Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: VD Dev
Genre: Action Adventure
Release date: Available now

If you’ve ever been pulled over by a police officer, then you know it’s never fun. Most people driving by slow down and stare at you like you’re a sideshow feature at a traveling carnival; some people must enjoy it when others get in trouble. C.O.P.: The Recruit from Ubisoft gives you the chance to be on the side of the city protector, flashing your red and blue lights whenever you feel like it.

You play as Dan Miles, a former underground street racer who creates havoc in New York City with his reckless behavior until Det. Bradley Winter has a car chase with Dan and catches him. Dan has one choice: go to prison for unlawful conduct, or become a cop in the City Control Division (CCD) in a new program that takes criminals and turns them into police officers. His first task in the CCD: take on a terrorist organization and save the city.

C.O.P.: The Recruit’s gameplay is a tribute to the Grand Theft Auto games. You run around an open-world 3D cityscape commandeering cars instead of stealing them. You receive various missions from your City Control Console (3C). Your 3C also contains your map and a directory in which you can look up various locations spread across the city to help you navigate. Your touch screen also can be used for shooting (the option can be turned off if you prefer to use buttons).

Having an open 3D world on the DS is very impressive. You can walk around, take any of the various cars that are in the city and drive. New York City feels like a real place, with the sounds and surroundings being convincing even for a DS game. C.O.P.: The Recruit is well put-together in the sense that being a DS game and having a 3D world is altogether effective at times.

I really don’t know where to start to discuss what I disliked about C.O.P.: The Recruit. The first thing that annoyed me is that any enjoyment to be had is lost because of the control system. The driving mechanic is clunky; I crashed into anything and everything possible in missions during which I needed to chase a car. The shooting part of the game is terrible. Some developers have no trouble making shooters for the DS. VD Dev is not one of them. And plot-wise, C.O.P.: The Recruit’s story is a snoozefest.

I have to be honest; when I first got this game to review I was a little excited. I really wanted C.O.P.: The Recruit to be a game in which you could be a policeman, bust bad guys and save the day, but it falls short. Clunky controls mixed with terrible shooting make for bad headaches. Even with the surprising open 3D city environment, this game just doesn’t deliver.

Our Score:

Our Recommendation: