COPS 2170: The Power of Law

Put Simply, Cops 2170 is one of the most unwelcoming games I've ever played. The first hour of the game is - absurdly - the worst, dropping you into a shabby-looking isometric environment with absolutely no signposting, assistance or indication as to what to do (let alone how or why). It simply assumes that you've played X-COM from birth, understand concepts such as Action Points and Encumbrance implicitly and enjoy nothing better than bumbling aimlessly around a tired cyberpunk world full of NPCs with dodgy Al and dodgier voice-acting.

Eventually, things do start to click. Once you've got your head around the horribly-designed HUD, dire presentation and inelegant interface, you realise there's a game underneath. The broad template is X-COM, but a thin RPG layer accompanies the turn-based action, enabling you to level up your attributes as you earn experience.

You play the game as Kati, a wide-eyed police sergeant about to realise the true horror, filth and corruption of her Deus Ex-inspired world. Right from the first mission, your actions can lead you down a number of branching plot-lines. To help out, up to seven squad-mates can join you along the way, including an extremely annoying genetically-enhanced rat.

Like Jagged Alliance, the game switches between free' movement and turn-based shootouts as appropriate, and the action itself is true to the genre (if not particularly tactical). Overall, it's moderately playable, but certainly never approaches the standard of Jagged Alliance or UFO: Aftermath.