Dynamite Cop is an Amazing Beat’em Up for the Dreamcast

Dynamite Cop is very similar to other 3D beat’em ups. It reminds me of the Die Hard arcade game, which was awesome! This game is just as good and leans toward humor a bit more than other beat’em ups.

You fight groups of ridiculous characters that only get more strange and ridiculous as you go. There are some quick-time events in the game. These act as branches in the path that you’re on.

You have less freedom to move around than the 2D beat’em ups of the 1980s and 1990s. This is a more cinematic game with cutscenes and locations. I’ll get more into that when I talk about the gameplay.

TLDR: Dynamite Cop is a fun, humorous beat’em up for the Sega Dreamcast and Arcades.

History

Dynamite Cop is a sequel to Die Hard the Arcade, released in 1996. It is one of my most memorable arcade games. Die Hard the Arcade was in the “good” movie theater near my house, and I spent a lot of time either playing it or watching people play it.

There is a third game in this series called Asian Dynamite, but it was only released in Japanese arcades. It would be great if these three games could be brought to modern consoles at some point. I would definitely buy them!

All three games were in the arcades. Sega’s common strategy was to create an arcade game and then release it on its consoles. Some examples are Golden Axe, Outrun, and, of course, Dynamite Cop. Looking at the launch titles for each of Sega’s home consoles, you’ll see several classic arcade games from the 1980s, 90s, and early 2000s.

Narrative

There are three scenarios in the game. These act as missions that the main characters go on. They’re mostly the same, with a few graphical environmental changes. You can play through the game in about an hour and a half or two hours.

The first mission has you fighting pirates that have taken over a cruise ship and kidnapped the President’s Daughter. Since the characters from Data East’s Bad Dudes aren’t around anymore, it is up to these three characters to save her. I wish the game had asked me if I was bad enough to save her.

The second part of the game has you working your way through the ship, and the last part has you fighting the pirates on their island. It is a simple story that is relatively short as far as beat’em ups go. It is over the top and a lot of fun.

These three missions do everything that you would expect them to do. You’re given a reason for why you’re there and told what your mission is. That is all you need to know in an arcade beat’em up.

Gameplay

The gameplay is very good. This 3D cinematic beat’em up uses quick-time events to help transition between the different rooms you fight in. You’ll also get short cutscenes to tell you what is happening and why you’re in a different location.

If you’ve played other beat’em ups, you’ll know what to do. Enemies will appear on the screen; you punch, kick, or hit them with weapons until they are knocked out. Where Dynamite Cop is different is that you shift to a new room instead of walking down a street.

There are a lot of weapons that you can pick up in the game. Some are recognizable, while others are environmental objects like chairs and tables. You can also get hilarious weapons like an arcade machine or a plate of apples. Here is a brief list:

• Barbell
• French Bread
• Deck Brush
• Tuna
• Iron Pipe
• Sushi

This is all done for comedy. When you pick up guns, rocket launchers, or grenades, beating an enemy down still takes some time. It is over-the-top and cartoonish violence you should expect from a video game. Here is a list of the guns:

• Handgun
• Machine Gun
• Missile Launcher
• Tripple Bazooka
• Anti-Tank Rifle
• Anti-Ship Missile

This is an easy game. Sega made the wise decision to give you unlimited continues so you can beat the game in one sitting. It is something that I wish other companies would’ve done when they brought arcade games to the home consoles. You can get health items in the game, but I didn’t think they mattered much:

• Capsule
• Drink
• First Aid Kit

There are three playable characters in the game. They’re interchangeable, as I didn’t notice a difference between the three characters. Here are the three characters:

• Bruno Delinger
• Jean Ivy
• Eddie Brown

It isn’t all great. Locking onto an enemy is a bit rough. Many 3D beat’em ups and action games have issues with locking onto enemies and dealing with large groups of enemies. While Dynamite Cop does an okay job with this, as you don’t fight too many enemies at once, it can sometimes become a problem. The boss fights can also be a little annoying.

Overall, the gameplay is very good for an early 3D beat’em up. Sega had done an excellent job with Die Hard the Arcade, and they continued to improve on the formula with Dynamite Cop. I love this kind of beat’em up.

Visuals

This is a good-looking game for 1998. The Dreamcast is a wonderful system, and the games released for it hold up better than those on the PS1 from this era. Comparing the two systems is a little unfair, but that is what was out then.

The only bad thing was the tracking system in the game. It can be a little hard to ensure you’re targeting the right enemy. This same problem exists when you get a gun, as it is hard to deal with multiple enemies.

The cutscenes look very good. They aren’t on the screen for long, but they look great. This is the main way the story is told to the player, so having them look good was important. This game looks like an arcade-quality port.

The quick-time events are easy to see. You know what you need to do; if you mess up, it is your fault. I did screw them up a few times, but that is because I’m terrible at games.

8/10. While I like the game, some problems can’t be ignored. It is a short game that could’ve been a little longer. Although the bonus content is great, it doesn’t cover up the fact that this is a short game.

Pros

• Funny
• Easy to learn
• Infinite Continues

Cons

• Short
• Tracking enemies
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Conclusion

If you want to read something funny, check out the review for this game in the Cincinnati Enquirer, where the author seemed confused by the concept of a beat’em ups game. He makes a good point about the price, but I think he is wrong, given the lack of games on the Dreamcast. I’m not sure why he didn’t compare this to other beat’em ups, as I never had an issue with a game like this on any other system.

I wish this game and the other two in the series were released on a modern console. Die Hard the Arcade was released on the PS2, but that was a Japanese-only release. Asian Dynamite would be fun to play, and I wish it had been brought out of the Japanese arcades.

Dynamite Cop is a great game. It is easy but very fun to play with a friend, given how intentionally funny it can be. This is one of the fantastic games on the Dreamcast that I wish would come to modern consoles.

Sega has always done a great job with beat’em ups. They have several classic franchises, like Golden Axe and Streets of Rage. Dynamite Cop is another in a long line of great Sega games.