Crime Patrol

Description

Looking back at game titles from the mid-1990s, 1994's "Crime Patrol" for the SEGA Saturn is an interesting case of diversifying the gaming experience. Originally created by American Laser Games, this interactive cinematic title brings a unique take on the concept of a real-life video-based shooter.

Crime Patrol casts you in the role of a young police officer who works his way to the top of the police hierarchy as the game progresses. From the mean streets to battling international gangs and terrorists, players will experience the entire process of police work first hand. The entire game is based on interactive video sequences that were filmed with real actors. This approach had a double effect in its time; on the one hand it provided a unique and authentic experience, but on the other hand it limited the game dynamics to pre-determined scenarios.

The audio-visual treatment, although it may seem dated today, was innovative in its time. Actual video provided a level of realism to the game that was hard to match with the animations of the time. On the other hand, however, the image quality by SEGA Saturn standards, especially by today's standards, looks blurry and loses detail. The game's audio is thankfully solid; the gunplay, dialogue and soundtrack all contribute to the overall atmosphere, though the dialogue and acting often slip into clichéd moments.

The gameplay of "Crime Patrol" is paradoxical in many ways. The interactive nature of the game manages to impress with its immediacy and directness, but the limitations of the pre-recorded sequences quickly reveal their weaknesses. Players don't have much room for strategy or decision-making; the game is more about speed and accuracy in shooting. Many times success or failure is more a matter of learned reflexes than actual tactical thinking. In that sense, these interactive games quickly slip into a sense of repetition once the player gets over the initial excitement of a new experience.

Crime Patrol is a bit of a capsule of its time; an innovative idea buried under technical and gameplay limitations. While the game may not have aged too gracefully, you can't deny the effort and creativity the developers put into trying to offer something different. For fans of retro games and video game history, "Crime Patrol" is an interesting piece to add to the collection, but for a wider audience, the fact that the game is more of a cinematic experience than an actual game may be a barrier to long-term interest.