''Timecop'' is a side-scrolling action video game produced by
Cryo Interactive
Cryo Interactive Entertainment was a French video game development and publishing company founded in 1990, but existing unofficially since 1989 as a developer group under the name Cryo.
History
Cryo was formed by members of ERE Informatique ...
for the
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South ...
in
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...
.
It is based on the
1994 film of the same title and takes place after the events of the film. Despite the use of digitized actors to portray the characters in the game,
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian actor, martial artist, filmmaker, and fight choreographer. Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the a ...
was not used to pose as protagonist Max Walker. Levels range from locales in the past (e.g.,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
during the 1920s, the
European front of World War II), the present day, and a dystopian
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
of the distant future.
Although the game was only released for the Super NES, a version was also developed for the
Sega CD
The Sega CD, released as the in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. It was released on December 12, 1991, in Japa ...
, with a short demo being distributed in May 1995 alongside the European
Sega Pro
''Sega Pro'' was the first publication from Paragon Publishing and catered for the Sega consoles: the Master System, Game Gear and the Mega Drive. Early editorial staff included Dominic Handy (editor), Les Ellis (games editor), Dave Perry (des ...
magazine. Despite being fully completed by the developer, JVC pulled off the Sega CD version publishing and it remained unreleased. In 2007, a complete version of the game was eventually released on the Internet by the Sega CD version coder.
Gameplay
Players must stop the original inventor of time travel, Dr. Hans Kleindast, and must fix all the wrong things that Kleindast does in the game. There are 15 levels in all; most of them are standard platforming levels. Some levels involve the use of a player-controlled vehicle and use of
martial arts.
A time limit is in effect for all 15 levels of the game; resulting in instant death and the loss of a life if the timer reaches 0:00.
Reception
On release, ''
Famitsu
formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the ...
'' magazine scored the game a 20 out of 40. ''
GamePro
Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...
'' panned the game, citing exaggerated animation, lack of digitized voice, and almost unplayable design.
Allgame
RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel.
Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...
gave the game a 2.5 out of 5 score.
The game is popular among the
Games Done Quick
Games Done Quick (GDQ) is a semiannual video game speedrun charity marathon held in the United States, originally organized by the Speed Demos Archive and SpeedRunsLive communities. Since 2015, it has been handled by Games Done Quick, LLC. H ...
speedrunning community as part of their "Awful Games Done Quick" block, where they provide humorous commentary on various aspects of the video game.
References
{{Timecop
1995 video games
Cancelled Sega CD games
Cryo Interactive games
category:Dystopian video games
Science fiction video games
Super Nintendo Entertainment System games
Super Nintendo Entertainment System-only games
Video games about police officers
Video games about time travel
Video games based on films
Video games based on Dark Horse Comics films
Video games based on comics
Video games based on adaptations
Video games with digitized sprites
Video games developed in France
Timecop (franchise)
Video games set in Europe
Video games set in Los Angeles
Video games set in New York City