Virtua Cop

"A good shooter, but lacks stages and difficulty."

Introduction
I got this game with my Saturn back in 1996, when Sega was offering a deal where you get three free titles (this one, Daytona USA and Virtua Fighter 2) when you bought a Saturn. The game is pretty good, but lacks two key features: stages and difficulty. There are three stages to play, all with three different scenes and a boss at the end of each. Due to this, there really isn't much challenge in playing it. The game can easily be completed fully, on the hardest settings, within a matter of 30 minutes.

Graphics: 6/10
Most of the images are pretty choppy in this game. They look pretty similar to a simple PSX game: blocky, choppy, low-class 3D. The only remarkable graphics you'll be seeing are the ones shown in the ending cinema, which appear smooth, 3D, and pretty good overall. Mediocre graphics in the game, average cinemas.

Audio: 7/10
As in most games, I don't really pay much attention to the audio unless it's exceptionally well or poor. The background music is pretty good, especially the boss themes. The menu BGM is also catchy, but never really changes. Sound effects are pretty good: you have the standard gunshot effect, the reloading effect, the ''RELOAD'' voice, and a few others. The gunshot could have been enhanced to sound more realistic, but otherwise, the audio in the game is quite average.

Challenge: 4/10
Anyone within the age range of 8+ can easily complete this entire game within a matter of hours, as there really isn't much difficulty involved. After finishing the game, you have some features in the Options Menu which allow you to alter a few of the games options. Doing so can make the game more difficult, but not by much. A skilled player can easily finish the game, on hard settings, within a half hour. To be honest, I think more stages could have increased the challenge of the game, because three is just too easy.

Gameplay: 8/10
The overall concept of the game is pretty fun, and by far the best category it features. Basically, you go through each stage and shoot up all the gangsters you see. That may not sound too appealing, but I can't really put it any other way. The only complaint I have with the gameplay is that it's far too short, with only three stages to complete. Otherwise, the game is pretty fun.

Replayability: 5/10
You'll probably get about 4-5 good plays out of this game before officially retiring it. After finishing the game on easy and normal mode, you can try it on hard mode and alter some of the options to make it more difficult. Add that along with the secrets you can access later on in the game plus the 2 player games, and you have a fair amount of replay value, but not nearly enough. More stages should have been added, but there's no sense on dwelling on something that doesn't exist.

Features: 7/10
I have to give credit to Sega for adding quite a few challenge altering options to the game, but more could have been added. What I would've liked was the option to either play as the cop or the gangsters, but that would've required more time and money, so I can see why Sega didn't bother. Overall, the game has some pretty decent features, including a 2 player mode, training mode, difficulty altering options and the three stages of play.

Rent or Buy?
Well, you can probably get this game dirt cheap nowadays, so I'd recommend purchasing the game if you like what you've heard so far. In the amount it would cost to rent the game, you could probably purchase it on the 'net or at a used game store or somewhere else that sells Saturn games, so definitely pick it up if you see it.

Overall: 7/10
If you're into shooters, this is definitely a game you'll want to pick up. It was one of the first I got with my Saturn, and I still love it. It's even better if you have a Light Gun for your Saturn. With average audio/video, high-quality gameplay, and mediocre replayability, I'd say this game is just above average.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/09/01, Updated 03/09/01