G-Police

Infobox VG
title=G-Police


caption =
developer=Psygnosis
Wheelhaus
publisher=Psygnosis
SCEE
distributor=
designer=
series=
engine=
version=
platforms=PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Network
released= PlayStation
vgrelease|NA=1997-09-30|PAL=October, 1997vgrelease|JP=1998-11-19

Windows
November 30, 1997
genre= Shooter
modes=Single player
ratings= vgratings|USK=12+|ELSPA=3+|ESRB=Kids to Adults
media= 2 CD-ROMs (PS1)
1 CD-ROM (WIN)
Download (PS3)
requirements=
input=

"G-Police" is a vehicle-based (primarily 'gunships', similar to helicopters) shooter developed by Psygnosis and Wheelhaus and published by Psygnosis in 1997 for the PlayStation and the PCcite web | author=IGN site staff | url=http://uk.pc.ign.com/objects/002/002060.html | title=Game Details for G-Police | work= [http://ign.com IGN] | accessdate=15 August | accessyear=2006] cite web | author=GameSpot site staff | url=http://uk.gamespot.com/ps/action/gpolice/index.html | title=G-Police | work= [http://gamespot.com GameSpot] | accessdate=15 August | accessyear=2006] . The science-fiction setting takes place in the year 2097, on a colonised Callisto (one of Jupiter's moons). The titular G-Police maintain order in the colony, both by combating criminals and regulating the powerful corporations present.

Plot and Setting

Backstory

The game is set in 2097, according to the introductory sequence. This sequence also provides the history of the game’s setting: in 2057, the depletion of Earth’s resources coincides with widening space exploration. After a catastrophic war over ever-declining resources, ending 10 years prior to the events of G-Police, Earth’s governments are stripped of military power. Thus powerful corporations exert control over Earth and the burgeoning space colonies. The Government Police (G-Police) are formed by Earth’s remaining coalition government to maintain order in these colonies. [Narrator: 'In 2057, Earth's resources are completely depleted. A race to claim every ore-bearing rock in the solar system begins […] war breaks out. Fighting continues until 2087 […] with little remaining military or financial resources, Earth's governments are stripped of their powers and are forced to demilitarise […] by 2089, the corporations continue the exploitation of space, making vast profits to further strengthen their position. Earth's coalition government is allowed to create a multinational force to keep order in the colonies. The Government Police are born.'] In the latter part of the introductory sequence, the protagonist Slater introduces himself as a war veteran who has joined the G-Police to conduct his own investigation of his sister’s apparent suicide (as he suspects foul play) [Slater: 'The inquiry gave a verdict of suicide. I didn't buy that. […] that left only one option: someone murdered her and went to the trouble of covering it up. I had to know the truth.' ] . He also provides a pragmatic view of the G-Police, stating they lack authority and “turn a blind eye” to “shady corporate deals” while attempting to maintain order. He derides the Havoc gun-ships as outdated and the pilots as a mixture of desperate war veterans and naïve idealists. [Slater: 'Close air support was introduced in the shape of the AG-60 Havoc. I'd flown these babies on Mars during the war, and they were past their prime even then. […] G-Police are supposed to represent government authority in the colonies. But I knew the score. [...] Keep the population under control and try to turn a blind eye to any shady corporation deals. G-Police are all volunteers, usually vets with time on their hands. There's a few high-minded idealists who think they can make a difference, but the majority are just running from problems back on Earth.']

Plot

Early game levels see Slater combating criminal gangs. Corporate involvement (specifically, ‘Krakov’ corporation) is suspected due to the sophisticated nature of the gangs’ weaponry; however Krakov’s president is the subject of an assassination attempt by the gangs, also depicted in playable missions. During this attempt, Tachikawa (a pilot whom Slater describes as flying his gun-ship ‘like he was born in it’) dies when his gun-ship crashes after mysteriously malfunctioning. In the interests of morale, his death is covered up; this incident is reminiscent of Elaine’s death, as Slater points out.

After numerous terrorist attacks on their personnel and property, Krakov blames a rival corporation, ‘Nanosoft’, and begins attacking them openly with their private army. Lacking evidence for Nanosoft’s involvement with the criminal gangs, the G-Police protect Nanosoft and ultimately destroy Krakov’s military power. The latter half of the game depicts a civil conflict between the G-Police and Nanosoft’s private forces, which attack G-Police after Krakov’s collapse.

In the unfolding plot, the player learns that Tachikawa and Slater’s sister, Elaine were killed (by the sabotage of their gun-ships) to procure microchips implanted in their brains. The science-fiction explanation of the chips is that they can record the pilots’ knowledge and combat skills; Nanosoft desires the chips to power their artificial intelligence (many of the game’s enemy vehicles are apparently unmanned). The G-Police commander Horton is assassinated by the treacherous Ricardo (Slater’s wingman for much of the game), also to this end. The game ends with the destruction of a large spacecraft by Slater; the closing sequence reveals Nanosoft planned to use this to exert military dominance. Slater stays within the G-Police after the conflict, despite never having any intentions of officially joining. [ Slater: [final words] Horton, Elaine, Tachikawa, and the others had finally been avenged. And, like I said, I never intended to join the G-Police. But now, just like Elaine before me, I reckon I'd found somewhere I could just about say I belong. I swear, she'd never believe it--if she was still here, that is.’]

Gameplay

The game involves piloting ‘gun-ships’ almost exclusively (ground vehicles are available in certain unlock-able bonus missions). The gun-ships are similar to helicopters in appearance (they lack rotor blades however; their exact workings are science-fiction) and handling: airborne vehicles with the ability to hover rather than being forced to move forward constantly . The ‘Havoc’ gun-ship is used for the bulk of the game; the later ‘Venom’ is more maneuverable, better armoured and has access to more powerful weapons. Both first and third person views are available in the game.The gun-ships have weaponry similar to real world weapons such as cannons, rockets, laser-guided bombs and heat-seeking missiles. Others, such as laser guns, ‘plasmas’ and the more outlandish missiles owe much to the science-fiction setting. Another science-fiction element is the gun-ships protective ‘shields’; these are depleted by enemy fire but slowly recharge . Oddly, enemy (and other G-Police) vehicles do not have the ability to recharge their shields. Beacons can be used to direct ground teams and the ‘EPP’ can be used to immobilize suspect vehicles without destroying them; this provides a police-work element to the gameplay . In certain missions, the player can command his wing-men to attack specific targets. Combat in G-Police involves both dog fighting with other aircraft and providing close support by bombing or strafing ground units and buildings. Missions involve various ‘seek and destroy’ scenarios, escorting VIPs, tailing suspects and providing support to ground teams carrying out raids. Often time is of the essence. Many of the missions take place in urban settings (the ‘dome’ cities of the colony); some however are more desolate, such as ‘mining domes’. This informs the gameplay: for example, in a city the player has more cover in the form of builds but must be careful not to crash into them, or hit civilian traffic.

History and Development

The game was developed by Psygnosis. According to Ian Heatherington, the company’s co-founder, it was developed by one of their ‘microstudios’: the ‘Straub studio’ in the south of England. This studio consisted of around 70 people and was also responsible for developing Overboard! at the same time. [Staff, [http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/062/062933p1.html E3: Psygnosis Co-founder Speaks: part 2] , "IGN", June 18, 1997, Accessed March 23, 2008]

A television advertisement was created to publicise the game. It was based around an animated sequence created by Peter Cheung (whom notably also created the television series Aeon Flux). The original sequence was 21 seconds long, but was shortened to allow gameplay footage to appear in the advertisement. The animation was ‘done entirely using traditional hand-drawn methods’, according to its creator. Regarding its development, Cheung also stated: ‘I was at first daunted by the prospect of animating mechanical vehicles by hand that would hold up beside their computer-generated versions. I decided to concentrate on the people inside the machines, emphasizing their emotions and expressions. Also, the computer imagery was very atmospheric, with lots of lighting effects. I used multiple layers of glows, highlights, and shadows to get the drawn artwork to match the atmosphere of the game footage.’ Cheung claimed that the decision to ‘concentrate on the people inside the machines’ was informed by his belief that the game’s plot, setting and characters set it apart from other shooters of the day. [Fielder, Joe, [http://uk.gamespot.com/news/2468060.html?tag=result;title;1 G Police: Caught on Tape] , "GameSpot", Nov 12, 1997, Accessed March 23, 2008]

The game was backed by a reported $2.5 million advertising campaign, part of a wider $6 million campaign behind F1 Championship Edition and Colony Wars in addition to G-Police. [Jebens, Harley, [http://uk.gamespot.com/news/2467677.html?tag=result;title;6 Psygnosis' Big Push] , "GameSpot", Sep 17, 1997, Accessed March 23, 2008] G-Police continued to be closely associated with Colony Wars (another science fiction shooter from Pygnosis): IGN stated (prior to the games’ releases) that ‘G-Police is that rarest of games, a thinking man's shooter, and Colony Wars looks like it'll redefine the space shoot 'em up’. The online magazine indicated it was further anticipating the titles due to the credentials of the developer. It also drew parallels with the WipEout series in terms of potential importance, though mainly with reference to Colony Wars (it would later compare WipEout and G-Police in terms of game universe, however). [Staff, [http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/063/063776p1.html Feature: Has the PlayStation Plateaued?] , "IGN", October 14, 1997, Accessed March 23 2008] [IGN Staff [http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/122/122160p1.html G-Police Preview] June 16, 1997, Retrieved on Feb 24 2008]

Reception

"IGN" noted the "Blade Runner" influence on the game’s visuals and setting, and praised the game’s expansion of the theme, as did the magazine "Edge". [IGN Staff [http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/122/122160p1.html G-Police Preview] June 16, 1997, Retrieved on Feb 24 2008] ['G-Police Review', "Edge", November 1997 (Issue 51), p92] "IGN" also compared the science fiction setting favourably to that of the influential "Wipeout" series. "Gamespot" however called the city environments ‘clean and generic’ although it noted the "Logan’s Run" style" domes. On the other hand, it praised the weapon effects. [Glave, James, [http://uk.gamespot.com/news/2467201.html?tag=result;title;3 Psygnosis Airlifts for G Police Preview] , "GameSpot", Aug 19, 1997, Retrieved on Feb 24 2008] "IGN" derided the graphics as the ‘low point of the game’, pointing to the ‘terrible’ draw distance (in practical terms, the distance the player can see) and building textures. Though "Edge" disagreed regarding the buildings' detail, praising them, the magazine agreed that the PlayStation's capabilities were stretched too far (though it was less harsh, calling the draw distance the 'only fly in the ointment') ['G-Police Review', "Edge", November 1997 (Issue 51), p92] ; the magazine noted that these problems were alleviated somewhat in the PC version ['G-Police Review (PC)', "Edge", February 1998 (Issue 55), p94] . According to "IGN", the game was redeemed by its solid gameplay and attention to detail "G-Police" was awarded an ‘impressive’ 8 out of 10. [IGN Staff [http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/152/152160p1.html G-Police Review] October 16, 1997, Retrieved on Feb 24 2008] . "Edge" praised the large city environments, flight simulation (noting the support for the DualShock controller), 'marvellous' cut scenes and 'great variety and imagination' of the playable missions, again giving the game 8 out of 10. [IGN Staff [http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/122/122160p1.html G-Police Preview] June 16, 1997, Retrieved on Feb 24 2008] ['G-Police Review', "Edge", November 1997 (Issue 51), p92]

equel

The sequel to the game is "", which depicts the aftermath of the conflict between the G-Police and Nanosoft. The game involves initial battles with gangs attempting to take advantage of the colony's instability, before another civil war scenario arises between the G-Police and a power hungry faction of Earth's forces. Notably, the game features additional vehicles: a space fighter, a ground vehicle and the 'raptor', a bipedal tank with ability to leap airborne and glide. The game lacked the extensive FMV sequences of the original game, however.

References

External links

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