I really liked the first game but this one.. yuck. Absolutely rubbish story, bad script, bad acting (except for Boyd), bad directing and overall sloppy design in comparison to the original. The new overhead xcom-like missions are slow and sluggish with poor ui controls, dumb enemy AI and illogical detection range for engagements. The best part of the game is the toy model cop-dispatch management sequence which is nearly identical to the first game. They changed the investigations a bit but its still the same goofy photo sequence guessing game. I waited for this to be on sale and im glad i did.
In short, i felt like this one is not as good as the first one.
The trama is awful, there's a lot of insubstancial and boring talks. There's a useless trama for some characters. It also falls too short, the first game lasted 180 days, and this one ends after 40 days, it could've been way better with a longer story.
The gameplay and the battles are nice. I missed the chance of using better weaponary in the long run and more front line combat, but it was a good thing of the game.
I think This Is the Police 2 is maybe a great game, but also it is a very difficult game- not difficult in the sense of hard to complete, although it can be tricky, but in the sense of being difficult to digest as a video game. It's presented as kind of a seriocomic police sim, and it is this, as far as the gameplay goes, but there's a very heavy focus on the storytelling. I think it would be impossible to market the game otherwise, because the police sim stuff is the most immediately appealing aspect of the game, and constitutes most of the game's actual gameplay. What makes it hard to take in compared to other games is that it's very- and very deliberately- repellent and alienating. The protagonist, who you theoretically control in the gameplay of the game, is unlikeable, and gets less likeable over the course of the game in ways that are spoilers to discuss. He does things the player would never consider doing. The tone and mood of the game are grim, and get darker over the course of the game. Playing the game, and even after you finish it, you are made to feel anxious and uneasy, both by the story and by the high-stakes nature of the gameplay itself. This is not a game to play if you want to have fun playing at being a cop, or if you want a story which is satisfying in conventional, superficial ways. It is not, and can not be, for everyone; Metal Gear Solid 2 is the most notable example of a deliberately alienating, but brilliant, game which I can compare it to. This sequel is better than the original in every way: both the gameplay and the storytelling live up to the potential the original promised, but fell short of. TL;DR: DO NOT play this game if you want a fun wacky cop sim; DO play this game if you want something different and interesting, or if you liked the first game but wished it lived up to its potential.
Some improvements since TITP1. The skill system, the possibility to boost officers individually, got rid of detectives, introduced multiple suspects in investigations, officers with quirks (feminist, germaphobe, etc), tactical missions and more.
Sadly the same storyline issue as in TITP1. You can't in any way influence story. What's worse the game puts decisions/skill tests in your path that let you think you can and then lets you hit the wall. Weappy just messing with our heads? Who knows. I enjoyed the story, the characters, voice acting, the overall atmosphere. But it's still not a story driven game. Apart from cutscenes you do not see, manage or interact with any of the characters from the story. You unlock a scene from a movie by managing your department well. Nothing more.
Constantly moving camera and blur effect for managerial view? Really?! Sure looks good on screenshots. Honestly I felt relieved when I came back to TITP1 UI in dream sequence.
Overall 80%. Definitely worth playing.
Hope Emma ends up OK :).
I loved the first game, the voiceacting was good, the gameplay was basic and a bit repetitive but carried me through the whole story.
I quit this second opus after 30 minutes, the dialogues are very bad even for the actor of the first game.
Something went wrong somewhere, maybe the actors did not receive the description of the context, or they had 1000 lines to record in 20min, I don't know what the problem was but the result is just painfull to hear and I had to stop.
