recommend. Even retro lovers may find it painful and unpleasant.

Mixed feelings with reservations: Some reviewers recommend the game but with many reservations, acknowledging it may not hold up as a consistently enjoyable modern experience. It offers a glimpse into early 3D game design for those willing to engage with its quirks.

Community fair range: $1.99 - $2.99.

Session length: 0.3h.

Crime Cities opens with a learnable but noticeable barrier (learning curve, awkward controls), and reviewers indicate the core experience becomes recognizable only after clearing the introduction. Others report that repetitive missions and limited narrative depth keep it from sustaining fun.

Friction: Learning curve described as a barrier to accessibility; Awkward controls; Repetitive missions; Limited narrative depth; Crashes at progression-critical points.

Unlock drivers: Progression system with loadout customization that rewards experimentation; Demo video and tutorial level teaching flying, fighting, email and missions.

Retro Cyberpunk Nostalgia Hunter: Roams large open maps, compares the world to fondly remembered classics, and plays for atmosphere and setting rather than modern polish. Motivation: To relive the feel of classic future-crime and cyberpunk games from earlier eras, with flying cars, mafia themes, and decaying neon cities. Stance: buy.

Story Mystery Seeker: Progresses through the story missions to see how the plot unfolds, tolerating thin gameplay in exchange for intrigue. Motivation: To follow the crime-boss narrative and uncover the mystery and unexpected twists the plot delivers. Stance: buy.

Mission Grinder Vehicle Upgrader: Works through the mission list methodically, saving currency to buy upgrades rather than prioritizing exploration or story. Motivation: To complete missions, earn money, and steadily upgrade their vehicle. Stance: buy.

Steam Deck: Audit of Steam Deck experience reveals critical stability issues with frequent crashes during key progression moments, along with widely reported clunky controls and a broken interface. These factors classify the game as Broken, requiring significant fixes to be playable on Steam Deck.

Cult Classic Retro Sci-Fi: The game is frequently compared to classic sci-fi films like The Fifth Element and Blade Runner, and its atmosphere draws from classic science fiction. These comparisons highlight its strong retro-futuristic tone despite dated visuals.

Extremely Old and Dated: The game is repeatedly described as very old, ancient, and outdated in all parameters. Numerous comments emphasize that it released in 2000 or early 2000s and that game design standards have since changed.

Comparisons to Other Games: The game is compared to Descent, Forsaken, G-Police, Battlezone, Quarantine, Blade Runner, and Cyberpunk 2077. Some say it would be better as a fast-paced spaceship shooter like Forsaken, while others note Battlezone is better in all aspects.

Nostalgic but Obscure Techland Debut: Developed by Techland as their debut title, without this game later hits like Dead Island or Dying Light might not exist. However, it remains an obscure, forgotten title that sits on Steam for intellectual property protection.

Technical and Compatibility Issues: The game lacks 16:9 support, requiring 4:3 resolutions like 1024x768 or 800x600. It would benefit from DirectX 8 or updated DirectX 9.0c 64-bit support, and has freezing issues fixed by restarting the computer. It also lacks dedicated servers and a server browser list.