I can kind of see what Ingame Studios and 505 Games were doing when they released Crime Boss: Rockay City. They wanted to go for the Grand Theft Auto meets Payday 2 vibe, getting as many stars as it could pile up within its budget in a tale packed with criminal intent. That said, we can’t help but think more money should’ve been spent on the gameplay instead.
The game features the likes of Michael Madsen, Danny Glover, Kim Basinger, Michael Rooker and even Chuck Norris, all playing characters you get involved with as you attempt to build up your reputation. But star power can only do so much if the game itself is an unattractive letdown.
Let’s tell you why playing Crime Boss: Rockay City serves no purpose, other than driving you insane for spending so much money on it.

A Buggy Mess Starring Michael Madsen
First off, there are two big problems with the gameplay in Crime Boss.
The first thing is that the gameplay is repetitive. You’re basically completing missions and trying to take over turf as you move closer into dominating Rockay City. But the thing is, it lacks nuance. And, for that matter, anything to appreciate. The missions become boring and, well, that’s bad news for a game based around gunplay. What’s more, it’s simply not fun, and being told what to do by phoned-in character performances doesn’t help either.

Also, the game has so many bugs, we’re surprised that they weren’t listed as official cast members. Trying to get any sort of performance out of the game is a frickin’ nightmare, even with something as simple as taking on police in an ambush. So not only is the game a hellish nightmare with its pacing and storytelling, but it can’t even run technically right either.
It’s like if Grand Theft Auto was developed by a low-grade team that was too busy doing drugs to fitfully complete the job. Yuck.

Even Chuck Norris Can’t Save the Presentation
Another big problem with Rockay City is that it just looks subpar overall. Even if you can overlook the game’s many, many bugs, it’s essentially just a light take on the depth Rockstar Games puts into its GTA titles. It just looks haphazard, with no real thought put into the city design.
What’s more, the animations are stuttery thanks to the bugs, and even the character models aren’t that great. Dare we say it, but Chuck Norris has certainly seen better days. We’d rather watch Silent Rage five more times than endure whatever his character was trying to do here. The voice acting is okay – probably the best part of the game – but, again, it’s a bit on the bland side due to bad characterization. What’s more, the sound effects often lose sync because of the glitching issues, and the music leaves nothing to be desired. It’s just an average presentation overall, and considering the cast – not to mention the core material – it could’ve been way better.

Stay Away From Rockay
Oof. Had Ingame Studios and 505 just focused more on making the experience diverse and, for that matter, any kind of appealing, Crime Boss: Rockay City would’ve stood a far better chance.
As it stands, however, it’s a mess. A terrible playing, poorly produced mess, where even its top- tier cast can’t save the day. It’s like a bad movie, but one that doesn’t gradually offer something for the money. Even Vanilla Ice can’t do anything with it – and he danced with guys in Turtle suits.
Just do yourself a favor. If you want to live an ideal life of crime, invest in Grand Theft Auto V instead. It’s technically advanced in every way, even if Chuck Norris isn’t in it. You’d be better off duct-taping his image to your TV screen than spending a single penny on this dreck.

The Bottom Line:
Crime Boss: Rockay City isn’t just one of the worst games of this year, it’s one of the worst games of this generation. And considering Chuck Norris isn’t done justice in it, that’s the real crime.