Game Reviews

Smash Cops Heat

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Smash Cops Heat
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| Smash Cops Heat

Earlier this year, Smash Cops tore onto the App Store and earned a Pocket Gamer Silver Award for its bombastic portrayal of police protocol.

Eschewing the sedate pace of procedural police drama, it argued that the best way for a cop to apprehend a fleeing suspect is to ram his car repeatedly until it resembles a smouldering and twisted piece of playground equipment.

When Hutch Games announced Smash Cops Heat, fans of the original game weren't sure whether it was a sequel to the original or lite version.

The answer is that it's a bit of both, with a ruinous number of in-app purchases built in from the outset.

Pedal to the metal

In Smash Cops Heat, you play as a nameless police officer bombing around a suburban area on the prowl for felons looking to make a speedy getaway.

The camera comes in at an interesting three-quarters overhead view, giving the (accurate) impression that the entire chase is being filmed by a news helicopter.

The controls in Smash Cops Heat are as intuitive as they are responsive. You place and hold a finger behind your police car to make it drive, and slide your finger to the right or left to steer.

It's a fun concept at first, and the early levels are an absolute blast. Your main goal is to tail a suspect until you're close enough to ram him and then, well, ram him.

License and registration, please

Unfortunately, the rams you need to chase a baddie down recharge slowly and the 'ram' button is situated directly above the IAP-driven 'Instaram' button.

This means that the ram manoeuvre quickly turns into a consumable item that you have to replenish via IAPs if you want to use it with any regularity. Otherwise, you're stuck waiting for the ram to recharge as the bad guy gets away.

The optional 'Super Cop' power-up that transforms your squad car into an avenging angel of four-wheeled justice is also an IAP-fuelled consumable, though that makes sense to a degree as it's a bit overpowered.

Still, it's rather distasteful that a basic move like 'ram' would be made into a consumable item - especially when it's the only move in your arsenal.

Worse still is the fact that the game's levels are unlocked by earning stars, which accumulate at a positively glacial pace. If you want to get anywhere past the first couple of levels, you'll need to invest real currency in the game.

Heating down

The original Smash Cops was a bit heavy on the IAPs, and Smash Cops Heat takes that legacy and runs with it.

Neither a true sequel nor a full lite version, Smash Cops Heat is a good game to play if you're looking for a quick exposure to the series, but it's a poor substitute for the original.

Smash Cops Heat

A heavy and relentless reliance on IAPs make this a difficult game of cops and robbers to get interested in
Score
Matthew Diener
Matthew Diener
Representing the former colonies, Matt keeps the Pocket Gamer news feed updated when sleepy Europeans are sleeping. As a frustrated journalist, diehard gamer and recovering MMO addict, this is pretty much his dream job.