The people of Los Angeles are going wild. Is the heat wave or drugs to blame? Or something more sinister? Call Lieutenant Mike Harrigan. He has all the answers...

It was a fairly hectic day in Game Freak Alley. The phone hadn’t stopped ringing all day. This call, however was a little bit different... ‘Hi, Mike Harrigan here, Los Angeles Police Department. I’m tacklin’ my toughest case yet. Rival Columbian and Jamaican gangs have turned these streets into a war zone. Drugs are rife. Too many good people are being poisoned.

‘I’ve bin sniffin’ around. Gettin’ the word from grass roots level. There’s talk of Voodoo-related sacrifices and alien Predators livin’ deep under the city. This ain’t talk — this is for real! I know it!

‘Though the guys at FBI don’t think I know. They want me off the case. No way! Too many LAPD officers have been taken hostage by these gangs, and if I don’t get my butt into gear, the Predators are gonna get the lot of ‘em, period.

‘I’m on my own. The pressure’s taking it’s toll. What does a man do? Whoa! Hang on there! Maybe you guys could lend a hand? What d’ya say?’

You take the role of Mike Harrigan, cleaning up the streets of LA. At the start of the game, you’ve four lives to your name. There are seven levels of mayhem. Shoot the drug barons, destroy their hypodermic needles and rescue the hostages.

Of course, the bad guys shoot back! This zaps your life force. A bar at the bottom of the playing area shows your supply of energy. Grab extra lives, rifles, shotguns and grenades en route to aid your task. Use button [2] to select a different weapon.

While blasting everything to pieces, a Predator watches over you. Keep an eye out for his gun-sight. When it starts moving, you can bet your last dime it’s gonna track you down. Move from the section you’re fighting in as soon as you can. That may mean rescuing a couple more hostages before a door opens, or barrier crumbles.

But you’re up to it! You’ve got the best felony record in the history of the LAPD. Not even a Predator can outwit you... or can it?

DRUGGED THUGS

Sewer Shooter
These guys are a real pain in the ass. They pop up from their manhole and take well-aimed potshots. Kill these quickly.
Snipers
When it comes to chickens, these are prize turkeys. They hide behind windows and fire potshots. They can be killed with a grenade.
Thugs
The most common baddies threaten Harrigan. They roam the levels armed with baseball bats and guns but prove little threat.

Paul admits... ‘NOTHING MS OWNERS HAVEN’T SEEN BEFORE’

Not again! You’d think the Predator would be sick and tired of de-boning us humans by now. But no, he’s decided to spend a few days shopping in LA. And top of his list are high-ranking policemen! I’m glad I live in West Bromwich — nothing that interesting could happen there!

Predator 2 on the MS gets full marks for effort. The MS is still getting big name games, even though 8-bit consoles aren’t all the rage. There’s no reason for MS owners to panic!

The game’s a hit and miss affair. The visuals and sonics are up to MS standard and the idea’s good, It just lacks that oomph in the playability area. The action gets very repetitive after the third or fourth level. On the fifth, it becomes frustratingly difficult.

If you’re after a new game, check it out. The end-of-level baddies and the extra challenge of the Predator himself make It a tough nut to crack, but don’t expect to play for long. Not too bad but nothing us MS owners haven’t seen before.

PAUL 71%

BETTER BALLISTICS

Flak Jacket
Restores your energy to 100%. Always pick these up.
Pistol
Standard LAPD issue pistol. Infinite bullets but a bit crap.
Grenade
Use these against snipers and bunches of baddies.
Machine Gun
Rapid-fire gun with powerful bullets. The best weapon.
Scatter Gun
Fires bullets in three different directions.
Sawn-off Shotgun
The most powerful weapon available to the Lt.

SF Rating

Presentation
65% - No options, dire title screen but nice intro pic. Password system
Visuals
76% - Solid, well defined graphics. Backgrounds are a bit bland
Sonics
62% - Usual MS soundtrack track. Annoying in-game Sound and FX
Playability
72% - Fairly easy to pick up. The MS joypad can make diagonal movement a bit tricky
Lastability
65% - Straightforward to Level 5 then infuriatingly difficult. Very frustrating to play

68%

Another average release. More could of been made of the licence

Producer
Acclaim
MD
Out
GG
March
Memory
256K
Players
1
Price
£32.99
Rating
68
Reviewer
Sega Force magazine
Region
UK
Scans
Sega Force - Issue 14

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