Super Nintendo Entertainment System Undercover Cops (Japan)
0Undercover Cops (アンダーカバーコップス?) 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.
Players control "city sweepers", a police agent-like group who fight crime by taking down thugs in New York City of the year 2043.
External video Undercover Cops Arcade - 3 players Playthrough
The video game is notable for its detailed backgrounds and grimy and somewhat dark futuristic setting. For its time, it was relatively gory, featuring crow-pecked skeletons 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 packs and blades for hands. Players can never use enemy weapons, but the stages contain objects that can be picked up and used instead such as burning oil drums, steel girders, long concrete columns that shatter on impact, boxes of hand grenades and fish.
The characters eat mice, frogs, birds and snails to restore their health (many people in Japanese society eat these for their nutritional value but also attribute the development team's sense of humor later seen in the Metal Slug series.).
Playable characters[edit source | editbeta]Zan Takahara (ザン・タカハラ?) (known in the US version as Claude) - a scruffy Japanese former karate master, banned from formal tournaments after killing a man in self-defense. He is a well-rounded character and similar in effect to Rosa. He also has the ability to shoot multiple fireballs.
Matt Gables (マット・ゲーブルズ?) (known in the US version 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.
Rosa Felmonde (ローザ・フェルモンド?) (known in the US version as Flame) - a tough British blonde female vigilante whose lover was murdered by thugs. She is the fastest and easiest used character. She can send surrounding waves of energy if surrounded by enemies.
Bosses[edit source | editbeta]Parcs (パークス?) (known in the US as Cue Ball) - a Terminator-like cyborg. He is the only boss who can be defeated in two ways: either normally or being crushed in a garbage compactor (this could happen to players as well).
Francoise (フランソワーズ?) (known in the US as Fatso) - an obese, jackhammer-wielding dominatrix. She summons lesser enemies and cries when hit, and bawls loudly when her life bar is half-empty.
Moguralian β (Beta) (モグラリアンβ（ベータ）?) (known in the US as Gunpuncher) - the heavily-armed leader of the mole creatures who utters simple Japanese phrases. He is armed with a machine gun and explosives.
Balbarotch (バルバロッチ?) (known in the US as Cone Head) - a crazed carnival freak with a metal claw, who attacks with a wide range of concealed weapons.
Dr. Crayborn (クレイボーン博士?) - the main antagonist in the game. He is a small, bespectacled scientist who transforms into a giant monster. He is confronted by the three protagonists near the end of the final stage.
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 bottles, knives and axes (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.