“Somehow missed the mark” is a peculiar way to describe it, so let’s take a look at what this game was all about and where it decided to go horribly wrong. Basically, the game is hex movement without a hex grid and without facing. You are given a number of action points and can spend them moving, crouching, running, or shooting (technically there are a few other things you can do). This is a good start for a tactical strategy game… only that’s pretty much where it ends. See, crouching, from as near I can tell, doesn’t give you any cover. There is cover in the game, like big walls, but crouching behind a barricade doesn’t do squat.

The trouble begins right off the bat. The game plays out painfully slow. The areas in the map are open ended, you can go anywhere and do anything, but if combat is going on you must do so at whatever your movement speed is. So you spend a lot of the game hunting down some enemy hiding in the corner of a map… and you do this at a snails pace. Furthermore, the auto-save isn’t too sharp and your cops are REAL vulnerable. One unlucky break and it’s game over. This, of course, leads to some very boring and stupid tactics.

For instance, I found the best way to beat some levels in the game was to let the computer AI people who are on your side do as much work as they can. This basically means you sit around hitting End Turn until your allies are dead. Frankly, thanks to bad AI, your allies will shoot you accidentally anyway, so you are safer this way too. Then, once the enemy is softened up, send in the police squad and take down what’s left. Save every turn. Yes, this process means each level takes literally hours to defeat … but it isn’t hours of enjoyment … it’s more like hours of annoyance.

That isn’t where the pain ends, though. Usually after combat there is some RPG element to complete. Sadly, this isn’t too much fun either. The first level took me eons to figure out what to do, where to go, etc. It was like playing a computerized version of Where’s Waldo, looking for a group of thugs hiding behind a building… then figuring out how to kill them all without loosing anyone. That’s not hard… since the AI apparently doesn’t normally care if it’s being shot at, depending on how you pull it off.

For instance … You can apparently throw as many grenades as you want without initiating combat. The thug just doesn’t notice that a grenade went off at his feet. “Sorry man, the pin fell out and I panicked! Twice!” Or in the case of the robot on the stairs … I climb the stairs, assault rifle him in the back, and go back down the stairs. Robot’s turn, he can’t see me since I’m out of his LOS, so he does nothing. My turn I climb back up, fire, and climb back down … rinse, repeat, victory for the good guys!

This game isn’t an RPG and it isn’t a tactical shooter. It is a slow moving storybook with two possible stories, rife with violence. I will say the voice acting is pretty funny and the ambient effects are pretty well done. It isn’t a horrible game, but there are so many other tactical RPGs that are so much better. If you enjoy cop games and tactical shooters and find this one in a bargain bin … pick it up. I wouldn’t spend more than 9.99 though, and even at that price I would have to see if there was anything else in the bin.