Crime Patrol

Crime Patrol
Crime Patrol
Crime Patrol Cover.jpg
Publisher(s) American Laser Games
Platform(s) Arcade, CD-i, 3DO, Sega Saturn, Sega Mega-CD, Laserdisc
Rating(s)

Crime Patrol is a live-action laserdisc video game released by American Laser Games in 1993.

Storyline

Crime Patrol, just like the company's previous releases, didn't focus so much on the storyline as on the general concept of the game, which was in essence its being a rail shooter. A plot is still present though. The player is employed in the police force and works his way up from Rookie to Delta Force, achieved through systematically neutralizing threats which appear in various environments and scenarios. With your gun (or mouse, depending on if you use the computer version), you shoot down gangsters, murderers, drug lords and terrorists in various tactical situations, only to ultimately face a serious nuclear threat in the final scenario.

There are four levels which the player completes one by one, not counting the shooting range, which one can access to improve his or her aim and reflexes. As a Rookie, the player teams up with a somewhat boisterous policewoman, taking on shoplifters, armed robbers and gang members. After getting promoted to Undercover, the player gets a slightly overweight male partner and confronts drug smugglers and crime lords in a nightclub, impound lot and airport. Next, in SWAT, bank robbers and terrorists become the enemies. Finally, in Delta Force, the player must stand up to criminals who are a serious threat to national security, such as a hijacked shipment of Nuclear material, hijacked planes, and assassination attempts. Each part of the game is made up of three separate scenarios, with one final mission involving a plot to steal plutonium that is filmed partly in nightvision, awaits the player who can complete all of those in Delta Force.

Gameplay

Gameplay is relatively simple, though this somewhat depends on the version of the game. The PC version, for example, involves the use of a mouse or light gun to aim and shoot the villains. Reloading is done by moving the light gun outside of the screen and pressing the trigger; this is also achieved when using the mouse by directing the cursor to the bottom right-hand corner of the screen and right-clicking. This must be done when the ten available bullets are spent, though the player can reload at any time and an infinite number of times. The player has three lives at his disposal and must be careful not to lose them by getting shot or gunning down innocent civilians. There is no possibility to choose one's path in the game.