After breaking away from a world of sex, drugs, and violence through their creation of Table Tennis for the XBox 360, Rockstar has delved right back into their Grand Theft Auto-esque world of insane game design by announcing a new title along the same vein as Bully.

In “The Beat”, you take on the roll of a corrupt cop who patrols the streets of the fictional city of Dregsburg, a bustling metropolis on the East Coast (New York again?) that is plagued by crime (both petty and organized), as well as prostitution.

The main character, Officer Lyle Trent, goes through numerous missions in an attempt to bribe and influence the warring criminal factions for his own personal gain. It has many similarities to Grand Theft Auto, although the gameplay is more focused on gunplay (a la Max Payne) than vehicle usage. The gameplay promises to offer more unique features than its vehicle based big brother, including more varied weapons (C4 explosives with timed detonators, heat seeking rocket launchers, advanced rifles, etc), as well as mobility items like parachutes, ropes, chains, grappling hooks, etc. On the street, players will be able to regain health and wealth through taking bribes from local businesses, or having sex with hookers in alleyways (apparently Hot Coffee meant nothing).

The game also takes a cue from the 24 game, incorporating an interogation system, where the player keeps the captives “stress level” between a certain limit by asking the right questions. If the stress level is between the limits for five sets of questions (in a row) then the captive “cracks” and tells you valuable information. Depending on your effectiveness in interogation, the subsequent missions may change.

While the game may be less of a sand box adventure, Rockstar is still promising that the gameplay experience will be massive and enjoyable. The game sounds a bit twisted, and is not the best direction for Rockstar to be heading considering their ongoing investigation by several government bodies.

Meh…whatever.