One of the leading names of the arcade and the Sega Saturn, Virtua Cop brought railshooters to a whole new level of awesome! Taking down the criminal element of Virtua City has never been more fun and rewarding as it is in this 32-bit game of pure pixelated justice! Whether it be with the lightgun or with the Saturn controller, you are treated to construction sites, city streets and subways full of killers and thieves lurking around every corner, ready to open fire!
Sporting three levels to play through three difficulties, it’s hard not to get that octane going from the start! The criminals come from every corner and you need to be on your toes and ready to fire at any moment. Just don’t forget to reload as fast as you can because sometimes there’s a lot more than a few of them on the screen. Gaining points for nonlethal shots and aiming away from the innocent bystanders is all just part of a bigger challenge.
Is the game perfect? No, of course not but for a starting title on the Sega Saturn, you tend to overlook a lot of its shortcomings. Sometimes the innocent bystander will literally pop up in front of a target. These things happen. Sometimes your reaction period is less than a second, but that doesn’t happen especially often. It still doesn’t impede in your game in any noticeable way. The difficulty can spike here and there but by that point, you’re already on a hair trigger.
The graphics aren’t spectacular, but they really don’t need to be. They lack texture and have that polygon look that the fifth generation is known for and honestly, that’s where it should be. It holds nostalgia for those who played it as children. For those who have never played it, it’s perfectly functional, despite its occasional, graphical glitches. These are all simple nitpicks and products of the time, making them something of a beautiful time capsule.
Boss battles are a must for any who want to see some big baddies and take them down with your fire power. Despite the more grounded bad guys you face in the level, these guys are hilariously over the top! From super strong thugs who fire rockets at you to a guy with a literal Mech Suit, these guys come at you with everything you can imagine! Even a gun! *gasp!*
It’s an early shooting game without any blood and gore. So instead they made it to where your shots just give off a flash on the area you hit. Now, saying this is safe for kids is subjective. Some parents don’t want them to handle guns at all and that’s understandable. But if you’re worried about unsettling or gruesome imagery, fear not, there really is none.
If you’re looking for a review of the framerate or a comparison of the Sega Saturn to Arcade ports of this game, you’re in the wrong place. The fact of the matter is that the Saturn port plays very well, and the replayability lies in point score and if you ever want to do the no-kill challenge. While you do need to kill the bosses to win, you can always aim for the arms and legs of each underling to get more points. Also, be sure to play all three levels in the proper order for a special final boss. Play it however you want, it’s quite open ended. It lacks a great deal of hardship with the lightgun but challenging yourself with the controller on the hardest difficulty is a very viable option. Give that a try and good luck.
While many cite Virtua Cop 2 as the superior title, they are not wrong, but I do not agree. The first game was a much more pure experience without the need for the added game mechanics. They’re both masterpieces, though and Virtua Cop is still one of the better railshooters of the system alongside its sequel and House of the Dead. Virtua Cop is a staple in any Saturn collection and if you have not played it, you are depriving yourself of shoot’em up awesomeness! Throw away inhibitions and shoot the baddies! Virtua BANG!!!!
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