This Is the Police 2

This game looks nice in the shop page. But that's it. Anybody thinking this is a strategy game: No it is not. It is a visual novel that pretends to be a strategy game. There might be a cool story behind it. Cool, if you like that your playing an old corrupt ex-cop who basically acts like a total a..hole. Still, the voice acting is quite good. Anyway, I say it is a visual novel that pretends to be a strategy game. Well, it works like this: Each day you may get some dialogue that drives the story forward (or attempts to, because, seriously, there are no likable characters, so why care?). Then you watch a map where you can assign your police officers. Theoretically. Because some will just call in sick or not appear on shift for other reasons. Some will just not work with other officers. Some will just refuse to follow orders. Each officer has a skill rating and to even send them on a call you have to meet the minimum skill requirement. Usually that doesnt work out, because for one reason or another you can't put up a team of officers together to respond to the call. Yes, you may have two officers ready, but they just wont to to the crime scene because their skill isnt high enough, or because they dislike each or... whatever obscure reason. This is ridiculous and completely unrealistic (and of course frustrating). Oh and by the way: You cannot save the game. That's right, you... can... not... save. The game saves automatically at the end of each day and you can only have one save for each day. I can't even begin to fathom how anyone could come up with that grand idea for a strategy game. But of course, it doesnt really matter, because the best strategy is simply: Do not play this game.

Fantastic gameplay, the management/simulation side remains brilliant, but as with the first it's trapped in a visual novel of completely awful writing. You're even stuck playing the same character as the old game with the new sheriff relegated to basically your secretary for all she gets the cover image. The game is trying to desperately to the 'mature' and edgy. fulfill every juvenile fantasy about dirty cops movies under the guise of critique that it drains all possibility of being enjoying. If they made it so you could play the game without the story. answering callouts, managing staff and equipment it would pretty much be a perfect game. But trapped in the story and with these characters, it's just intolerable. For a plus, the game side of it, is leagues of improvement. The tactical combat is fantastic and gives you a wide range of options, the management is great and it all looks good and runs well. But it all comes to nothing when you have to endure boyd and his story to get to it.