Police Shootout: Prologue - Keep Calm And Keep Going

I’m a police veteran – a Police Quest veteran. I’ve played and finished them all multiple times, but never in my long career have I been involved in something like Police Shootout: Prologue – the latest simulator from Games Incubator.

Ok, so it’s not out in full yet, but this demo is, and you don’t need to be an incredibly good looking website owner to get your hands on it. It’s on Steam now. However, if you really want to know what I think about it, read on.

Really? You want to know my opinion?

So… before you hit the streets of Police Shootout: Prologue, you need to complete your training. You don’t have to, but it’s recommended as here you’ll learn about your inventory wheel that includes your baton, gun, radio and more. Fellow police officers will give you an insight into the job and often stand on the spot, desperately awaiting your attention.

I was half expecting Sgt. Garry to break into a rendition of Lesbian Seagull, but some of the other voice actors seemed to have just been released from the Solid Snake stable. The character modelling was excellent and all (apart from the neanderthal arms hanging for many characters), but the visuals were a bit washed out.

Typically my settings are high, ultra, super-duper, or whatever is the top setting, but this simulator is somewhat intensive on my mid-range PC. It didn’t run out of breath, but I had to play with… oh wait: it was on Ultra. Ok, yeah, it’s a little washed out – the lighting and character complexions. I’m being picky.

Anyway, this is a write-up of the prologue I received before release, so let’s get to the gameplay. Parking lot brawl? Shoot ’em. Shoplifter? Shoot ’em. Come on, Police Shootout: Prologue isn’t real, so we may as well go to town and kill everyone, right? It’s just a simulation. Unless Free Guy WAS real…? Anyway, you can go in gun(g)-ho, or Adam Jensen and sneak about and taser/baton someone with your, erm… baton.

Unfortunately, Police Shootout: Prologue follows the rules and shooting NPCs is unauthorised. In fact, it is all by the book, and you have to switch to your radio often to report any changes. It makes sense and adds to the authenticity somewhat, but the ‘ok’ dialogue option is replaced by ‘keep going’. It’s just weird.

After arriving at the so-called Parking Lot Brawl of two people diplomatically exchanging numbers, a shootout occurs in the nearby supermarket, and it gets all 1980s Cobra. You’ll enter the establishment and have a shootout with the perps resulting in death, or shoot their guns to disarm them, then bring them in. Alas, there wasn’t any real urgency, and everyone was in the right place at the right time, so it felt a bit… slow.

Regardless, despite lacking any urgency, it felt a bit badass to storm in as a lone wolf and rescue everyone. The dialogue with the suspects was corny, and the mechanics of shooting (a QTE sort of thing) and the cover system were mildly confusing at first but worked quite well. There’s also scope to radio in for info and speak to NPCs so that you can build up some pointers for negotiation.

Shootouts don’t have to end in death, and instead, you can talk your way out – pending you have unlocked enough information to do so. If all else fails, shoot ’em. Also, I didn’t like the countless blockages like trollies in an aisle or pieces of wood on a stairway, clearly indicating there’s only one way to go. That wasn’t fun.

As I clear the place up, I return to my vehicle to be greeted by the Captain, and he immediately gives me this exposition about my missing brother… cringe. Sorry, but the narrative was NYPD Bore than NYPD Blue. That said, Police Shootout: Prologue shows some promise. I can’t recall playing anything like it, and the devs have a habit of sapping up my time with some engaging titles (Car Detailing Simulator, for starters).

What do you think about Police Shootout: Prologue? Check it out for yourself – it’s on Steam now as a playable demo.