Die Hard Arcade was a memorable, albeit
short, romp on Sega's ill-fated Saturn. The sequel, Dynamite Cop, drops the
unnecessary license but keeps the same fast paced gameplay that made the first game such a
blast. It also features many of the same flaws that plagued that game. The games basic premise has gamers picking from one of 3 main characters.You'll head off onto a cruise ship that has been hijacked by modern day pirates. Hostages (all 2,000 of them) are being held aboard the ship including the president's daughter. While by no means Hollywood material, the story is paced well through decent looking cut scenes that, most importantly, never get in the way of the action.
Anyone with fond memories of Final Fight will instantly feel at home with Dynamite Cop's gameplay. Once an action scene begins, players will come face to face with some odd enemies who carry some equally odd weapons. From giant tuna fish to massive slices of beef, the fun factor shoots sky high when swinging these weapons, taking out groups of enemies who are practically helpless to stop you.
The game looks great with seamless transitions between real-time and CG cut scenes. A dumbed down Virtua Fighter engine is used for the fighting and graphics have enough detail to show off these moves. The 3 characters don't show much personality, but they are detailed enough, so it's hard to complain. A basic, movie-like soundtrack combined with the usual grunts and groans of a battle are all present.
Very few extras have been added to this obvious arcade game. Sega's classic Tranquilizer is unlockable as is an art gallery, but these hardly compensate for the games 20-minute total play time. There are three paths to choose from, each providing a different ending and a few new scenarios, but this still only puts the total play time to about an hour or so if you take your time
Fans of the first game will be quick to pick this title up, but they'll still have to contend with the short length. A few extras hardly compensate for the lack of play time. Great graphics and solid gameplay can hardly make gamers overlook the fact that 20-minutes doesn't exactly equal $50.
