Virtua Cop 2

"Best 3D rail shooter on the Saturn"

Virtua Cop 2 improves on the original Virtua Cop in the necessary areas and left the good qualities untouched. VC2 is an excellent port of AM2's arcade shooter. The VC series has been often credited for resurrecting or prolonging a floundering genre. Its 3D graphics and polygons allowed the gamer to shoot the enemies at different parts of their bodies. Different hit areas engendered different reactions. It was revolutionary in mid 1990s. Detractors say that the Saturn ports are vastly inferior to the Arcade versions. Truthfully I can hardly distinguish between the Arcade and Saturn versions, which demonstrates the vast talent of AM2.

Graphics -- 9/10
VC2 is a very pretty game. It looks slightly grittier than VC1, but VC1 looked too crisp. The characters almost looked like glorified cardboard cutouts at times. Nevertheless the character models remain similar as it looks like the gamer is killing an abnormal amount of twins. It may not be in high resolution, but VC2 comes pretty darn close. The polygons are solid as there is no flickering or breakup. Even in the amazing car chases and explosions, there is no slowdown either. Admittingly the explosions did not look realistic even in 1996!

Sound/Music -- 7/10
The gunshots sound real enough and the music plays in the background. Nothing memorable, negative or positive, here. However the voice acting is pretty hilarious and unrealistic. If an innocent bystander does not want to be shot. Do not jump up and squeal highly "Dont shoot!"
I think the best song ever connected with VC is Janet's remixed stage music in Fighters MegaMix.

Gameplay -- 8/10
VC2 branches out a little more than the almost completely linear VC1. There are two paths in each of the 3 levels (the gamer can play these levels in any order). The levels are also more interactive as items ranging from fruit to computer monitors can be destroyed. The most rewarding path is the "Saturn Way" on the most difficult level. It appears that AM2 added as much graphical goodness and gameplay possible for the Saturn on that path. VC2 was the first game where I had the opportunity to go on a realistic car chase and it paid homage to an earlier shooter on the NES -- Hogan's Alley -- in one of the scenes during the easy level.

Last thoughts
I love this game and it can be bought for real cheap. Controls are done well even without an Enforcer gun. Load times only occur between levels. This game is only betrayed by its arcade origins, which results in a short playing experience.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/10/05