System: DS
Developer: VD-Dev
Publisher: Ubisoft
Genre: Action Adventure
Players: 1
Thanks to the cool cats at Ubisoft, we've been given the opportunity to check out a preview build of C.O.P. The Recruit ahead of its Australian release later this month. I was fairly certain 'C.O.P.' stood for Crazy Onion Parade, but as it turns out, it's the Criminal Overturn Program. You assume the role of Dan Miles, an underground street racer that has agreed to take part in the program to avoid going to jail. Imagine if he'd agreed to a Crazy Onion Parade though, eh?
C.O.P. is essentially a GTA-like game targeted at a younger audience. So no, you can't run over pedestrians; they'll jump out of the way in a comical fashion like the old Driver games. From a visual standpoint, the game is absolutely mind-blowing for a DS title. Unlike Chinatown Wars which opted for a bird's eye view, C.O.P. goes all out with a full 3D feel. Set in New York, there's 16km of 100% pure, uncut city action to roam around, and it feels alive with traffic that follows the road rules (until you ram into someone), a day-to-night transition and agile pedestrians cluttering up the footpaths. What impressed me most was this all ran at a constant 60fps with very little pop-up. I tried to see if I could choke the frame rate, but nope! Damn impressive work, VD-Dev.
The full game promises about 20 hours of gameplay in total. From what I experienced, it seems like C.O.P. will have a fairly diverse and creative range of missions. Some vehicle segments firmly held down the nostalgia button, playing out much like Chase H.Q. where you have to smash into another car until their energy bar runs out. Now that's safe drivin'. Dan can get out of the car if it's banged up enough and go jack someone else's with the X button. Or perhaps he's just hitching a ride, as the screen flashes white, then next thing you know he's in the car. Magic! Driving missions feel great; they're frantic, and the cars have a real sense of weight to them.
I found the on-foot missions a tad awkward at first. Walking around is fine, but using the touch screen to aim the various weapons felt a bit off, as if it was too slow to react. Hopefully that's been fixed up in the retail release. There's a decent selection of guns to shoot bad guys in the groin with, including an uzi, shotgun, 9mm and AK47. Anyone else instantly think of GoldenEye 007 whenever this gun comes up?
Naturally, working for the good guys has some advantages, and Dan is able to summon police roadblocks during a heated chase, track goons with the city's surveillance system and even call upon a SWAT team to help out when storming an enemy hideout. Very cool stuff, it really gives C.O.P. its own unique appeal.
C.O.P. The Recruit is shaping up to be something pretty special for the DS, it's incredibly ambitious and the 3D engine is just amazing. Look out for a full review when it launches! Also redbacks, look out for redback spiders. Don't put them up your nose.
C.O.P. The Recruit