Virtua Cop 2

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Virtua Cop 2
System(s): Sega Model 2A CRX, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, PC
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Peripherals supported:
Sega Saturn
Virtua Gun,
Sega Dreamcast
Dreamcast Light Gun
Genre: Shoot-'em-Up

















Release Date RRP Code

Virtua Cop 2 (バーチャコップ2) is a light gun Sega Model 2A CRX game, released in 1995 and developed internally at Sega by their AM2 studio. It was ported to home systems on the Sega Saturn in 1996. It was released in PC in 1997 and Sega Dreamcast in 2000. It was later bundled with Virtua Cop in Virtua Cop: Elite Edition for PlayStation 2 in 2002.

This game was known as Virtua Squad 2 for the North American PC release. It was succeeded by Virtua Cop 3.

Gameplay

The game features three levels through which the player's movement is automated on a predetermined path. It is the player's job to shoot the criminals that appear before time runs out and they shoot back. Along the way there will be various objects in the background that can be broken if shot, some of which will reveal power-ups afterwards. At the end of each level there is a boss battle, as well as one extra final boss battle after all three levels have been finished.

Plot

Detective Janet Marshall is the new face on the force at the VCPD Special Investigations Unit. Her specialty is subject profiling - the analysis of every detail at a crime scene used to determine patterns of criminal behavior - and she has gained a considerable reputation by putting more than a few nasty criminals behind bars. But last year she lost her partner and mentor, Nick Anderson, while on a case.

During the events of the Virtua Cop, the original Virtua Cops, Michael "Rage" Hardy and James "Smarty" Cools, shut down the EVL Inc. criminal empire. Three of the head King and gang leader Boss Kong are all in the maximum security federal pen, and the final member of the EVL gang of four, international terrorist Joe Fang, is believed to have been killed in a helicopter crash, though his body was never found. After the downfall of EVL Inc. a comprehensive investigation of their black market and gun-running activities was launched in the Virtua City bank.

The GamesMaster Challenge

In 1997, former Games World Videator and future videogames journalist Martin Mathers appeared on the British videogames television show GamesMaster and participated in a challenge to complete a stage on two separate Virtua Cop 2 cabinets at the same time. Mathers performed admirably, but ultimately failed the challenge after shooting a bystander and losing a life. After the camera captured him venting his frustrations (although inaudible, he can clearly be seen to be mouthing expletives), he cut a post-challenge promo stating that he had, in fact, taken pity on the bystander and performed a mercy killing, due to the apparent likeness to British pop flop Peter Andre. This challenge can be seen on the GamesMaster DVD given away on the tenth anniversary issue of GamesMaster magazine in 2003

Game characters

Michael Hardy (Rage)

Two years later, this cop has grown up with his partner, James Cools, and a newcomer cop, Janet Marshall. He could do better than anyone else, including his part-time job and his duty training. He is known to be a quick draw when things get underfire. Rage is an all-around character in the game.

James Cools (Smarty)

Like his partner, Michael, who worked the same side for the good as well as he does, this doesn't stop him from beating by some bad guys. Although Rage is quicker on the draw in a gunfight, Smarty is known to be the top shot in the police force.

Janet Marshall (Janet)

A newly-installed special VCPD detective in the Virtua Cop special investigations squad (although the only female cop in the squad), Janet fights for her deceased partner.

Note: Sega Saturn Magazine (published in the UK) put up a friendly competition to give Janet Marshall a tag name. The name chosen was Janet "Hubcaps" Marshall.

VMU Features

The Dreamcast version of Virtua Cop 2 allows to save game data on the VMU.

Virtua Cop 2 Save Data
Name File Name Comment File Size Icon
VIRTUACOP2 VIRTUA_COP_2 VIRTUACOP2 2 blocks Virtuacop2 vmu.png

Production Credits

Arcade Version

Director: Wataru Kawashima
Main Programmer: Shunsuke Sekikawa
Main Designer: Akihito Hiroyoshi
Programmers: Goho Ogura, Tadanobu Numata, Tetsu Yoshimitsu
Designers: Akira Morimoto, Issei Tokuda, Yoshiyuki Iwai, Masataka Aochi, Jeffery B Buchanan
Music Composer: Hideaki Miyamoto
Supporting Programmers: Kazutoshi Tozawa, Masao Matsumoto
Supporting Designers: Shuichi Sahara, Takafumi Kagaya
Cabinet Design: Masahiro Yoshino
Electrical Design: Ken Adachi
Mechanical Design: Makoto Saito (AM R&D Dept. #4)
Special Thanks: Satoshi Mifune, Masaki Yamashita, Hiroyuki Nakagomi
Producer: Yu Suzuki
Created By: Sega AM2
Presented By: Sega

Saturn Version

Director / Main Programmer: Masayuki Sumi
Chief Designers: Hideki Miyake, Masakazu Takizawa
Programmers: Goho Ogura, Hiroki Okajima, Hiroyuki Tsuzuki, Junichiro Matsuura, Takayuki Muramatsu
Designers: Nobuhisa Tajiri, Yoshiyuki Iwai
Supporting Programmers: Takayuki Yamaguchi, Takeshi Iwasaki, Takeshi Matsuda
Supporting Designers: Ryoya Yui, Saori Nishikawa, Norimasa Yoshizawa
Music Composer: Hideaki Miyamoto
S.E. Support: Hidenori Syouji
Publicity: Jun Kasahara, AM#2 Publicity Section
Special Thanks: Five G music technology
Producer: Yu Suzuki

PC Version

Program Director: Ken-ichi Yokoo
Main-Programmer: Kazuhisa Hasuoka
Network-System Programmer: Yoshihiko Toyoshima
Sound-System Programmer: Takashi Atsu
Graphic Designers: Hisato Fukumoto, Yumi Morikawa
Sound Composer: Maki Morrow
Technical Advisors: Naohiro Warama, Osamu Ogata, Kei Takashima
Testers: Takahiko Kobayashi, Youichiro Inoue, Kazuyuki Hagiwara, Noriko Hori
Director: Jun-etsu Kakuta
Special Thanks To: AM R&D Dept. #2, Virtua Cop Arcade Team, Virtua Cop Saturn Team, AM#2 Sound Section, AM#2 Publicity Section, PC Division, Technical Division Design Team #2
Assistant Producer: Shun Arai
Producer: Toshinori Asai
Supervisor: Yu Suzuki

Gallery

Promotional Material

Physical Scans

Model 2 Version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
60 №169, p75
Arcade
60
Based on
1 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Arcade
N/A
Based on
0 reviews

Virtua Cop 2

Template:ScanflyerTemplate:Scanflyer

Saturn Version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
80 №182, p64/65/66/67
80 №41, p86
94 №59, p98/99
94 №51, p32/33/34/35/36
85 №70, p130
95 №14, p66/67
78 №93
Sega Saturn
87
Based on
7 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
576 KByte (HU)
91
[1]
Ação Games (BR)
80
[2]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
75
[3]
Edge (UK) PAL
80
[4]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
81
[5]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
80
[6]
Freak (IL)
85
[7]
Fun Generation (DE) PAL
90
[8]
Gambler (PL)
84
[9]
GameFan (US) NTSC-U
95
[10]
Game Power (IT)
84
[11]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
83
[12]
GamesMaster (UK) PAL
88
[13]
Gry Komputerowe (PL)
93
[14]
Hobby Consolas (ES)
89
[15]
Intelligent Gamer (US)
91
[16]
Joypad (FR) PAL
94
[17]
MAN!AC (DE) PAL
75
[18]
Mega Fun (DE) NTSC-J
75
[19]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
94
[20]
Next Generation (US) NTSC-U
75
[21]
Player One (FR)
85
[22]
Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J
80
[23]
Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J
80
[24]
Saturn+ (UK) PAL
94
[25]
Secret Service (PL)
91
[26]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
92
[27]
Świat Gier Komputerowych (PL)
95
[28]
Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) PAL
95
[29]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
87
[30]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
87
[31]
Strana Igr (RU)
80
[32]
Super Power (FI) PAL
91
[33]
Total Saturn (UK) PAL
92
[34]
Total Saturn (UK) PAL
90
[35]
Sega Saturn
86
Based on
35 reviews

Virtua Cop 2

Saturn, US
VC2 Saturn US Box Back.jpgVirtuacop2 sat us frontcover.jpg
Cover
Virtuacop2 sat us manual.pdf
Manual
Saturn, EU
VirtuaCop2 saturn eu cover.jpg
Cover
Virtuacop2 sat eu disc.jpg
Disc
Saturn, EU (Virtua Gun bundle)
VirtuaGun EU VC2 Box Front.jpg
Cover
Virtuacop2 sat eu bundle backcover.jpgVirtuacop2 sat eu bundle frontcover.jpg
Jewel Case
Saturn, EU (Demo)

VirtuaCop2DemoCD saturn eu cd.jpg
Disc
Saturn, JP
VC2 Saturn JP Box Back.jpgVC2 Saturn JP Box Front.jpg
Cover
Saturn, BR
<div style="margin:auto; max-width:Expression error: Unexpected < operator.px"> 320x120pxNospine.png320x120px
Cover
Saturn, KR
VC2 Saturn KR Box Back.jpgNospine-small.pngVC2 Saturn KR Box Front.jpg
Cover

Dreamcast Version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
84 №99, p114
Sega Dreamcast
84
Based on
1 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Ação Games (BR)
85
[36]
Consoles + (FR) NTSC-J
84
[37]
Dreamcast Monthly (UK) NTSC-J
60
[38]
Dreamcast Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
80
[39]
Dreamcast Magazine (UK) NTSC-J
69
[40]
Dorimaga (JP) NTSC-J
81
[41]
Entsiklopediya igr dlya Dreamcast (RU)
81
[42]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
70
[43]
Gamers' Republic (US) NTSC-J
67
[44]
Sega Magazin (DE) NTSC-J
72
[45]
Sega Dreamcast
75
Based on
10 reviews

Virtua Cop 2

Dreamcast, JP
Vcop2 dc jp back cover.jpgVcop2 dc jp front cover.jpg
Cover

PC Version

PC, US
VirtuaSquad2 PC US Box Front.jpg
Cover
VirtuaSquad2 PC US Box Front JewelCase.jpg
Jewel Case
PC, EU

VirtuaCop2 PC EU Disc.jpg
Disc
Virtua Cop 2 PC EU Box Back.jpgVirtua Cop 2 PC EU Box Front.jpg
Jewel Case
PC, EU (Ntertainment)
<div style="margin:auto; max-width:Expression error: Unexpected < operator.px"> 320x120px
Cover
PC, JP
VirtuaCop2 PC JP Box Front.jpg
Cover
PC, JP (Ultra 2000)

PC, JP (DigiCube)
VirtuaCop2 PC JP Box DigiCube.jpg
Cover
PC, UK (Xplosiv)
VirtuaCop2 PC EU Box Xplosiv.jpg
Cover
VirtuaCop2 PC EU Disc Xplosiv.jpg
Disc
PC, UK (Xplosiv) (Alt)
VirtuaCop2 PC UK Box Xplosiv Alt.jpg
Cover
PC, FR/NL (Sega Classics)

PC, ES (Xplosiv)

PC, CN
VirtuaCop2 PC CN Box Front.jpg
Cover

External Links



Virtua Cop series of games
Arcade
Virtua Cop (1994) | Virtua Cop 2 (1995) | Virtua Cop 3 (2003)
Sega Saturn
Virtua Cop (1995) | Virtua Cop 2 (1996) | Virtua Cop Special Pack (1998) | Virtua Cop 1-2 Pack (1998)
Sega Dreamcast
Virtua Cop 2 (2000)
Windows PC
Virtua Cop (1996) | Virtua Cop 2 (1997)
LCD handheld game
Virtua Cop (199x)
Sony PlayStation 2
Virtua Cop: Elite Edition (2002)
Virtua Cop related media
Music
Virtua Cop Soundtracks (1996)
Book
Virtua Cop Official Guide Book (1995) | Virtua Cop Kyuukyoku Hon (1996) | Virtua Cop: Crisis City (1996) | Virtua Cop Vol. 2: Gyakushuu no Fang (1996) | Virtua Cop 2 Tai Terrorist Chinatsu Manual (1996) | Virtua Cop 2 Killer Manual (1997) | Virtua Cop 2 Detective Manual (1997)
  1. 576 KByte, "December 1996" (HU; 1996-xx-xx), page 19
  2. Ação Games, "Março 1997" (BR; 1997-xx-xx), page 8
  3. Computer & Video Games, "January 1997" (UK; 1996-12-11), page 64
  4. Edge, "January 1997" (UK; 1996-12-27), page 86
  5. Electronic Gaming Monthly, "January 1997" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 62
  6. Famitsu, "1996-11-29" (JP; 1996-11-15), page 1
  7. Freak, "1/97" (IL; 1997-xx-xx), page 1
  8. Fun Generation, "12/96" (DE; 1996-11-13), page 90
  9. Gambler, "5/1997" (PL; 1997-xx-xx), page 1
  10. GameFan, "Volume 5, Issue 1: January 1997" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 22
  11. Game Power, "Gennaio 1997" (IT; 199x-xx-xx), page 54
  12. GamePro, "February 1997" (US; 1997-xx-xx), page 82
  13. GamesMaster, "January 1997" (UK; 1996-12-18), page 40
  14. Gry Komputerowe, "1-2/1997" (PL; 1997-xx-xx), page 1
  15. Hobby Consolas, "Diciembre 1996" (ES; 199x-xx-xx), page 92
  16. Intelligent Gamer, "January 1997" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 55
  17. Joypad, "Décembre 1996" (FR; 1996-xx-xx), page 98
  18. MAN!AC, "12/96" (DE; 1996-11-13), page 64
  19. Mega Fun, "12/96" (DE; 1996-11-20), page 92
  20. Mean Machines Sega, "January 1997" (UK; 1996-12-06), page 32
  21. Next Generation, "March 1997" (US; 1997-02-11), page 94
  22. Player One, "Décembre 1996" (FR; 1996-xx-xx), page 130
  23. Saturn Fan, "1996 No. 24" (JP; 1996-11-15), page 188
  24. Saturn Fan, "1997 No. 1" (JP; 1996-12-27), page 70
  25. Saturn+, "Issue 5" (UK; 1996-12-19), page 8
  26. Secret Service, "Luty 1997" (PL; 1997-xx-xx), page 69
  27. Sega Power, "January 1997" (UK; 1996-12-19), page 42
  28. Świat Gier Komputerowych, "4/1997" (PL; 1997-xx-xx), page 1
  29. Sega Saturn Magazine, "December 1996" (UK; 1996-11-14), page 66
  30. Sega Saturn Magazine, "1996-21 (1996-12-13)" (JP; 1996-11-22), page 266
  31. Sega Saturn Magazine, "Readers rating final data" (JP; 2000-03), page 11
  32. Strana Igr, "Mart 1997" (RU; 1997-xx-xx), page 65
  33. Super Power, "1 1997" (FI; 199x-xx-xx), page 36
  34. Total Saturn, "Volume One Issue Three" (UK; 1996-11-29), page 46
  35. Total Saturn, "Volume One Issue Four" (UK; 1996-12-29), page 63
  36. Ação Games, "Maio 2000" (BR; 2000-xx-xx), page 35
  37. Consoles +, "Avril 2000" (FR; 2000-0x-xx), page 114
  38. Dreamcast Monthly, "May 2000" (UK; 2000-04-13), page 84
  39. Dreamcast Magazine, "2000-08 (2000-03-10)" (JP; 2000-02-25), page 21
  40. Dreamcast Magazine, "No. 8" (UK; 2000-04-20), page 76
  41. Dorimaga, "2002-18 (2002-10-11)" (JP; 2002-09-27), page 34
  42. Entsiklopediya igr dlya Dreamcast, "Izdaniye chetvertoye, dopolnennoye" (RU; 2002-xx-xx), page 291
  43. Famitsu, "2000-03-10" (JP; 2000-02-25), page 29
  44. Gamers' Republic, "May 2000" (US; 2000-xx-xx), page 90
  45. Sega Magazin, "Mai 2000" (DE; 2000-04-05), page 22