Dynamite Cop!
Score: 80% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Sega Developer: AM1 Media: CD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Action/ Arcade
Graphics & Sound: The graphics in Dynamite Cop! are not going to win any awards, but you don't play Dynamite Cop! because it's pretty. You play it because it's a genuine free-for-all. The graphics aren't bad, just not anywhere near cutting edge. Most of the game is played in a 3rd person, stationary camera view, very much like a fighter game. You can move in and out of the screen, left and right, but the camera angle remains constant. The voice acting is total cheese, as would be expected, and the sound effects and background music are alright, but nothing memorable.
Gameplay: Dynamite Cop! is an interesting arcade action game. You play the part of a special forces cop on a mission to infiltrate a cruise boat and rescue hostages, including the President's daughter (who just happens to be a green haired runt that makes Chelsea look hot). You get to choose one of three characters to play as, one of three entry points to begin your attack, and a ridiculous(ly huge) variety of weapons to choose from. You'll get to use everything from guns and knives to vacuum cleaners and deck chairs. Oh, and fish. Did I mention the fish? Most of the gameplay is merely an animated violence free-for-all, where you smash anything you can and beat your opponents with it. In between these different stages of arcade fighting action, there are short animated sequences that advance the plot. During these animations, your character will come upon an enemy or task to do with a really short time limit. These are essentially 'reflex' challenges. You're prompted to make a simple move on the controller (for instance, 'punch' or 'jump'), and if you succeed, your character pulls off a really slick move allowing them to continue onward without being slowed down. If you are too slow, or you press the wrong buttons, then your character fails to respond to the danger and ends up being suprised by it and slowed down (and often, set up in the next fighting stage in a poor position). If you're looking for a game that really challenges your mind, you're in the wrong place... but if you're just looking for an opportunity to 'break stuff' and test your reflexes, then you'll get a kick out of Dynamite Cop! One interesting feature of Dynamite Cop! is that your health is indicated by the amount of clothes you're wearing. The more damage you take, the less you wear. (Translation: always be the girl.) Just pray the President's daughter doesn't get hurt!
Difficulty: The main objective of the game - just working your way through it - is not extremely difficult. This is especially true because of the multiple times you're allowed to continue the game. There are extras, however, such as illustrations, which must be found by destroying as much as possible as you go about your mission. You never know what might contain a 'goodie.' Trying to 'collect them all' is a bit more difficult and requires a lot more gameplay.
Game Mechanics: The sheer number of items which can be used as weapons is truly amazing, though there's not a whole lot of originality in the ways you use the various 'weapons.' By that, I mean that if you think just because you can use a certain object as a weapon, you're character will use the 'weapon' with the instictive proficiency of Jackie Chan, you will be woefully disappointed. However, as awkward as it may be, it is pretty cool to put the smack down on someone with a side of beef, a shishkebab, a frozen fish, a chair, a plate of apples or a container of pepper. Are there real weapons, too? Sure... and when you've unloaded all the ammo in some poor sap, you can smack them with the gun or throw it at them. (Ha!) The multiple entry points is a nice feature, but you end up taking the same path somewhere in the middle. There's a lot here to like. I only wish they had made more of it. It seems to be a little on the short side.
-Geck0, GameVortex Communications AKA Robert Perkins
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