Crime Life is a mission-based street combat game that follows a plot involving numerous gangs, crooked police, and treachery from within. The game takes place in a fictional city.
The player assumes control of Tre, a new member of the Outlawz gang, and guides him through his ascent in the criminal underworld of the made-up metropolis of Grand Central. The Headhunterz and KYC, two competing gangs, have banded up to take on the Outlawz, putting them in a difficult position. The members of the rap band D12 lend their voices and appearances to the roles of prominent members of the antagonistic Headhunterz gang in the band’s music.
Because the gameplay is inspired by classic beat-em-ups, the primary emphasis is placed on hand-to-hand combat as the primary means of conflict resolution. Crime Life provides the player with the flexibility to explore the game environment and the opportunity to experience a variety of mini-missions, some of which include fighting while inebriated and gaining control of territory from an enemy faction. The game also includes twenty-five story-based missions.
