Dynamite Cop (Dynamite Deka 2)

Release Date - July (estimate), 1998 (JP)

Developer - Sega AM1

Publisher - Sega

Platform - Arcade (Sega Model 2)

Have you ever been so angry that you wanted to throw an arcade cabinet at someone?

If you have, Dynamite Cop might be the game for you (and you also might have some unresolved anger issues). The sequel to the original Dynamite Deka, or as it was known outside Japan, Die Hard Arcade. The licence has been dropped, but everything else has been significantly ramped up in this sequel that barrelled into arcades in 1998.

As outlandish as those costumes are, this is probably the least bizarre screen I could take of this game.

Dynamite Cop lives up to the original game’s reputation for white-knuckle action and wacky humour in equal measures. Released on Sega’s Model 2 hardware (which was already half a decade old by 1998), the graphics were pretty basic. Any deficiency in polygon pushing power was made up for with the gameplay. The old hardware didn’t betray a fun art-direction that reminded players at every opportunity that this game was all about over-the-top fun.

Harking back to the days of beat-em-ups like Sega’s own Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, or Altered Beast, the game mainly (entirely) revolves around moving from room to room and belting seven shades of shit out of baddies. There is a narrative here about terrorists taking over a cruise ship and kidnapping the president’s daughter, but it’s barely held together by any semblance of plot. By the time you get to the skeleton costume wearing baddies in the casino level you’ll probably have forgotten the intricacies of the story.

You can absolutely throw that arcade cabinet at those voodoo warriors.

Die Hard Arcade had two characters (one for player one and two each) that were identical save for their appearance. Dynamite Cop provides some more variety with three playable characters, each with their own specialities and move-sets. Bruno returns from the first game (although he’s not called John McClane in the English versions anymore…) and is the weapons specialist of the team. Everything from handguns to axes to rice-cookers (more on that later) can be weilded with deadly precision. Jean is a grappler with a number of incredibly painful looking chain throws and joint-locks. Finally, Eddie is an expert striker and prefers to dole out justice using just his fists and feet. A number of deadly boxing, muay thai and kickboxing techniques await players.

Pro wrestling fans will recognise this grapevine Boston crab, AKA the Sharpshooter!

The move lists for each character really is quite impressive. Taking a page from their Virtua Fighter series, there are a number of ‘canned’ striking combinations for each character. Hitting a combination like ‘Punch, punch, punch, kick’ will unleash a lethal series of strikes. This extends to grappling manoeuvres. Pro wrestling fans should keep an eye out for DDTs, the ‘Pedigree’, and the ‘Sharpshooter’ among others. And this is all before you get to the weapons. Oh god, the weapons…

In a really cool touch, each character has their own idle animation that shows off their fighting expertise. Here’s Eddie in a kickboxing stance!

Dynamite Cop is somewhat infamous for the amount of weapons you can use. You’ll quickly learn that in addition to obvious weapons like guns, fire-axes and explosives, everyday items are deadly in the right hands. Improvised weapons in this game include (but aren’t limited to); shaking pepper into an enemy’s face, throwing a rice-cooker at an enemy (which then explodes), a vacuum cleaner, buckets of betting chips and delicious pork buns (which can also be eaten to regain health!). Some weapons have bonus effects too, most notably the handgun allows you to arrest and handcuff an opponent, removing them from the fight instantly! You can also use this to make them empty their pockets, gaining healing items or more ammo! Ace!

Power-up pickups are a new addition to the formula. Pick up enough and you’ll fill a meter that causes you to be temporarily much stronger. The great part of this is that depending on your character, you’ll get additional bonuses in line with the character’s specialty! Bruno will be pulling off trick shots with a pistol, or doing extended weapon combinations. Jean can pull off some incredibly painful and long lasting chain wrestling attacks. Eddie unleashes huge striking combinations that juggle your opponent in the air, finishing off with Street Fighter style dragon punches! It really makes a big difference to your damage output, so it’s a great feeling to get powered up and unleash on a particularly big group, or tough boss.

It’s a good thing you’ve got so many weapons too, since there’s a lot of equally bizarre enemies trying to stop you. Thugs, pirates (you are on a cruise ship after all), tribal warriors (erm…), impossibly large sushi chefs (what?), and a giant octopus (okay, sure why not?) will all stand in your way. As much as they can be a thorn in your side, you’ll have to have a laugh when they all chant things like “POOR BABY” when you lose a life and face the ‘Continue’ screen.

Yep.

Quick-time events (QTEs) make an appearance here, and add some fun interludes between the usual beat-em-up action. Occasionally in stage transitions you’ll see a cut-scene that warns you to be on alert. You’ll have to match the action indicated on screen to avoid damage or dispatch and enemy. Get it right and you’ll get a slick multi-angle replay of the cool moment. Fail and you’ll get an (often hilarious) embarrassing moment, often leading to you having to do battle the hard way against some more opponents or taking damage. A good example is failing to kick an opponent coming out of men’s room, leading to your character tripping and falling onto the bathroom tiles while a urinating pirate looks on in disbelief. Failing a QTE isn’t too punishing which is always nice, but it adds some variety and touches of atmosphere to the game.

“You ‘right there, mate?”

There’s a lot of fun locations to visit during your rescue. You’ll find yourself in casinos, kitchens, hair salons and even a secret pirate island complete with torture chambers. A lot of these stages also feature environmental hazards you need to be aware of, and can even use to your advantage! Swinging axes, exploding engines and even pirates throwing liquor bottles at you from behind the bar will cause you figurative and literal headaches. It really adds to the over the top feeling of the game.

Dynamite Cop, like most arcade titles, is a short game. It’s short, but intense while it lasts! There’s replay value in the form of taking different routes on the cruise ship, using the different characters and of course, chasing those high scores. The game was successful enough to be ported to Sega’s Dreamcast console in 1999. Being a relatively bare-bones arcade port, the reviews were mixed, but the game has a cult following for being an incredibly fun brawler. It did well enough in arcades to get a third title in the series; Asian Dynamite. Dynamite Cop remains an iconic game of Sega’s late nineties arcade output. More than anything it embodies that feeling of arcades being a great outlet for fun, short and replayable games. In a word; Dynamite!

We’re here for a good time, not a long time! Get into Dynamite Cop and have a blast! (Pun not intended, but that was pretty good…)