![]() ![]() The one area Virtua Cop suffers like most Sega arcade ports is in content. While it is possible to memorize every enemy and item that will only come after hours or even days of practice. Not everything in the environment is destructible but the few pieces that are yield power-ups like a machine gun, assault rifle, or magnum. Many of the spawn points are predictable but there are just as many that come out of left field. It is in this way that the game remains exciting from moment to moment. ![]() While this is going on enemies stream in from all corners and pop up out of clever hiding spots. ![]() As each scene progresses the camera pans to highlight parts of the environment or points of interest. The camera work is also part of what makes Virtua Cop great. It is satisfying in a way that the cardboard cutouts of the past could not manage. In a sadistic way that is part of the fun, seeing how many different ways you can kill each thug. Shoot their arms and they can’t attack while a head or chest shot equals instant death. Enemies have different reactions depending on where they are shot and Sega has packed the game full of unique ones. This enables the game to be dynamic in a number of different ways. The 3d graphics enable a level of precision not possible before thanks to defined hit zones. While the 3d models do not exhibit the same level of detail they more than make up for it in terms of animation. Virtua Cop is innovative within the rail shooter genre for its use of polygonal graphics rather than digitized sprites. You will have to put in some work to do so but if you love Virtua Cop that adds to its longevity. It is not ideal and will require memorization of enemy placement but it entirely possible to play through it this way. Reloading requires a double tap and is also fast. The cursor moves relatively quickly and you can speed it up by holding a button. The game is surprisingly still playable with the controller all things considered. For those that do not own a light gun Sega offers a number of other control schemes that support the standard controller and the rarely seen Sega mouse. With a Stunner you are basically playing the arcade game at home. Sega created their own light gun for the Saturn called the Stunner to replicate the arcade’s controls. Despite the hefty price of admission the game was worth it. But its sweeping camera angles and seemingly random enemy placement made the game more dynamic and lively. You can argue that Virtua Cop is pretty much the same and it is true. While prior light gun games were fun they were also predictable in that once you had gone through it once you have seen it all. Virtua Cop is the natural evolution of the genre in the same way that racing and fighting games also benefited from the move to the third dimension. ![]() Up until that point the genre relied on scaling sprites, digitized graphics, or full motion video. Virtua Cop was the first rail shooter to use 3d polygons. The Saturn version is a near flawless conversion of a great yet limited game. But Virtua Cop is the game that truly made me appreciate the genre. And Battle Clash nearly justified the Super Scope 6. Lethal Enforcers was fun for despite how limited it was. But that does not mean I did not dabble with them if someone else took the plunge. In the arcade they usually cost twice as much to play and when you are poor tough decisions have to be made. At home the peripherals were usually not supported that well to make it worth the purchase. I’ve always appreciated light gun games from afar. Developer: AM2 Publisher: Sega Released: December 1995 Genre: Action ![]()
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