I think it was originally being developed as a sequel in the True Crimes series, before someone went bankrupt and Square Enix bought the rights and made it is own game. At first its hard to get used to driving on the left side of the road (funny that) but once you are driving is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the game, firearms are scarce so fighting off a gang of thugs with just your Kung Fu skills and the occasional knife or tire iron is a refreshing change. Great storyline and voice acting keeps you hooked till the end and a decent amount of side missions and distractions (including Cock Fights) to make it last a bit longer.