Let us begin this Playback by removing our rose tinted spectacles, placing them on the ground and then firmly crushing the specs into itty-bitty pieces. Nostalgia is horribly overrated because if you do go and look at that ‘awesome’ thing you remember from past, be it game or girlfriend, time has never been kind.
With that in mind, it is rather ironic I have chosen to dig out the long lost but dearly remembered TSA Time Microwave, pop a Ginsters Spicy Chicken Slice in the platter and dial in for 1997. Hold tight!
Welcome to 1997, the year I took ownership of my first PlayStation, which came bundled with a copy of G-Police. Developed by the always excellent Pysgnosis (now Sony Liverpool), G-Police fused mind blowing graphics, jet helicopters and a setting inspired by Blade Runner.
The backstory tells of the depletion of the Earth’s resources and a massive war. Governments no longer hold power and have been replaced by giant corporations that control both the Earth and its colonies in space. The Government Police (G-Police) have been created to maintain order within the colonies, equipped the rotorless jet helicopters.
It’s time to jump in the seat of the VTOL helicopter and take it for a spin, just look at… those… amazing… graphics.
Oh.
G-Police has a draw distance of about 20 metres, awful by today’s standards and the reviews in 1997 were also less than complimentary. IGN noted that the ‘terrible’ draw distance was the ‘low point’ of the game but still gave the title a respectable 8/10. Edge magazine gave G-Police the same score and I personally played the game non-stop, eager to discover the next twist of the story.
Before the dawn of PlayStation, plot and storylines were an afterthought at best. There simply wasn’t enough storage space to give gamers CGI cut scences or FMV (that’s Full Motion Video to you youngsters). Psygnosis had been famous for their short CGI intro movies on the Amiga and ST but now they had 700 megabytes of space tp fill on these new fangled ‘Compact Discs’.
When I first loaded G-Police it was jaw-on-the-floor time, the gorgeous CGI intro movie was at least two minutes long! As the game progressed, more cut scenes detailed the plot and back in the day it really was like ‘playing a movie’.
Flying a VTOL helicopter around the cities of Calisto is still a lot of fun. Missions usually involve cat and mouse dogfights through towering skyscrapers and once you learn how to control the rather difficult VTOL, swooping from behind a neon lit tower and blasting an enemy fighter to pieces is immensely satisfying.
Graphical issues aside, G-Police is still a fantastic game (especially if played on the PSP) with an exceptionaly good story to boot. It is available via the PSN and you can grab the original PSOne discs on Ebay for around three pounds.
One last thought;  Just imagine how good G-Police would look if Sony Liverpool remade the title using the Wipeout HD engine.
carson321
i remember using cheat codes and getting rockets, blasting a hole in the road, and watching as all the civilian vehicles dutifully drove into it over and over again!
Sympozium Pawa
Loved the sequel but never got into the first game whenever I got it on PSN.
It really needs a remake and this genre really needs to be revived there’s just no excuse to ignore it. Hope Starhawk does well!!
The Lone Steven
So there is a TSA time mircowave, I KNEW IT! My pastry must have been sent back in time as it wasn’t there when i went to go and get it.
I remeber playing this as a kid. I think it was the first ever PS1 game i played although the version i had was in italian and had no idea what to do.
I think i spent more time crashing into the street below and flying along the street then in the air. ( I was new to gaming atm)