If you’re a cop, you have to tell me, right? Well, This is the Police (2), and we have a lot to get into when talking about this narrative-driven police simulator. So far, I think this game is worth checking out if you like managing. If you are more into the fast-paced titles, then this game may feel a little boring. This isn’t XCOM or Hard West, but it does have the occasional tactical missions. If you like micromanaging and navigating complex situations, then this might be more your speed.
It’s hard to say who this story’s main protagonist is, but, essentially, we play as Jack Boyd as we manage part of the police department in this wintery remote town. If you are familiar with the previous game, then you will notice that Jack is actually in a heap of trouble with the feds. You can really feel his anxiety as he pleads with a toilet salesman to leave him alone while he conceals his gun, worried that his past has caught up to him. Part of the game continues Jack’s questionable actions that made him infamous in the first place. You can assign your officers to tasks as favors for the locals in order to curry favor and secure rewards. Most of your money is quickly spent in order to keep the feds off your tail.
I’m okay with the story so far. There is something about Jack’s predicament that really engages the player (maybe because we play as him), but it’s dramatic as hell. The relationships between characters feel natural, especially when things get tense. The voice acting is pretty good, but there are some moments when you hear the same voice actor play two (or more) people in the same room. Regarding the plot, though, there are some things I just have to question. I am not sure how a guy goes from being a prisoner to running half of the police department, but we have to be able to play somehow, right? Lilly (the sheriff) is not a natural leader, and her deferring to Jack’s leadership sort of makes it work. I am curious about how she may eventually draw the line with Boyd’s approach.
You are not discouraged from playing dirty, but you will find that your choices have consequences. Your individual officers can gain and lose respect for you depending on how you approach various situations. When officers lack loyalty, they will refuse to come into work every day, they will refuse dispatch calls, and they will act independently in raids. That is a sure-fire way of getting an officer killed. You can actually see the difference in professionalism when it comes to loyal versus un-loyal officers.
You get all kinds of calls from dispatch: attempted homicides, rapes, child abuse, animal abuse, noise complaints, robberies, indecent behavior – you name it, you’ll find it. Some of it is very entertaining to read, while other bits are very serious. Either way, you feel invested in each situation. You also never know what choice might cost the life your officers, the suspects, or even the victims. Sometimes the consequences are out of left field, and the whole situation leaves you flabbergasted. At the end of the day you rack up a form of currency (tabs), with which you can buy new equipment or hire new officers.
There are also many investigations you need to solve by piecing together clues gathered by your officers. These can result in you condemning an innocent, putting a criminal behind bars, or even making a deal with gang members, keeping them as informants. If you gather enough informants, you can take steps in taking down one of the local gangs for a very generous reward.
Raids can be pretty interesting. So far I have only sent officers in on a hostage situation and a bomb threat. Your officers can use perks to help them deal with various situations, like lock picking, kicking doors in, carrying wounded allies, moving undetected – there’s a lot of perks to choose from, but you can only have 4 active for one character per mission. In case things get a little out of hand, you also have a volunteer sniper, who you can have accompany your squad.
You may notice that enemies have terrible field of vision, and it is not too hard to accomplish your objectives while simultaneously arresting all suspects. Before you jump into a mission, you can gather intelligence on the situation via the locals. You will need to be able to trade items for their dirt, however, but it is often the best decision to make especially when you don’t know how many enemies there are waiting for you or where the bomb/hostage is.
I think the only thing that hurt my experience was that some of the cutscenes did not play properly. It was sort of choppy with the audio not sounding right. This only occurred with the scenes with short animations. The more comic strip styled scenes were normal and just what I needed to immerse myself within the story. All in all, this is a pretty solid title when you consider playing the game for the management experience. That being said, I think this game deserves a 9 out of 10.
Check Out This is the Police 2 Trailer:
This is the Police 2 is available for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam. The game will also launch on PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, Nintendo Switch, and the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X later this autumn.
Steam Review
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Overall Score - 9/109/10
I like to think of myself as the average Joe who grew up alongside video games. I have fun playing strategy games, RPGs, shooters, sandboxes, the whole shebang! Every game provides an experience whether it strikes you as profound, mundane, or someplace in between. I'd like to weigh in my two cents before you spend a single penny.
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