The Game has returned to his 'hood and the locals are happy to have him back.

That was the word around Southern California after the native of South Central Los Angeles rocked a sold-out House of Blues in Anaheim on Thursday night.

In a review of show in the Los Angeles Times, Soren Baker wrote that the Game was spot-on with his performance and also his custom of paying homage to the West Coast rap heroes who pioneered the sound he has made fresh with his latest album, Doctor’s Advocate.

"As the tall, Compton-based rapper sauntered onto the stage ... he paid homage to the Southern California street look made famous by Eazy-E and N.W.A in the late 1980s, sporting a black Dickies shirt and pants, a black Dodgers hat and black Chuck Taylors. The Game gave the outfit a personal touch by wearing a red bandana over his face ..."

Game played what Baker termed an "efficient 75-minute set that he divided equally among performing his material, saluting California's rich rap heritage and disparaging his former G Unit and Aftermath rap allies, including 50 Cent and Tony Yayo.

"About 20 minutes into his performance, the Game started a venomous tirade about G Unit, Aftermath and Shady Records, which the capacity crowd gleefully echoed."

The Game is slated to play two straight sold-out gigs at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip on Sunday and Monday before returning to the Anaheim venue on Feb. 8. He’ll then jet east for his tour closer in Tampa on Feb. 11.

He's impressed critics every step of the way so far, and Thursday was no exception.

Baker wrote that Game "benefited from the presence of a six-piece band, which allowed his tunes room to breathe when he took an occasional moment to address the crowd or, in his most impressive (if foolhardy) performance, down a 40-ounce bottle of beer in one long gulp.

"When the Game brought legions of his male fans on stage before performing his hit 'It's Okay (One Blood),' it cemented the evening's celebratory, block-party feel."