Virtua Cop 2

aka: Virtua Squad 2
Moby ID: 961
Arcade Specs
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Description official description

Virtua Cop 2 is a light gun rail shooter like its predecessor Virtua Cop. The player assumes the role of a police officer and is sent after criminals, from subways and a bank to aboard helicopters.

It follows the same gameplay pattern of its predecessor and is played from a first person perspective. The game moves the player automatically, although the player can find hiding places to shoot from a safe angle. The main task is to aim and fire the cop’s weapon so as to take out the bad guys for points. Avoid the innocents, as shooting them costs the player points. The enemies have tougher firepower than in the original and the game can be played solo or with a friend.

Spellings

  • バーチャコップ2 - Japanese spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (Arcade version)

23 People (20 developers, 3 thanks)

Director
Main Programmer
Main Designer
Programmers
Designers
Music Composer
Supporting Programmers
Supporting Designers
Cabinet Design
Electrical Design
Mechanical Design
Special Thanks
Producer

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 79% (based on 25 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 77 ratings with 5 reviews)

A decent arcade-shooter

The Good
Personally, I liked the movement, the way that the camera moved every time you shot a bad guy. And the sound effects were ok. And the fact that it was Sega.

The Bad
It was too boring and too easy.

The Bottom Line
A decent game, but only buy it if you see it for $10 or less.

Windows · by James1 (240) · 2001

A flawed version of one of the best light gun games of all time.

The Good
Virtua Cop 2 is a winner. The levels are well balanced, the length and diversity of environment pitched just right and the replay value is huge due to the intuitive point scoring system which keeps you coming back to top that last score. The basic gameplay remains intact which is good and some of the graphics have been cleaned up a little.

The Bad
This version of Virtua Cop 2 however, is a flawed one. Basically it's a conversion of the PC conversion of the Saturn conversion of the arcade. This means that the problems in the earlier conversions are still evident here. The new revamped models actually look worse than the arcade originals. The worst thing of all is the frame rate. The game runs at 30 fps which is inexcusable especially considering that more advanced gun games like Confidential Mission run at a solid 60 fps. It doesn't sound like much but the lower frame rate really hurts the frenetic feel of this game. It should also be mentioned that like all light gun games, playing without a light gun is an excercise in futility and is not recommended.

The Bottom Line
Virtua Cop 2 is one of the best gun games ever made but this Dreamcast port is a very average version of it. It would have been far better if Sega released a Virtua Cop pack containing arcade perfect ports of Virtua Cop 1 and 2 seeing as they are aging a bit now and the asking price is a little steep for one flawed title.

Dreamcast · by Sycada (177) · 2001

A great shooter for the PC.

The Good
I like Virtua Cop 2. Really do. It has a simple concept (not exactly the same as in, for example, Mad Dog McCree but similar none-the-less), reasonable graphics and sound (which aren't the point in a game of this type), good controls and excellent gameplay.

This game is a happy shoot-fest and runs happily on a Pentium with a reasonable 3D accelerator and looks nice. Unusually clever enemy design (they don't just hop into your crosshair, you actually have to aim for them) along with just plain fun gameplay make this a really fun game.

The Bad
Horrible software engine, and the game is just too damn easy.

The Bottom Line
A good shooter in all respects, too bad it's just so easy.

Windows · by Tomer Gabel (4539) · 2000

[ View all 5 player reviews ]

Trivia

1001 Video Games

The Arcade version of Virtua Cop 2 appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

German index

On April 30, 1998, Virtual Cop 2 was put on the infamous German index by the BPjS. For more information about what this means and to see a list of games sharing the same fate, take a look here: BPjS/BPjM indexed games.

PC Gamer Magazine Review

Virtua Squad 2 received a 80% rating from PC Gamer magazine (May 1998; reviewed by Colin Williamson).

Awards

  • Electronic Gaming Monthly
  • March 1997 (Issue 92) - Shooter Game of the Year runner-up + Saturn Game of the Year runner-up (Readers' Choice) + Action Game of the Year runner-up (Readers' Choice) + Shooter Game of the Year runner-up (Readers' Choice)
  • November 1997 (Issue 100) - ranked #98 (Best 100 Games of All Time) (Saturn version)

Analytics

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Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 961
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Derrick 'Knight' Steele.

Arcade added by Trypticon. SEGA Saturn added by Kartanym. Dreamcast added by Sycada.

Additional contributors: PCGamer77, Alaka, ケヴィン, FatherJack.

Game added March 5, 2000. Last modified March 12, 2024.