Cyber Police ESWAT (サイバーポリス イースワット) is a side-scrolling run and gun video game developed and released by Sega for arcades in 1989. Players take control of Duke Oda, a member of the Liberty City Cyber Police Force tasked with finding and arresting the city's most wanted criminals, and eventually dismantling a terrorist organization planning world domination. In 1990, Sega released a Mega Drive/Genesis and Master System version known in North America as ESWAT: City Under Siege.
| Cyber Police ESWAT | |
|---|---|
 Japanese arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega U.S. Gold (home computers) |
| Designer(s) | Nandemo, Macco Chan, Seishi Atsumiya, Mikarin |
| Composer(s) | Yasuhiro Kawakami |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 |
| Release | May 28, 1989[1] |
| Genre(s) | Run and gun |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Arcade system | System 16 |
Gameplay
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The gameplay is similar to Sega's own Shinobi (1987),[2] as the player has the ability to jump up and down between planes where possible. The goal of each of the game's 15 stages is to find and arrest a specific wanted criminal, who is usually fought at the end of the stage as a boss. Duke is initially armed with only a single-shot pistol, but upon arresting the first three criminals and being promoted to ESWAT, Duke is equipped with a Power Suit with a mounted machine gun for the rest of the game. The suit also has access to limited-use special weapons which can be found within stages. However, both of Duke's standard weapons require ammunition, without which the player can only attack with a kick. Additional ammunition can be found in boxes throughout each stage.
Hardware/conversion
editThe game was issued on Sega's System 16-B which is built around the M68000 and uses a Z80 and a YM2151 for amplified mono sound generation. The System 16 pinout is not JAMMA compatible but JAMMA adaptors are available and fairly common. The game was released in a dedicated two player cabinet and also as a kit that contained the System 16 to JAMMA adaptor. Each player requires one start button, one joystick, and three action buttons (shoot, jump, special weapons). This game utilizes a standard resolution arcade monitor.
Reception
editComputer and Video Games called the game a cross between NARC and RoboCop, but wrote that it "doesn't quite have the flair of either". Rating the game at 76% overall, they recommended only playing Cyber Police if they were bored with the two other games.[3]
References
edit- ^ "ESWAT (Registration Number PA0000428171)". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ "Pedal To The Metal: Sega Set To Speed, Swing, Sidekick Into The 1990s With New Fall Line". Vending Times. Vol. 29, no. 10. August 1989. pp. 52–5.
- ^ "Cyber Police". Computer and Video Games. November 1989. p. 97.