Review Roundup For Crime Boss: Rockay City

Out today on PC, first-person co-op shooter Crime Boss: Rockay City has received middling reviews. In it, you and other players must embark on crime missions to become the King of Rockay City.

With an ensemble cast featuring Chuck Norris, Vanilla Ice, Danny Glover, Kim Basinger, Danny Trejo, and Michael Madsen as protagonist Travis Baker, this game has a lot going for it. However, reviews for the co-op shooter have gone live today, and while some critics enjoyed its gameplay, Crime Boss' writing, characters, and overall presentation were panned.

To find out more about the critical reception to Crime Boss: Rockay City, continue reading below. The game currently has a 55 score from 9 critics on Metacritic, GameSpot's sister site.

• Game: Crime Boss: Rockay City
• Platforms: PC
• Developer: InGame Studios
• Release Date: March 28, 2023
• Price: $40

See at Epic Games Store

Attack of the Fanboy -- 6/10

"It’s not every day we get a new studio taking a big swing by taking a genre that has been executed perfectly for years and giving it a unique twist. Crime Boss: Rockay City might not have the most versatile activities, best gunplay, or first-class writing, but it does provide an interesting experience that, like a cheap B-movie, has that certain kind of charm you can’t help but enjoy." -- Noah Nelson [Full review]

ShackNews -- 5/10

"If the idea of playing a shooter crammed on top of a modern edition of Drug Wars, full of pseudo ironic stunt casting and roguelike gimmicks sounds like a good time, boy do I have a game for you. The only game for you, really. All snark aside I don’t think I’ve ever played a game quite like Crime Boss: Rockay City. It’s a massive swing and a big miss, with enough force to crack the sound barrier while the ball stays in the catcher’s mitt. It’s neither a cynical corporate cringe like Sharknado, nor is it a low-budget dud you’d expect to see a crew of robot puppets heckle. It’s weird, loud and uncanny. Frankly I’m surprised Christopher Walken didn’t show up." -- Lucas White [Full review]

ScreenRant -- 2.5/5

"The limited time to play the review build of Crime Boss: Rockay City felt unfinished and needed more gameplay activities and depth. With the game planned to be a live service experience, with more time, developer InGame Studios will hopefully add more features and gameplay mechanics to help the game stand out in the multiplayer shooter genre. There is fun to be had with a team of four friends completing missions together. Still, in its current state, Crime Boss: Rockay City feels like a low-level wannabe criminal trying to get rich quick on a street populated with multiplayer shooters who already do better." -- Jason Hon [Full review]

GG Recon -- 2/5

"Crime Boss Rockay City is a cautionary tale for how to effectively budget a video game, and a prime example of how games need to feel and play well first and foremost. There are good ideas buried deep within this game, and the roguelike/Payday combination is a genuinely novel concept I'd love to see explored in a project with more focus. However, using a voice cast of Hollywood talent past their prime is a choice that doesn't add anything to the game, and it's not enough to distract me from the shallow gameplay that was already done much better ten years ago." -- Tarran Stockton [Full review]

TheGamer -- 2/5

"Overall, Crime Boss is a game at war with itself. All three modes offer something, but none of them does their specific thing that well. Meanwhile, the characters and writing that surround these missions feel painfully stuck in 2011. And customisation is either limited or random in a way that makes it feel like you never quite have control of your loadout. There’s very little you could get out of Crime Boss that you couldn’t get out of Payday 2 next time it comes around in a Steam sale. And besides, I think those masks that “are for pussies” are actually really cool." -- Lex Luddy [Full review]