Cosmic Cop

The Good
In 1987, Irem released their popular shoot-em-up, R-Type, which eventually made its way to home systems. Cosmic Cop, released four years later, is a spin-off to the series; you have to hunt down “Mad Cars” driven by the Bydo. The game consists of five stages, in which you must keep driving to the right, killing other vehicles that get in your way, and defeat a huge boss at the end of the stage. Each boss has its own attack pattern, which needs to be memorized if you want to proceed to the next stage.

Your ship, the R-11B Peace Maker, is equipped with two weapons. Pressing the A button launches Balkan Missiles; B unleashes the lock-on laser beam, much similar to the one in R-Type. Like that one, the laser overheats, so you’ve got to use it sparingly. Power-ups floating toward you from time to time increase the efficiency of both the laser and missiles.

You are asked to enter your initials before stage one starts rather than in a high score table, and it is here that the game lists the record. Beat that record and you get the most bonus points for completing a stage. Finally, you have the ability to zoom across each stage, but it’s not wise to go all out on this feature since you are likely to bump into any blockages that you need to clear. The game warns you of this beforehand.

There is background music while you play each stage, and most of the soundtracks have that energetic feel to them. Like most Irem games, the same soundtrack plays for the boss. I like the robotic voice that says “Ready” and the explosions that occur when you take down an enemy. You always know when you are approaching a boss if the music is replaced by a siren.

Graphic-wise, I like the backdrops, ranging from skyscrapers in stage one to the lookout in the final stage. Your vehicle looks good, too. The writing on your vehicle changing depending on what power-up you have collected – cycling between “Police” and “Arms” - is rather neat as well. The appearance of the police headquarters in the ending looks fantastic.

The Bad
Nothing is bad about this game.

The Bottom Line
Anyone who has played R-Type will feel right at home playing this game. The graphics and sound is great, and the mechanics are similar. There are some differences, including the ability to accelerate through each stage and the warning of potential hazards ahead. A great game that R-Type fans will enjoy.