Undercover Cops
Encyclopedia
is an arcade-style
beat 'em up
video game by Irem. It is Irem's first attempt in the modern beat 'em up genre that was founded by Capcom
's Final Fight
. A few years later after its release, a lot of the team (artists, programmers, composers, designers, etc.) who made the game went on to form Nazca, who created the Metal Slug game series. The team have also worked on the Hammerin' Harry series
, Superior Soldiers
, In The Hunt and GunForce 2. In Japan, the game inspired a little-known series of underground comics due its brief popularity.
by destroying thugs in New York City
of the year 2043.
The video game is notable for its detailed backgrounds and grimy futuristic
setting. For its time, it was relatively gory, featuring crow
-pecked skeleton
s in the midst of its urban wastelands and forcing players to lose a life by being crushed by a garbage compactor during the first boss battle. While the gameplay is inspired by Capcom's Final Fight, some of the enemies are unique. Besides the usual human thugs, players fight strange mole
creatures and mutants with jet pack
s and blade
s for hands. Players can never use enemy weapon
s, but the stages contain objects that can be picked up and used instead such as burning oil drums
, steel girder
s, long concrete column
s that shatter on impact, boxes of hand grenade
s and fish
.
The characters eat mice
, frog
s, bird
s and snail
s to restore their health (many people in Japanese society eat these for their nutritional value).
former karate master, banned from formal tournaments after killing a man in self-defense. He is a well-rounded character and is similar in effect to Rosa. He also has the ability to shoot multiple fireballs. (known in the US as Bubba) - an American
ex-gridiron player turned city sweeper after a false accusation of murder. He is the most powerful but slowest character. However, he has the ability to run for a short period of time. Plus, he can dive through the ground when he uses his airborne attack. (known in the US as Flame) - a tough British
blonde female vigilante whose lover was murdered by thugs. She is the fastest character and a good choice for beginners. She can send surrounding waves of energy if surrounded by enemies.
s, knives
and axe
s (in the World version these are replaced by planks and clubs). The mole creatures are weaker, taking only one hit to kill. Players' jump attacks do less damage, but their wider range of attacks makes them much more versatile.
spin-off titled Undercover Cops: Hakaishin Garumaa, and a more accurate translation called , which retains the details of the original arcade version. Undercover Cops was later ported to the Super Famicom
by the company Varie. An American localization was planned, but canceled. The unreleased American version was reviewed in Vol. 58 of Nintendo Power
. In the Super Famicom version, the player can adjust the number of lives and credits, as well as the skill setting. However, there is no two-player mode. Playing "easy" mode only gets the player to the end of the third level. Then the game ends, giving the player a stern message in Japanese, then asking him in English to try the next level (normal). This is followed by the game over
screen, just as if they lost the game. Undercover Cops also got it own manga
, authorized by Waita Uziga.
The appearance and functions of the police car
seen at the end of Undercover Cops exactly resembles the appearance and functions of the tank from Moon Patrol
, another arcade game by Irem. The boss from Stage 1 of the first R-Type
, also by Irem, can be seen on the screens of some red television sets. Undercover Cops was later advertised on a blimp seen in the arcade flyers of Irem's other beat 'em up, Ninja Baseball Bat Man
.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
beat 'em up
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
video game by Irem. It is Irem's first attempt in the modern beat 'em up genre that was founded by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
's Final Fight
Final Fight
is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up game originally released by Capcom as a coin-operated video game in . It was the seventh game released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware...
. A few years later after its release, a lot of the team (artists, programmers, composers, designers, etc.) who made the game went on to form Nazca, who created the Metal Slug game series. The team have also worked on the Hammerin' Harry series
Hammerin' Harry (series)
Hammerin' Harry, known in Japan as , is a series of platforming video games developed and published by Irem in 1990. The titles were developed and published for the arcades, NES, Game Boy, Famicom and Sony PSP platforms.-Games:...
, Superior Soldiers
Superior Soldiers
Superior Soldiers, known in Japan as , is a fighting arcade game developed and published by Irem. It was created during the fighting game trend of the 1990s that began with Capcom's Street Fighter II...
, In The Hunt and GunForce 2. In Japan, the game inspired a little-known series of underground comics due its brief popularity.
Gameplay
Players control "city sweepers" who fight crimeCrime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
by destroying thugs in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
of the year 2043.
The video game is notable for its detailed backgrounds and grimy futuristic
Future
The future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come...
setting. For its time, it was relatively gory, featuring crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
-pecked skeleton
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
s in the midst of its urban wastelands and forcing players to lose a life by being crushed by a garbage compactor during the first boss battle. While the gameplay is inspired by Capcom's Final Fight, some of the enemies are unique. Besides the usual human thugs, players fight strange mole
Mole (animal)
Moles are small cylindrical mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have velvety fur; tiny or invisible ears and eyes; and short, powerful limbs with large paws oriented for digging. The term is especially and most properly used for the true moles, those of the Talpidae family in the...
creatures and mutants with jet pack
Jet pack
Jet pack, rocket belt, rocket pack, and similar names are various types of devices, usually worn on the back, that are propelled by jets of escaping gases so as to allow a single user to fly....
s and blade
Blade
A blade is that portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with a cutting edge and/or a pointed tip that is designed to cut and/or puncture, stab, slash, chop, slice, thrust, or scrape animate or inanimate surfaces or materials...
s for hands. Players can never use enemy weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s, but the stages contain objects that can be picked up and used instead such as burning oil drums
Drum (container)
A drum is a cylindrical container used for shipping bulk cargo. Drums can be made of steel, dense paperboard , or plastics, and are generally used for the transportation and storage of liquids and powders. Drums are often certified for shipment of dangerous goods...
, steel girder
Girder
A girder is a support beam used in construction. Girders often have an I-beam cross section for strength, but may also have a box shape, Z shape or other forms. Girder is the term used to denote the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams...
s, long concrete column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s that shatter on impact, boxes of hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
s and fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
.
The characters eat mice
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
, frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s, bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s and snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
s to restore their health (many people in Japanese society eat these for their nutritional value).
Playable characters
(known in the US as Claude) - a scruffy JapaneseJapanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
former karate master, banned from formal tournaments after killing a man in self-defense. He is a well-rounded character and is similar in effect to Rosa. He also has the ability to shoot multiple fireballs. (known in the US as Bubba) - an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ex-gridiron player turned city sweeper after a false accusation of murder. He is the most powerful but slowest character. However, he has the ability to run for a short period of time. Plus, he can dive through the ground when he uses his airborne attack. (known in the US as Flame) - a tough British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
blonde female vigilante whose lover was murdered by thugs. She is the fastest character and a good choice for beginners. She can send surrounding waves of energy if surrounded by enemies.
Bosses
- Cue Ball (known in Japan as ) - a TerminatorTerminator (franchise)The Terminator series is a science fiction franchise encompassing a series of films and other media concerning battles between Skynet's artificially intelligent machine network, and John Connor's Resistance forces and the rest of the human race....
-like cyborg. He is the only boss that can be defeated normally or crushed in a garbage compactor. - Fatso (known in Japan as ) - an obese, jackhammer-wielding dominatrix. She summons lesser enemies and cries when hit. When her life bar is half-empty, she bawls loudly
- Gunpuncher (known in Japan as ) - the heavily-armed leader of the mole creatures who utters simple Japanese phrases. He is armed with a machine gun and explosives.
- Cone Head (known in Japan as ) - a crazed carnival freak with a metal claw. He attacks with a wide range of concealed weapons. - a small, bespectacled scientist who turns into a giant monster. He is the main antagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
in the game and is confronted at the end of the final stage.
Regional differences
The Japanese arcade version differs from the World version in several respects. The characters have a number of moves not seen in the World version, including dash + jump attacks, up to two different kinds of throws, and a powerful airborne special attack. The backgrounds and graphics are also different, especially at the start of Level Two and the end of Level Three. The music in the Japanese version has a more electronic feel and includes more voice samples. Some enemies carry broken bottleBottle
A bottle is a rigid container with a neck that is narrower than the body and a "mouth". By contrast, a jar has a relatively large mouth or opening. Bottles are often made of glass, clay, plastic, aluminum or other impervious materials, and typically used to store liquids such as water, milk, soft...
s, knives
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
and axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
s (in the World version these are replaced by planks and clubs). The mole creatures are weaker, taking only one hit to kill. Players' jump attacks do less damage, but their wider range of attacks makes them much more versatile.
Related releases
Undercover Cops was later followed by a Game BoyGame Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
spin-off titled Undercover Cops: Hakaishin Garumaa, and a more accurate translation called , which retains the details of the original arcade version. Undercover Cops was later ported to the Super Famicom
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
by the company Varie. An American localization was planned, but canceled. The unreleased American version was reviewed in Vol. 58 of Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
. In the Super Famicom version, the player can adjust the number of lives and credits, as well as the skill setting. However, there is no two-player mode. Playing "easy" mode only gets the player to the end of the third level. Then the game ends, giving the player a stern message in Japanese, then asking him in English to try the next level (normal). This is followed by the game over
Game over
Game Over is a message in video games which signals that the game has ended, often due to a negative outcome - although the phrase sometimes follows the end credits after successful completion of a game...
screen, just as if they lost the game. Undercover Cops also got it own manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, authorized by Waita Uziga.
The appearance and functions of the police car
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
seen at the end of Undercover Cops exactly resembles the appearance and functions of the tank from Moon Patrol
Moon Patrol
is a classic arcade game by Irem that was first released in 1982. It was licensed to Williams for distribution in North America.The player controls a moon buggy, viewing it from the side, that travels over the moon's surface. While driving it, obstacles such as craters and mines must be avoided....
, another arcade game by Irem. The boss from Stage 1 of the first R-Type
R-Type
is a side scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game produced by Irem in 1987. The player controls a space fighter named R-9a "Arrowhead" to defend humanity against a mysterious but powerful alien life-form known as "Bydo", which was later discovered to be not entirely alien in origin...
, also by Irem, can be seen on the screens of some red television sets. Undercover Cops was later advertised on a blimp seen in the arcade flyers of Irem's other beat 'em up, Ninja Baseball Bat Man
Ninja Baseball Bat Man
Ninja Baseball Bat Man, known in Japan as , is a 1993 belt scrolling beat 'em up developed and published by Irem exclusively as an arcade game. It is the fourth arcade game by IREM to use a belt scroll perspective, following Blade Master, Hook and Undercover Cops.-Gameplay:thumb|left|In-game...
.