Revolution plays Good Cop Bad Cop
Britsoft developer unveils new action-adventure game for PC, Xbox and PS2
British developer Revolution Software, best known for classic adventure games like the Broken Sword series and Beneath A Steel Sky, has announced that it is working on a brand new action-adventure game for PC, Xbox and PlayStation 2. As the title suggests, Good Cop Bad Cop is a police thriller with a twist - you can be either a good cop or a bad cop, and the way the story and gameplay progresses will depend on how you approach the game, with two completely different endings.
It's all a bit Black & White really, offering players the morale choice of whether your character Ben Kellman will choose justice or revenge when he realises that the prime suspect in a murder case may be the same man who killed his own father 25 years earlier. Whichever path you decide to follow, you will find yourself taking part in shoot-outs, roof-top chase scenes and all the other staples of American cop movies. But at the end of the day it's up to you to decide whether you charge in guns blazing, sneak in and cap the criminals execution-style, or try to arrest them without resorting to violence. Whether you read them their rights, or read them their last rites.
"Good Cop Bad Cop is a very ambitious title", admitted Revolution's managing director Charles Cecil. "It's certainly more action-orientated than anything we've done before, but we'll be using our experience within the field of interactive fiction to ensure this is not just another 'me-too' blast-'em-up. We're primarily interested in challenging the morals of the player. The most violent option within the game will certainly appeal to many; but Good Cop Bad Cop will present the consequences of those actions in a dark and mature way. We believe players will soon feel uncomfortable playing Good Cop Bad Cop because of the things you might end up doing."
Revolution are promising a game with "the sophistication of a film like Heat with the action of Die Hard or Lethal Weapon", which sounds like a match made in heaven to us. Throw in some gorgeous graphics, a range of characters and cinematic cutscenes and Revolution could be on to a winner. The game should be appearing on PlayStation 2 and Xbox some time next summer, with a PC version also planned. Expect to hear much more about this one over the next year...