"Take out your guns! Virtua Cop 2 is coming back!"

It has not even been 10 days after I got Bust-A-Move 3 for Sega Saturn and I rushed to the shops once again to keep my retro mind alive! So what did I come up with? You would not believe it but.. I found the ultra rare special edition Virtua Cop 2 + Virtua Gun Bundle! And only for a cheap 20 Euro! So I bought it with no second thought.
But.. once I played it, I decided that it was worth making a review for it.

So what is Virtua Cop 2?

Well, first of all we have to say that it was released in the 1996, just about the same time N64 was making it's first appearance to the market. In 1996 was also the crucial year for Sega, and probably the last profitable one. Ever after 1996, Sega kept diving down and down until it ended up as we know today. But, with Virtua Cop 2, Sega proves once more that they always were capable developers.
Virtua Cop 2 is a shooting game, that was created for the Arcades initially. The port to Saturn went okay, and the game never suffers from slowdown or other technical glitches. Actually it is a near perfect port, even if some textures could use some work. But in the end, it is the gameplay that matters and not the graphics. So how does Virtua Cop 2 fare generally?

GRAPHICS: This game looks really nice on the Saturn. One thing you will notice is that the textures are crisp and that the worlds are really filled with details and polygons. Most of the environment is affected by your gunshots, so glasses break, cars crash and melons burst! The framerate rarely drops and the screen can show up to 7 characters with no problem. Off course this is not showcasing all the capabilities of Sega Saturn. Not only that but you can also pinpoint some problems with the graphics. First of all, the edges on the polygons are really rough, and connections can be easily detected. Also the worlds, albeit really detailed, are blocky. It is an early generation Saturn game and it shows. Sega Saturn produced much more than this, but still, Virtua Cop 2 is looking nice even for today's standards.

SOUND: This is a place that Virtua Cop 2 does not fare well. The music of the game is off no interest and you will probably get bored or even annoyed of it after the third time playing it. The voices are not good either. The voice acting is laughable at least, the voice speaking throughout the game is horrible. The only thing that sounds good is probably the gunshot sound. Almost all guns have a different sound that looks believable.

CONTROLS: Well, I think that I talk to real gamers. Any real gamer knows that you cannot play a lightgun game with a controller. So this is the case here. I won't even commend on the controls when playing with the controller. Do yourself a favor and buy the gun, or just forget this game. Now when using a gun, Virtua Cop 2 feels really right, and the Sega Saturn Virtua Gun is really effective. Maybe you will get tired of holding it, but probably this is something you will feel with any gun in the market.

GAMEPLAY/LASTABILITY: Virtua Cop was one of the first series to make the use of lightguns mainstream. So it is not surprising that Virtua Cop 2 is a really nice game. You will have a nice time blasting through the... 3 levels. Yes you heard right. No matter how fun it is, you simply cannot forget the fact that this game only spans 3 levels. You will probably finish it by playing 2 times. After that your interest will fall immediately and you are never likely to touch the game again. Virtua Cop 2 was created for the Arcades and it shows. In your console, the arcade fun soon wears off and what is left to you is a useless gun and a finished game. Still, if lightgun games are your favorite, you will probably love Virtua Cop 2.

BUY/RENT: If you find the Bundle version, go for it without a second thought. It is really rare and will boost your collection's morale. If you just find the game alone then it is up to you. I would still recommend buying it since Saturn games are becoming rare day by day. Then again, if you have no lightgun for the Sega Saturn, you can probably leave this gather dust at the store you saw it.

Now, it is time for the scores. Get your guns ready... but do not shoot me, okay?

GRAPHICS: 8.5 /10
SOUND: 6 /10
CONTROLS: 9.5 /10
GAMEPLAY: 9 /10
LASTABILITY: 3.5 /10

PROS:
-If you have a lightgun it is fun for a while!
-You have loved it in the Arcades!

CONS:
-It will not last more than 2 hours...
-Without a lightgun it is awful at least...
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OVERALL: 7.8/10

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Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/24/03, Updated 01/24/03