A headshot is as effective as shooting them in the foot, so be ready to fill a gangster full of holes.

Video game publishers never learn. They believe the only way to make television video games is to litter them with the real voices of some of the characters and assume everyone will be thrilled. This was true in “Alias,” “24,” “The Sopranos” and now “The Shield.”

Aspyr's new release of FX's gritty crime drama into PS2 form shows what happens when creators pay more for voice talent than actual game play.

The story begins somewhere after the end of season 2 and into season 3. This is already an issue for fans of the show considering season 6 starts in a few months. Having a game full of characters already dead is irritating. Chief Aceveda has orders to shut down the strike team, unless they make a big bust within the next few days. Not to mention the Bizlats and the One-Niners have started in an all-out gang war against each other. It's up to Vic Mackey and his team to stop the war and find out who is supplying the machine guns to both gangs. This is a plot straight from the second season. So the story has no surprises.

The game has several different levels that develop the storyline; however they're all either a warehouse, the projects or a run-down apartment complex.

The first thing to notice is how Vic walks like he carries two guns, one in the holster and the other up his rear end. Sadly he only carries one, and he's terrible with it. Every third-person shooter has auto-aim when dealing with a room full of bad guys.

“The Shield” allows only panning the target cursor over each individual enemy. A headshot is as effective as shooting them in the foot, so be ready to fill a gangster full of holes.

Vic's partners Shane and Robbie are sometimes present for certain missions, but they“re not much help at tackling the bad guys either. They usually end up pulling a Leroy Jenkins into the next room while the gamer is in the corner searching dead bodies for ammo and watching Shane and Robbie's health bars shrink to zero.

Vic has other jobs to do besides shooting everything. He has to chase down suspects and interrogate them for information. The chase levels are a little fun. Running through back alleys jumping over garbage cans and fences to bust a fleeing perp is satisfying and very common on the show.

Instead of hosing Mexican gangsters in a warehouse, Vic might sneak around them. The sneaking levels are dull and obvious. There's always a stack of crates or a line of cars aligned perfectly to Vic's goal.

The worst part of this entire game, however, has to be the objectives. They are extremely vague and sometimes have gamers wondering what to do for an hour while they stare at the screen in disbelief.

“The Shield” is one television show that could have been a terrific game to play. The show does involve a strike team of cops busting in doors and shooting everyone in the room. The game does prove that it's possible for a gaming company to screw that plotline up.

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