Virtua Cop

From Sega Retro

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VirtuaCop title.png

Virtua Cop
System(s): Sega Model 2, Sega Saturn, PC
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Sound driver:
Sega Saturn
SCSP/CD-DA (18 tracks)
Peripherals supported:
Sega Saturn
Virtua Gun, Shuttle Mouse
Genre: Shoot-'em-Up

















Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code
Windows PC
JP 		¥8,8008,800
Windows PC
US
Windows PC
US
(Expert Software)
Windows PC
EU 		MK-85043-50
Windows PC
UK
(Expert Software)
Windows PC
KR

Virtua Cop (バーチャコップ) is an arcade shooter game created by Sega AM2 for Sega Model 2 hardware in 1994. It is the first in the Virtua Cop series. It was one of the first light-gun games to take place in a 3D world, as the first light-gun shooter to use 3D polygons. Sega advertised it as the "world's first texture mapped, polygon action game". [2]

Virtua Cop's arcade success meant it was ported to the Sega Saturn in 1995 and later to PC in 1997. The Saturn version of the game was initially bundled with the Virtua Gun, a light-gun peripheral intended for use with this game. If the user lacks a CRT television, the Virtua Gun cannot be used, and the game must be played with the normal Saturn controller. The PC version uses the mouse, and was released in North America as "Virtua Squad".

Virtua Cop was followed by two sequels, Virtua Cop 2 and Virtua Cop 3. It was bundled Virtua Cop 2 in Japan and Europe on the PlayStation 2 as Virtua Cop: Elite Edition (Virtua Cop Rebirth in Japan) on August 25, 2002 and November 29, 2002 respectively. The "Elite Edition" includes gallery extras and implementation of Namco's G-Con 2 lightgun support.

In 2004, a port was developed for the handheld Nokia N-Gage, but was cancelled by the quality control team before its release. There are very few beta units in existence.

The PC version was known as Virtua City PD during development (at least, in North America, where it would eventually be known as Virtua Squad).

Story

A detective in the player's department uncovered an illegal gun-running operation and was able to trace it back to E.V.L Inc., a powerful crime syndicate. He compiled a large amount of evidence and was ready to take them down, but was soon discovered and assassinated by the criminals. Some of his evidence managed to make its way back to headquarters, and a special task force was put on the case. The policemen Michael Hardy and James Cools must face that organization led by Joe Fang and his followers Kong, the King, and the Boss.

Gameplay

Players assume the role of a police officer - either Michael Hardy, or his partner, James Cools. Played from a first person perspective view, the players must use the light gun to take down the multitude of sharp shooters who come for them. At the start of the game, the player is armed with only a pistol, but more powerful weapons, such as machine guns and shotguns, can be obtained as they progress. These weapons are hidden in breakable objects such as crates, and can be extremely useful when trying to take on the customary end-of-level bosses. There are penalties for shooting civilians. Virtua Cop was notable for its use of polygonal graphics, which were subsequently used in both House of the Dead and Time Crisis, instead of the two dimensional sprites that were popular for previous games in the same genre. It is also notable for being one of the first games to allow the player to shoot through glass. The game's realistic graphics earned it the "Virtua" title, along with other 3D Sega games such as Virtua Fighter, Virtua Striker and Virtua Racing.

History

Release

300,000 copies of Virtua Cop were sold in Japan during its first week[3].

Legacy

Virtua Cop revolutionized the light-gun shooter genre with its new 3D first-person rail shooter format, including new mechanics like positional body targeting and headshots, revitalizing the genre in the arcades. It also broke new ground by popularizing the use of 3D graphics in shooter games.[4] It inspired 3D light gun shooters such as Time Crisis and The House of the Dead as well as 3D first-person shooters such as GoldenEye 007,[5] which in turn laid the foundations for console FPS games.

Production credits

Arcade version

Main Programmer and Director: Katsunori Itai
Main Designer: Akihito Hiroyosi
2nd Programmer: Shunsuke Sekikawa
Programmers: Masayuki Sumi, Tadanobu Numata
Designers: Masataka Auchi, Saori Nisikawa
Sound Composer: Kentaro Koyama
Design Support: Kazuhiro Izaki, Yukinobu Arikawa, Makoto Osaki
Planning Support: Yuichiro Mikami
Cabinet Design: AM R and D Dept 4
Producer: Yu Suzuki[6]
Supervisor: Yu Suzuki
Presented by: Sega

Saturn version

~In-game credits~[7]

Director: Takashi Isono
Main programmer: Masayuki Sumi
Programmers: Takeshi Iwasaki, Jun-ichi Ishito, Takashi Isowaki
Programmers: Norihiro Sekine, Takashi Ono, Hiroyuki Tsuzuki
Designers: Takafumi Kagaya, Kazufumi Ohashi, Saori Nishikawa, Masakazu Takizawa
Sound Composer: Kentaro Koyama
Publicity: Fumio Kurokawa, Koji Umeda
Special Thanks: Yukinobu Arikawa, Masataka Aochi, Kazuo Ohtani
Supervisor: Yu Suzuki
Presented by: Sega

PC version

Original Game Designed by: Sega AM2
Supervisor: Yu Suzuki
Director: Junetsu Kakuta
Programmers: Kenichi Yoko, Kazuhisa Hasuoka, Yoshihiko Toyoshima, Noritaka Yakita
Designers: Hisato Fukumoto, Katsufumi Yoshimori, Yuichi Ide
Sound Composer: Tatsuya Kouzaki
Producer: Toshinori Asai
Presented by: Sega

Track list

Saturn version

1. [data track]  
2. AM2 Logo (00:09) 
3. Advertise (02:19) 
4. Virtua Cop (00:53) 
5. Stage Select (01:08) 
6. Arms Black Market (04:11) 
7. Underground Weapons Storage (03:38) 
8. Gang Headquarters (03:31) 
9. Kong (01:40) 
10. King (02:39) 
11. President (02:21) 
12. Fang (02:18) 
13. F I N (02:44) 
14. Stage Clear (00:07) 
15. Game Over (00:09) 
16. Name Entry (01:18) 
17. Rage (03:52) 
18. Smarty (04:08) 
19. Time (Not Used) (04:36) 
► Running time: 41:41

Promotional material

  • Arcade flyer

  • Saturn US TV advert

  • Saturn JP TV advert

  • Saturn JP flyer

  • VirtuaCop Saturn DE PrintAdvert.jpg

    Saturn DE print advert

  • PC US print advert

  • Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) Print advertisement

Physical scans

Arcade version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
85 AllGame
87 №163, p90[8]
100 EGM², №5, p162/163/164/165[9]
82 №7, p23
60 №1, p105[10]
Arcade
 83
Based on
5 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Arcade
 N/A
Based on
0 reviews

Virtua Cop

Model 2, US (P-Type)
Model 2, US (upright)
Model 2, JP (P-Type)
Model 2, JP (upright)


Saturn version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
63 AllGame
78 №12, p68-72[11]
87 №49, p148/149
96 №170, p30-33[12]
91
70 №29, p78/79
75
80 №363, p33
92 Vol 4, №1, p18
90
89
92
98 №79, p58
91 №38, p46/47
95 №91
91 №20, p46/47
90 02/96
90
90
100 №3, p143
94 №40, p58-60[13]
80 №14, p162
90 №59, p118/119
92 №75
96 №2, p70/71[14]
90 №1995-12, p187[15]
89
Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "'".
83 №14, p64/65
Sega Saturn
 Expression error: Unexpected < operator.
Based on
29 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
CD Consoles (FR)
100
[11]
Consoles + (FR)
87
[17]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
96
[12]
Digitiser (UK)
84
[18]
Edge (UK)
70
[19]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
75
[20]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
80
[21]
Fun Generation (DE)
80
[22]
Fusion (US) NTSC-U
75
[23]
GameFan (US) NTSC-U
90
[24]
Game Players (US) NTSC-U
92
[25]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
98
[26]
GamePro (UK)
92
[27]
GamesMaster (UK) PAL
95
[28]
Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL
91
[29]
Game Informer (US) NTSC-U
78
[30]
Hobby Consolas (ES) PAL
90
[31]
LeveL (CZ)
86
[32]
MAN!AC (DE) PAL
76
[33]
Maximum (UK)
100
[34]
Mega Force (FR) PAL
84
[35]
Mega Fun (DE) PAL
79
[36]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
94
[13]
Next Generation (US) NTSC-U
75
[37]
Player One (FR)
90
[38]
Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J
84
[39]
Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J
86
[39]
Saturn+ (UK) PAL
91
[40]
Score (CZ)
70
[41]
Sega Magazin (DE) PAL
80
[42]
Sega News (CZ)
87
[43]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
93
[44]
Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) PAL
96
[45]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
90
[46]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
89
[16]
Strana Igr (RU)
60
[47]
Todo Sega (ES)
92
[48]
Ultimate Future Games (UK) PAL
83
[49]
Ultimate Gamer (US) NTSC-U
90
[50]
Última Generación (ES)
94
[51]
Sega Saturn
 86
Based on
40 reviews

Virtua Cop

Saturn, US
VirtuaCop Saturn US Box Back.jpgVirtuacop sat us frontcover.jpg
Cover
Virtuacop sat us manual.pdf
Manual
Saturn, US (Stunner bundle)
Saturn 80313 box-2.jpg
Cover
Virtuacop sat us nfr disc.jpg
Disc
VirtuaCop Saturn US Box Back NFRS.jpgVirtuacop sat us nfr frontcover.jpg
Jewel Case
Saturn, EU
Virtuacop sat eu frontcover.jpg
Cover
Virtuacop sat eu disc.jpg
Disc
Saturn, EU (Virtua Gun bundle)
VirtuaGun Saturn EU Box Back VirtuaCop.jpgNospine-small.pngVirtuaGun EU VC Box Front.jpg
Cover
Virtuacop sat eu disc.jpg
Disc
Virtuacop sat eu bundle backcover.jpgVirtuacop sat eu bundle frontcover.jpg
Jewel Case
Saturn, JP
Virtuacop sat jp backcover.jpgVirtuacop sat jp frontcover.jpg
Cover
VirtuaCopSaturnJPSpine.jpg
Spinecard
VirtuaCop Saturn JP Disc.jpg
Disc
VirtuaCop SS jp manual.pdf
Manual
Saturn, BR
VirtuaCop Sat BR cover.jpg
Cover
Saturn, BR (Virtua Gun bundle)
VirtuaCop Sat Gun BR cover.jpg
Cover
Saturn, KR

PC version

PC, US
VirtuaCop PC US Box Front.jpg
Cover
VirtuaSquad PC US Box Back JewelCase.jpgVirtuaSquad PC US Box Front JewelCase.jpg
Jewel Case
PC, US (Expert Software)
VirtuaCop PC US Box Front Expert.jpg
Cover
VirtuaSquad PC US Box Front JewelCase Expert.jpg
Jewel Case
PC, US (Fundever)

PC, EU

VirtuaCop PC EU Disc.jpg
Disc
PC, JP
VirtuaCop PC JP Box Back.jpgNospine.pngVirtuaCop PC JP Box Front.jpg
Cover
PC, UK (Expert Software)
VirtuaCop PC UK Box Front Expert.jpg
Cover
PC, KR

References

  1. ↑ File:CVG UK 180.pdf, page 49
  2. ↑ File:VirtuaCop Model2 Flyer.pdf, page 2
  3. ↑ File:SSM UK 03.pdf, page 7
  4. ↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/07/08/virtua-cop
  5. ↑ http://www.zoonami.com/briefing/2004-09-02.php
  6. ↑ http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1014723/Yu-Suzuki-s-Gameworks-A
  7. ↑ File:VirtuaC1_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf
  8. ↑ File:CVG UK 163.pdf, page 90
  9. ↑ File:EGM2 US 05.pdf, page 162
  10. ↑ File:NextGeneration US 01.pdf, page 111
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 File:CDConsoles FR 12.pdf, page 68 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:CDConsoles FR 12.pdf_p68" defined multiple times with different content
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 File:CVG UK 170.pdf, page 30 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:CVG UK 170.pdf_p30" defined multiple times with different content
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 File:MeanMachinesSega40UK.pdf, page 58 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MeanMachinesSega40UK.pdf_p58" defined multiple times with different content
  14. ↑ File:SSM_UK_02.pdf, page 70
  15. ↑ File:SSM_JP_19951201_1995-12.pdf, page 189
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Saturn no Game wa Sekai Ichi~i~i~i!: Satamaga Dokusha Race Zen Kiroku, SoftBank Publishing, page 11 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:SnGwSISDRZK Book JP.pdf_p11" defined multiple times with different content
  17. ↑ Consoles +, "Décembre 1995" (FR; 1995-1x-xx), page 148
  18. ↑ Digitiser (UK) (1995-12-08)
  19. ↑ Edge, "February 1996" (UK; 1996-01-12), page 78
  20. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "January 1996" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 40
  21. ↑ Famitsu, "1995-12-01" (JP; 1995-11-17), page 1
  22. ↑ Fun Generation, "01/96" (DE; 1995-12-20), page 63
  23. ↑ Fusion, "Volume 2, Number 7: February 1996" (US; 1996-0x-xx), page 67
  24. ↑ GameFan, "Volume 4, Issue 1: January 1996" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 18
  25. ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 9 No. 1 January 1996" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 78
  26. ↑ GamePro, "February 1996" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 58
  27. ↑ GamePro, "March 1996" (UK; 1996-01-25), page 26
  28. ↑ GamesMaster (UK) "Series 5, episode 12" (1995-12-07, 24:00) (+13:05)
  29. ↑ Games World: The Magazine, "February 1996" (UK; 1996-0x-xx), page 46
  30. ↑ Game Informer, "January 1996" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 44
  31. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Diciembre 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 70
  32. ↑ LeveL, "Září 1996" (CZ; 1996-09-03), page 76
  33. ↑ MAN!AC, "01/96" (DE; 1995-12-06), page 50
  34. ↑ Maximum, "January 1996" (UK; 199x-xx-xx), page 143
  35. ↑ Mega Force, "Décembre 1995" (FR; 1995-1x-xx), page 78
  36. ↑ Mega Fun, "01/96" (DE; 1995-12-20), page 34
  37. ↑ Next Generation, "February 1996" (US; 1996-01-16), page 164
  38. ↑ Player One, "Décembre 1995" (FR; 1995-1x-xx), page 118
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Saturn Fan, "1996 No. 3" (JP; 1996-01-19), page 78
  40. ↑ Saturn+, "Christmas 1995" (UK; 1995-12-14), page 36
  41. ↑ Score, "Říjen 1996" (CZ; 1996-10-01), page 113
  42. ↑ Sega Magazin, "Januar 1996" (DE; 1995-12-13), page 74
  43. ↑ Sega News, "Říjen 1996" (CZ; 1996-xx-xx), page 14
  44. ↑ Sega Pro, "February 1996" (UK; 1995-12-28), page 34
  45. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "December 1995" (UK; 1995-11-24), page 70
  46. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "December 1995" (JP; 1995-11-08), page 189
  47. ↑ Strana Igr, "Aprel 1996" (RU; 1996-xx-xx), page 138
  48. ↑ Todo Sega, "Enero 1996" (ES; 199x-xx-xx), page 32
  49. ↑ Ultimate Future Games, "January 1996" (UK; 1995-12-14), page 64
  50. ↑ Ultimate Gamer, "January 1996" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 66
  51. ↑ Última Generación, "Diciembre 1995" (ES; 1995-1x-xx), page 84



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)
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