Police 911

"You know it's good when you see a Health Warning on it..."

In a new standard to real-life situation simulators, Police 911 takes the genre to a whole new level by making the gamer perform as a police officer would in a real-life shoot-out. In a large stand up machine, in which foot-pads and motion sensors are located, you take control of a police officer which goes through the ranks through several different emergency situations.

-Visuals 9/10-

Next to real, the only thing here that separates this from being real is the fact that the shooting takes place in something akin to the Matrix ''Bullet-time''. As the bad guys fire away at you, your actions are determined by the way that you move on the motion pad, and the screen acts accordingly. The environments that you travel through are close to real, including a night-club and busy street, all with the makings of a real-life scenario, including innocent people running away, and different style lighting effects.

-Audio 9/10-

Commands are hollered at you, and the grunts and groans of dying perps ring clearly through the speakers. The ambient sounds include people and women screaming and yelling, guns firing, the whining ricochet of bullets careening off of walls, and even some form of music in the background. All of this comes out clearly enough to make you feel as though nothing else exists but what is ahead of you.

-Control 10/10-

One of the coolest features of the game, is the fact that the control is not limited to just firing the gun. The game is set up with motion sensing devices that allow you to step to the side, duck and even dodge around incoming fire. In order to proceed, you have to learn to do what the screen tells you to do, and how to avoid the bullets and keep the game moving at a normal pace. The longer you stop, the more likely you're going to be pinned down by enemy gunfire.

-Game Play 9/10-

The game play is set like Police Trainer, except instead of training you on targets, you're training in a real situation. Your advancement through the ranks depends on how fast you move, how well you dodge bullets, and how many bad guys you can eliminate without hitting the innocents. I need not mention that this is a one player game only, as the game set-up will show you this.

One of the features that this game has to offer, is the fact that it is a work out as well. The caution sign clearly states that if you're pregnant, have heart conditions, or asthma, you shouldn't even be looking at the game, and they are right. Rather than work out your arms, this works your entire body, and for the dollar credit price, you'll learn to do what the game tells you and when to do it.

-Overall 9/10-

Probably one of the better arcade games that I've seen in a long long time, Police 911 offers you a real glimpse through the eyes of a police officer. One wrong move, and you go down, all the right moves mean an eventual promotion and onto tougher scenes. With the stunning visuals, the excelled audio tracks and the original control function on top of being a hell of a fun game to play, and well worth the money dished out.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/02/01, Updated 09/02/01