In Sega's growing collection of PC titles, Virtua Squad 2 (VS2), the newest addition, is by far the best of what Sega has ever produced for this platform. Featuring fast and dazzling graphics, VS2 rocks the player into intense action and non-stop challenge against a cohort of criminals and terrorists. Based on the arcade hit Virtua Cop 2 developed by the same company, players endorse the role of one of the three police officers included in the game, Michael Hardy, James Cools, and new to this sequel, Janet Marshall.

Divided into three episodes of increasing difficulty, players will have to make their way up to the final boss of each level where they can expect serious trouble. But before that, players will encounter dozens, even hundreds of enemies that they will need to take care of, armored with only one weapon. Fortunely you can reload it at will should your weapon run out of bullets! If your shooting skills are good enough, additional weapons become available as you progress throughout the game, but they can only be used temporarily as the ammunition won't last for long. At most, players will only use them for a few seconds before returning to their first weapon.

Janet, Michael & James

For those who are not familiar with the arcade title Virtua Cop and its sequel, the game features a 3D first-person perspective and a total freedom of where you want to shoot. At least in the area that you can see on screen, because there are no other possibilities of movement in VS2 than to follow the predetermined path across the 3D environment. VS2 is essentially a 3D shooter where speed and aiming represent the two keys to success.

The big difference between the original game and its sequel clearly stands out in the graphics. Where 8-bit shaded polygons were used in the past, they are now replaced by rich 16-bit textures applied with perspective correct, bi-linear filtering and alpha-blending to render graphical effects such as semi-transparent textures and to improve the overall quality of the image. To make this possible, you will of course need a 3D graphic accelerator. VS2 uses Direct3D which means that the game will work with most of the 3D cards. No need therefore to wait for a specific patch to be developed for your specific 3D card, but that also means that the game won't use any of the special features offered by the card. Several graphical modes are proposed and you can even select to play without 3D acceleration in case your computer isn't equipped with a 3D card. VS2 also features shading to add depth to the characters and make them even more lifelike, and includes frame skipping which, for slower computers, will maintain a good speed but may cause choppy animations.

Played on a fast Pentium (ideally anything faster than a 133 MHz processor), VS2 really gives the player the same dose of adrenalin than in the arcades. The big chase through the city in the first level, as well as the run in the subway train in the last, are sure to please die-hard action gamers who will find more action in VS2 than in any James Bond movie. Also new to VS2 is the branching path present in each level that allow players to choose which way they want to go. While there is only one choice per level, it adds to the replayability of the game, already present with the random order by which enemies appear on screen. Sound effects add the final touches of realism to the game, while the CD audio track runs in the background.

Plenty of options allow players to customize their game. First the difficulty level from normal to hard, second the number of lives, and third how many "continue"'s will be allowed. Then, you can modify the game's style whether you prefer to play as you do in Virtua Cop 1 or as in its sequel, the main visual difference being the way the lock-on sight appears on screen and the score displayed while playing. Besides a multi-player mode that works through a serial port, modem, LAN or even TCP/IP connection, VS2 can be used by two players at once on the same computer with a mouse, keyboard or joystick, each player having a different color for the lock-on sight. What the arcade game wasn't offering is the "Proving Ground" mode where you must eliminate your opponent before he does. After selecting one of the three fields and the entry point, the lock-on sight will automatically aim at your enemies. Then, you must shoot as fast as possible within a limited time and hope that you will be quicker than your adversary. If you are shot by an enemy, you will only hold your fire for a second, but if your opponent shots you, you will lose a life. The first to run out of lives will then lose the set, the game being played in three sets.

Conclusion:

Players will be thrilled with the continuous flow of action, and the good combination between graphics and game play. With this excellent conversion of Virtua Cop 2, Sega demonstrates that consoles are not the only platforms for arcade games. Its sole weakness is to offer three levels, when five or six would have been a real plus.

Written by Frederick Claude

Click here for screenshots

Click here to download the demo

Ratings:

System Requirements:

100% Microsoft Windows 95 compatible computer system (including compatible 32-bit drivers for CD-ROM drive, video card, sound card and input devices),
Microsoft Windows 95 operating system,
Pentium 90 MHz processor or faster (133 Mhz recommended),
16 MB of RAM,
256 Color (640 x 480) PCI video card (DirectX compatible),
DirectSound compatible sound card,
Quadruple speed CD-ROM drive (600 Kb/second sustained transfer rate),
Keyboard, Joystick or Mouse.

Note: 3D graphic accelerator card recommended.

Publishers

Sega USA,
P.O. Box 8097,
Redwood City, CA 94063.

Internet Support: Sega PC Technical Support
Web site: Sega USA

Sega Europe,
10 Portland Road,
London V11 4LA.