Crime Patrol (video game)

For the 1936 film, see The Crime Patrol.
Crime Patrol

Publisher(s) American Laser Games
Platform(s) Arcade, CD-i, 3DO, Sega CD, Laserdisc, DVD Video
Release date(s) 1993
Genre(s) Light gun shooter
Mode(s) Single player
Distribution Laserdisc, CD-ROM, DVD

Crime Patrol is a live-action laserdisc video game released by American Laser Games in 1993. American Laser Games released a sequel, Crime Patrol 2: Drug Wars, the following year.

Storyline

The player character is employed in the police force and works his way up from Rookie to Delta Force, achieved through systematically neutralizing threats which appear in various environments and scenarios. As a Rookie, the player character teams up with a somewhat boisterous policewoman, taking on shoplifters, armed robbers and gang members. After getting promoted to Undercover, the player character gets a slightly overweight male partner and confronts drug smugglers and crime lords in a nightclub, impound lot and airport. Next, in SWAT, bank robbers and terrorists become the enemies. Finally, in Delta Force, the player must stand up to criminals who are a serious threat to national security, such as a hijacked shipment of nuclear material, hijacked planes, and assassination attempts. Each part of the game is made up of three separate scenarios, with one final mission involving a plot to steal plutonium that is filmed partly in nightvision.

Gameplay

The CD-i, 3DO, Sega CD, and PC versions use a mouse or light gun to aim and shoot the villains. Reloading is done by moving the light gun outside of the screen and pressing the trigger; this is also achieved when using the mouse by directing the cursor to the bottom right-hand corner of the screen and right-clicking. The player can reload at any time and an infinite number of times. The player has three lives at his disposal. There are four levels, not counting the shooting range, which one can access to improve one's aim and reflexes.

Reception

GamePro panned the Sega CD version, citing poor acting, corny dialogue, excessively grainy graphics, inaccurate controls when using a standard gamepad instead of a light gun, and generic light gun shooter gameplay.[1] The same GamePro reviewer leveled all the same criticisms at the 3DO version except for the graphics, remarking that the 3DO version has "clean, sharp, digitized images".[2]

References

  1. "ProReview: Crime Patrol". GamePro (IDG) (69): 56. April 1995.
  2. "ProReview: Crime Patrol". GamePro (IDG) (69): 91. April 1995.

External links