DIRTY LARRY: RENEGADE COP

1 player, horizontal game
Atari Corp., for the Atari Lynx
$34.95
Stereo? No

OVERVIEW:
    The story sounds familiar, almost like it came from a movie: Detective
Larry has just gotten chewed out by the chief, then sent off to bring in Mr.
Snuff, first lieutenant to the city's kingpin of crime. The big man doesn't
like this, though, and sends his legions of psychopaths and gang members to
stop the cop. Larry's got a simple answer to crime scum -- he wields his .45
and blows it away. But can even "Dirty" Larry survive long enough to deal with
Mr. Big once and for all?

    That's Larry, not Harry, but you get the idea. DIRTY LARRY: RENEGADE COP
puts you in the shoes of a hard-boiled gumshoe who walks, jumps, and ducks
through seven side-scrolling stages, fighting everyone in sight. Larry's fists
are always available, but he's equally proficient with handguns, rifles, and
grenades. You have one life to live, and once you lose it, the game ends. For
your sake, Larry can take a number of hits, and icons found along the way will
restore some of his health.

GAMEPLAY:
    There's a difference between game pace and game speed. Someone at Atari
got the two confused, and decided to make DIRTY LARRY a high-speed title, a
move that effectively ruins the game balance. The computerized criminals
attack far too quickly, and Larry has no effective way to protect himself or
dodge attacks. His only recourse, therefore, is to shoot the criminals before
they come close, meaning that Larry's fine as long as he has ammunition. Once
he's out, he gets trounced.

    Larry himself is also too fast; a typical player can fly through a scene
in three minutes or less. The game has only seven levels, and the criminals,
extra ammo, and health icons all appear in a fixed order. Combine all of these
factors, and this card soon becomes a test in how well the player can memorize
appearances and conserve bullets. A savvy player can finish this title without
too much effort, but that same player would not care for the game's too-short
duration.

GRAPHICS/SOUND:
    Weak as the game is, the graphics in DIRTY LARRY are no slouch, and put
some other titles to shame. The sprite animation is only average, but the
graphics feature incredible use of color and detail: shadows in the alleys,
lights rushing by in the subway, torn wallpaper, and lots more. A few animated
intermissions advance the plot as well. Sound effects, though, are not half as
impressive. The title theme is above average, but actual game sounds consist
mostly of gunfire, assorted thuds, and a few miscellaneous effects.

SUMMARY:
    Conceptually, DIRTY LARRY had the ingredients to be a easy, no-nonsense
action title. Unfortunately, the game balance got thrown out of sync, and the
final result lies in video limbo: young players will be turned off by the
difficulty of the game, and experienced gamers will finish it too quickly.

                GAMEPLAY:        5.5
                GRAPHICS:        8.5
                SOUND:           5.5
                OVERALL:         5.5