This is The Police
Xbox: The Official Magazine|June 2017

Law and disorder in Freeburg City

Stephen Ashby
This is The Police

A police chief a few months from retirement. A corrupt and sleazy mayor. Mob bosses running the city. A gentle jazz soundtrack. Yes, this is a list of cop drama clichés, but they are also the foundations of This Is The Police’s storyline. Against the odds, this isn’t entirely a bad thing.

This Is The Police revels in these tropes. The chief of police smokes cigars, has a gruff voice and suffers from what we will delicately describe as an ‘over-reliance’ on painkillers. The mayor swans around in tennis whites. There are moustaches all over the gaff. Weappy Studios has turned every cliché up to 11, and for the most part, they get away with it. This is mainly because the game is incredibly stylish. The design is intentionally simplistic, with few details and an angular aesthetic. Cut scenes play out in comic book like panels, with simple animations, copious use of shadows and excellent voice overs. Characters don’t have faces, but features like glasses or a beard stand out.

It all works really well, partly thanks to the excellent vocal performances, such as Duke Nukem’s voice actor, Jon St. John, who voices brilliantly realised police chief Jack Boyd. You’ll spend most of your time listening to his grizzled lines, and he carries the narrative effortlessly. With time you’ll start to enjoy the company of the tired, burnt-out Boyd as he serves out his final days in the bureau before a forced retirement.

Being the boss

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM XBOX: THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINEView all
Zombie Army 4: Dead War
Xbox: The Official Magazine

Zombie Army 4: Dead War

Schlocky shooter hits its target, but runs out of Ammo

time-read
6 mins  |
April 2020
Xbox: The Official Magazine

My Bloody Valentine

OXM gets hands-on with the latest resi reboot to take on the series’ biggest ever threat, nemesis Chris Burke

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2020
Xbox: The Official Magazine

The History Of Multiplayer On Xbox

Grab a friend and take a seat on the couch. This is how multiplayer has evolved on our favourite consoles

time-read
9 mins  |
April 2020
Xbox: The Official Magazine

Joe Madureira King Of The Hell

With darksiders shifting genres for its new prequel spin-off, oxm chats to series creator joe madureira about his comic book origins, surviving thq’s downfall and making hellish action games

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2020
WHY I LOVE... LOS SANTOS' CRIMINAL TRIO
Xbox: The Official Magazine

WHY I LOVE... LOS SANTOS' CRIMINAL TRIO

Swapping between Grand Theft Auto V’s trio of crooks makes the sandbox classic’s missions truly killer

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2020
Xbox: The Official Magazine

Lifting the lid on Series X's launch

With the next Xbox set to hit shelves before the end of the year, OXM examines the next-gen console’s launch and what it means for Xbox One

time-read
6 mins  |
April 2020
Rugby 20
Xbox: The Official Magazine

Rugby 20

FULL OF EFFORT, BUT STRUGGLES TO CONVERT WHERE IT COUNTS

time-read
4 mins  |
April 2020
Darksiders Genesis
Xbox: The Official Magazine

Darksiders Genesis

TO HELL WITH STRIFE, WAR AND THE ISOMETRIC CAMERA ANGLE

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2020
Xbox: The Official Magazine

Outriders

The makers of Bulletstorm are back with a shared-world, (slightly) less sweary shooter Dave Meikleham

time-read
5 mins  |
April 2020
BEST SPIDERS ON XBOX
Xbox: The Official Magazine

BEST SPIDERS ON XBOX

Spiders suck. We don’t care how many flies they scoff each year; we’d rather be swarmed by all the bugs than deal with the gross arachnids currently crawling around on Xbox

time-read
5 mins  |
April 2020