Lethal Enforcers I & II

"The Very Best Console Version Available!"

Konami's Lethal Enforcers gun game let would-be policemen shoot the arcades full of holes back in the early ninties. With an arcade machine's crisp sounds, clear digitized sprites and heart-pounding action, this game was a blast to play and a joy to throw quarters into. Its sequel, Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters, transported the franchise to the Wild West and improved the graphics slightly.

Unfortunately, previous home system ports (SNES and Genesis) simply weren't capable of bringing the full arcade experience home. Fortunately, we now have a home version that's technically capable of performing like the arcade.

Gameplay 9
Gameplay is essentially unchanged from the arcade. Instead of using Konami's required Justifier pack-in gun (in previous ports) to shoot the digitized sprite bad guys and background objects on the screen, this time you can use any PSX standard 1 light gun of your choice to play (as opposed to PSX standard 2 used in Point Blank, Time Crisis, and later gun games). If you want, you can even use one of the multi-option ''cheater'' guns to shoot and reload faster, etc., giving you an added advantage over the bad guys.

As a new beat cop/lawman, you have to watch out for the occasional innocent victims who stand up, walk by, and generally get in the way whenever they feel like it. Shooting and killing them will have a negative effect on your ability to advance and gain a high ranking/score in the game. You also need to be pretty quick as well as accurate because the bad guys do shoot back.

Control 10
Shooting accuracy depends on the quality of the light gun you use. Konami's green PSX Justifier gun is a solid choice, but you don't get any added features with it. (Aftermarket suppliers can help you here.) If you've got a second gun, you can also bring in a friend to help you clean up the streets. Your friend can use a control pad too if you don't have a second gun, but it's nowhere near the same experience.

Audio/Video 9
Here's where the PSX port really shines in comparison to previous home versions. (Both the Genesis and SNES editions were somewhat lacking.) The PSX port has all of the beautiful clear graphics of the SNES version, all of the fluid movement and speed of the Genesis version, and the added sound effects and CD quality of the Sega CD version in one great package. (You also get both Lethal Enforcers and its sequel together on one disc!)

Story 8
The story depends on which game you choose at the opening screen. If you pick the original Lethal Enforcers, you're a beat cop in a modern day city, and it's your job to shoot the bad guys in a variety of street situations (bank robbery, harbor docks, munitions warehouse, etc.). If you choose Lethal Enforcers II, you're a Wild West lawman, and again it's your job to shoot the various bad guys in the old time situations (stagecoach robbery, train robbery, bank hold up, etc.) It's that simple and unoriginal, but I'll give bonus points here since you at least get two simple, unoriginal stories together for the price of one.

Replayability 9
Replay would have been marginal on either game alone, but with the two games together, you get twice the missions to accomplish. Actually, replay for Lethal Enforcers II is a bit higher than Lethal Enforcers 1 because the sequel has more scenes and a higher level of difficulty. (You can actually start to imagine what trouble real cops have to face in the real world with all of the innocent people running about in the games.)

Buy or Rent?
If you're a light gun fan, you should go ahead and purchase this title. It's a bit old school now with its digitized graphics and all, but then again, you're getting two decent games for the price of one. If you bought the two separate cartridges for the Genesis or SNES, you'd be spending the same amount of money for an inferior product anyway.

Overall 9
Some parents have been quick to criticize gun games as ''murder simulators,'' but that's a pretty gross oversimplification. I think that 99.5% of people know the difference between a video game and real life. (It's also nice to be able to shoot and kill people without having to go to jail or prison for it!)

I have owned the Genesis, SNES, and Sega CD versions of Lethal Enforcers over the years, and although the graphics and sound quality have varied with each, the basic game and fun these titles offer have been present with all of these versions. With the Playstation, we finally have a true arcade port. Not only is this the best home translation to date, you get the added bonus of getting both of these great Lethal Enforcers translations together for one reasonable price. If you can find it for $10 or less (or simply like shooting people), you simply can't go wrong with this game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/31/01, Updated 07/31/01