| Dynamite Cop | |
| Developer: | AM1 |
| Publisher: | Sega |
| Director: | Makoto Uchida |
| Producer: | Rikiya Nakagawa |
| Designer: | Makoto Uchida |
| Composer: | Howard Drossin |
| Released: | Arcade June 27, 1998 Dreamcast |
| Genre: | Beat 'em up |
| Modes: | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Platforms: | Arcade, Dreamcast |
| Arcade System: | Sega Model 2 |
Dynamite Cop, known in Japan as, is a 1998 beat 'em up video game published by Sega and initially released in arcades on Sega Model 2 hardware. It is the sequel to the 1996 game Dynamite Deka, which was released outside Japan as Die Hard Arcade. The game was ported to the Dreamcast and released internationally in 1999, this time without the Die Hard license. A second sequel, Asian Dynamite, was released only in arcades.
Dynamite Cop is a 3D beat 'em up for up to two players in which players play as either Bruno Delinger, Jean Ivy, or Eddie Brown and fight through levels on board a cruise ship and on a deserted island to save the President's daughter from a band of modern-day pirates led by Wolf "White Fang" Hongo, the main antagonist from the first game. The classic Sega arcade game Tranquilizer Gun (1980) is included as a bonus game on the Dreamcast version. Clearing all missions will enable you to play Tranquilizer Gun an unlimited number of times.
Its main character, Delinger, makes a cameo appearance in The House of the Dead 2 as a playable character via a special item obtainable in the original mode (present in home versions of The House of the Dead 2). Bruno Delinger also makes an appearance in Project X Zone as a solo unit character.
A chicken-leg from Golden Axe makes a cameo appearance on the Island stage.
The Dreamcast version received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. Jeff Chen of NextGen called the game's Japanese import "An entertaining, if somewhat last-generation-looking, game." In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 30 out of 40.
Also in Japan, Game Machine listed the arcade version in their August 1, 1998 issue as the fourth most-successful arcade game of the month.[1]
Scary Larry of GamePro said of the Dreamcast version in one review, "Unfortunately, all the heart-stopping action-movie chop-sockie comes to an abrupt end. The game is extremely short, and even a mediocre player can get through in less than an hour. Even with the multiple paths, the game has to rely on gimmicky diversions like an art gallery or bonus games to extend its life. A weekend rental? Perfect for you weekend warriors."[2] In another review, Larry "Major Mike" Hryb said, "If you're looking for an action game where brainpower takes a backseat to brute force, then walk the Dynamite Cop beat. Others will be satisfied with a rental."[3]