Virtua Cop ( バ ー チ ャ コ ッ プ Ba): Ty Koppu , a North American edition of the Windows operating system also known as Virtua Squad, is a first-person arcade rail shooter game created by Sega AM2 and renowned designer Yu Suzuki . Initially, the game was released on Sega Model 2 arcade machines, in 1994 , but due to its high popularity, the project was ported to Sega Saturn and Microsoft Windows . Later, the game went into a compilation entitled Virtua Cop: Elite Edition ( Virtua Cop Rebirth in Japan), published in Japan and Europe for the PlayStation 2 console. It included a gallery and light gun support from the Namco G-Con . In 2004, the developers planned to release a port for the Nokia N-Gage portable console [1] , but it was canceled due to poor quality.
| Virtua cop | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the Japanese edition of the game for the Sega Saturn console | |
| Developer | Sega AM2 |
| Publisher | Sega |
| Part of a series | Virtua cop |
| Release dates | Arcade machines : 1994 Sega Saturn :  November 24, 1995  December 1994  December 1994 Microsoft Windows : October 31, 1996 1997 |
| Genre | Rail Shooter |
| Age ratings | ELSPA: 3+ ESRB : T -Teens USK : 18 SEGA : All ages |
| Creators | |
| Producer | Yu Suzuki |
| Game designer | |
| Technical details | |
| Platforms | Arcade machine , Sega Saturn , R-Zone , Windows , PlayStation 2 (as part of Virtua Cop: Elite Edition ), Nokia N-Gage (canceled) |
| Game modes | single-player , multi-user |
| Carrier | CD-ROM |
| Control | gamepad , light gun |
| Type of shell | Vertical |
| Display | Raster , standard resolution, horizontal orientation |
| Arcade platform | Sega model 2 |
Virtua Cop has two sequels: Virtua Cop 2 and Virtua Cop 3 . The name of the game comes from the graphic style that was previously used in Virtua Fighter , Virtua Striker and Virtua Racing .
Content
Story
In the process of investigating the case of illegal arms trafficking, the police came to the powerful crime syndicate "EVL Inc". The evidence gathered was enough to carry out a series of high-profile arrests, but the introduced agent was discovered and he was killed. The bandits managed to destroy the main part of the collected evidence, but the detective managed to transfer part of the information to his colleagues. Now police Michael Hardy and James Cool must destroy the crime syndicate and arrest its leaders.
Gameplay
Players act as police officers, and use a light gun to shoot criminals to advance the game. When a policeman shoots ordinary citizens, a fine is imposed on him. Bonuses that provide heroes with weapons or life are scattered across the levels. The weapon is lost if the player is hit, but not lost due to shooting at ordinary people. The main difference between Virtua Cop and other shooters is the use of polygonal three-dimensional graphics , which will subsequently be used in The House of the Dead and Time Crisis . The game is also noteworthy in that it is one of the first games that allow the player to shoot through the glass.
Feedback and Impact
The game received good reviews from critics. Shin Force rated the game at 8.9 points out of 10 possible, saying that shooter fans should not miss this game [2] . Electric Playground rated Virtua Cop at 9.5 points [3] .
Virtua Cop had a great influence on the genre. When the game was released in 1994, it opened up a new way for shooter developers to use three-dimensional polygons [1] . Subsequent games, such as Time Crisis , The House of the Dead , borrow gameplay from Virtua Cop .
Virtua Cop also made a big impact on the developers of GoldenEye 007 , which was originally conceived as a rail shooter with a light gun similar to Virtua Cop before the game became a first-person shooter. According to creator Martin Hollis , the game was filled with action and turned out to be very active, with very infrequent pauses [4] .
In addition to the release of the two sequels of the game, a mini-game based on Virtua Cop appears in Sega Superstars Tennis , where you need to shoot bandits with the help of Wii Remote . However, the game is referred to as Virtua Squad .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 IGN N-Gage. Virtua Cop IGN (July 7, 2004). The appeal date is April 25, 2013. Archived April 30, 2013.
- ↑ Virtua Cop Review (Shin Force: Games: Reviews: Sega Saturn ) . Shin Force (30 January 2000). Date of treatment April 6, 2013. Archived April 22, 2013.
- ↑ john. Virtua Cop Review Electric Playground . Date of treatment April 25, 2013. Archived February 20, 2001.
- ↑ Hollis, Martin. The Making of GoldenEye 007 (English) . Zoonami (September 2, 2004). Date of treatment April 14, 2013. Archived July 18, 2011.