Virtua Squad 2

"Now's your chance to put an end to hostage situations and robberies with a simple click."

Virtua Squad 2 (betterly known as Virtua Cop 2) has been regarded as one of the top arcade shooters ever since its existence in the mid-to-late 1990s. Of course, there are tons of arcade shooters that can provide a thrilling experience, but only a few manage to still capture that exciting essence that is rarely seen on ported arcade versions. Virtua Squad 2 is one of the few games that holds the essence, and still provides a thrilling experience regardless of how many times you play it. The basic storyline behind Virtua Cop 2 is well, there is no plot. You basically play the role of a male or female officer of the VCPD (Virtua Cop Police Department). Of course, you're typical day isn't no walk in the park. Often, you'll run into bank robberies, hostage situations, and mass takeovers from random gangs and terrorist organizations. But hey, that's what hazard pay is for, right?

Graphics [8/10]
For being an outdated game and port version of an arcade game, many would expect the level of graphics to be of a lesser degree on the PC. That's not the case in this situation. Virtua Squad 2 makes a beautiful, wondrous environment thanks to Direct 3D. The entire game is played in an ultra 3D-like environment complete with color shaded backgrounds, tall/structural office buildings, and even alterable objects. Many places look like real-life counterparts, especially the cruise ships, parking garages, and jewelry stores. You'll be amazed at such a great job Sega did in recreating that realistic environment that most arcade games provide. The PC version does outstanding work with the lack of technology back then. The player models are even more rich with plenty of noticeable body parts, and neat features. For example, some bad guys wear different colored ski masks, while others have bulging biceps complete with their sidearms. A good amount of detail went into designing each enemy, and even the spoiled gamer will enjoy the scenes that Virtua Cop 2 provides.

While this may sound very aspiring, you'll often come across 2D sprites and various things that don't fit the situation well. The overall framerate in the game is paced well, with hardly any slowdown. But all of this comes at a cost. Many explosions in the game are just 2D sprites of fire and lighting effects. For example, when you're chasing criminals in your car, the entire dashboard of the car is a 2D sprite. Many things including the sky and normal bitmaps are converted to 2D images to conserve on PC memory and framerate display. Yes, even beautiful environments, and constant shooting comes with some sacrifices. Still, Virtua Squad 2 utilizes the resources it's given, making for an enjoyable gaming experience to any player.

Sound/Music [6/10]
Unfortunately, the sound seems to be very sub par when compared to the graphics. The biggest lack in this game is music. Now of course, it's hard to put background music in levels where it requires that you nail down bad guys and filthy criminals. Let's face it though, without any emotional background music, emotions don't become a good part of the gameplay. There's hardly any music at all in the entire game, including the menu navigation. I mean, they could've at least added something to give the player an edge when he goes into a mission.

Sound effects are much better, although not as clear as one would expect. Your typical revolver makes the whooshing bullet sound, and your reload has the nice hitch-n-click. Your police car sirens really get the adrenaline pumping, and when a civilian screams ''Don't Shoot!'', it really gets your mind attentive to the situation. It's hard nowadays to find games that link the actual sound to the gameplay, but Sega did a decent job in doing so. Despite all this, sounds do overjumble constantly throughout levels. With so many baddies popping onto the screen at once, many sounds overlap, and it seems more like a freak show than an actual arcade game. Also, many sounds have a muffled effect, which isn't pleasant to hear when you're ''supposedly'' in a virtual environment.

Gameplay [9/10]
With any arcade shooter, there's tons of action to go along with it. Virtua Squad 2 does just that. The gameplay system is simple and easy to learn. The entire game is played from a first person view, where you play as either the male or female police officer. You have a target on the screen which moves based on where you move your mouse, and an easy two-button approach. The left mouse button shoots your revolver, and the right one reloads it. Of course, since Virtua Cop 2 is mainly fast paced arcade action, you're given an infinite amount of bullets (and no reload intervals as well). It really doesn't give the game a realistic approach, but who cares, you're a cop for the VCPD.

Anyhow, the gameplay is very rushed and on the edge. The game moves your character around and you basically shoot any bad guys that pop up on the screen. An automatic targeting system highlights the closest threats to your position, but you can also shoot other bad guys who appear on screen. Anywhere from one to five bad guys can be on display, creating for some real bizarre shooting sequences. Your score is kept track through a points system, and you gain extra points for things like, ''three point shots'', and ''justice shots.'' Civilians/Hostages will randomly pop up on maps, making it more difficult than your typical action shooter. If you shoot a civilian, you basically lose a life, so it's not that bad (although the dead civilian prefers to differ). While VC2 does provide exciting gameplay, the game only contains three levels. Yup, that's it. Plus, each level has increasing difficulty, so you can't set level one to super hard or anything. This really takes from the depth of the game.

Fun [9/10]
This has to be one of the most fun games I have ever played for my PC. Everything from the heart throbbing action, to the interaction in the environment makes this game a blast. While it only has three small levels, the game contains a special ''umph'' that only few arcade shooters can provide. For example, in the first level, the car chase scene is absolute blast. Sega added details like being able to shoot the tires of a car, and it would eventually flip over and blow up. You can also shoot out car windows, knock down cooking pans, find secret weapons, save a hostage's life; it's all here. Virtua Squad 2 has little tidbits that very few developers think about. When you add this many details to an environment, and give it that fast paced action, it's unbelievable how much fun the gamer will have.

Replayability [7/10]
Virtua Cop 2 not only has a single-player mode, but you can also player a co-op mode where your partner has the other crosshair on the screen. There's even an additional Proving Grounds where you and your opponent face off, and must shoot each other within a limited amount of time with plenty of distractions along the way. Sega really gave this game an awesome appealing factor. You could seriously sit down and play the same level several times without noticing a difference. Each level has alternate paths that can be chosen, which expands on where and why you want to go there. There are bosses at the end of each level, and a final ''big boss'' at the end of the game. The idea though is to get the best score, and highest ranking to show off against your friends. With the ability to use a joystick or PC zapper, the possibilities are endless with the game. Virtua Squad 2 really provides a fascinating experience, but the big turnoff is the short three levels, and miniature Proving Grounds.

Difficulty [3/10]
You don't have to be an expert sharpshooter, or have the shooting skills of Billy the Kid. The challenge in the game isn't deep or enthusiastic, but rather dependant on your mouse bashing skills. Virtua Squad 2 requires that you can move a mouse, and you're pretty much set. The learning curve is minimal, probably five minutes at most. Any kid or person could pick this game up, and probably beat it within an hour. Unfortunately, VC2 isn't like the arcade where you're pressured to make split second decisions. When you sit at your own home PC, you eventually learn when and where an enemy will pop out. The patterns become etched in your mind like a locker combination, something you will never forget. Because of this, the game becomes easier and easier every time around. Plus, with only three levels, it could take less than a week before you get the #1 score the game can possibly have. This is the problem with arcade shooters, they simply don't become a challenge after plenty of practice.

Final Factor [9/10]
I never thought that a simple arcade shooter could provide such a fruitful and entertaining experience. Virtua Squad 2 makes a great port of a true classic shooter, and really keeps the vigorous spirit alive on the PC. Very few games manage to capture a vibe that you'll never forget as a console gamer. This is by far one of the best games that I believe any PC gamer should own. Hardly any games come close to what Virtua Squad 2 provides, and that simply is indescribable. If you see this anywhere, buy it. It's something that keeps the candle glowing late at night.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/15/03, Updated 07/15/03