Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Crime Patrol was developed and published by American Laser Games and released for the Sega CD in 1994, based on the 1993 arcade game. It is a live-action FMV light-gun shooter that replaces the Wild West setting of Mad Dog McCree with modern police work, taking you from street patrols all the way to Delta Force operations. It is short, repetitive and brutally demanding, but the ridiculous acting, varied scenarios and fast arcade structure make it one of the more entertaining American Laser Games titles. Rating: 6/10.
You begin as a Rookie police officer and gradually advance through four ranks: Rookie, Undercover, SWAT and Delta Force. Each rank contains several assignments, with the action escalating from robberies and street gangs to drug operations, tactical raids and increasingly absurd terrorist situations. Completing a set of missions earns you a promotion, giving the game a stronger sense of progression than most FMV shooters.
Every rank also pairs you with a different partner who provides warnings, instructions and plenty of wonderfully cheesy dialogue. The changing partners and environments help keep the campaign fresh even though the basic gameplay remains unchanged throughout.
The action is completely on rails. Live-action footage determines where you move while criminals suddenly appear from doorways, windows, cars and behind scenery. You must shoot them before they fire back, while avoiding civilians who occasionally enter the picture. Reloading is also important, since running out of ammunition at the wrong moment can quickly cost you a life.
Crime Patrol's real challenge comes from its extremely demanding reaction times. Early missions are fairly manageable, but later stages require near-perfect speed and accuracy. Enemies can appear for only a moment, meaning memorization becomes almost as important as reflexes. The game itself is not particularly long, but completing it legitimately can take much longer because failure may force you to replay earlier material.
It was clearly designed around a light gun. With the proper setup, snapping quickly between targets feels natural and closely matches the arcade concept. The Sega Mouse also works well. A standard controller is supported, but moving a crosshair with the D-pad makes an already difficult game considerably harder, especially when enemies give you only fractions of a second to react.
Presentation is classic American Laser Games. Real actors shout exaggerated dialogue while criminals leap dramatically into view, cars crash, explosions erupt and increasingly ridiculous situations unfold. The acting ranges from wooden to spectacularly over-the-top, but that is also much of the appeal. Crime Patrol often feels like an interactive low-budget action movie that takes itself completely seriously.
The Sega CD hardware naturally struggles with the FMV. Video is grainy, heavily compressed and less fluid than the arcade footage, while fast camera movements can make small or distant enemies difficult to identify. That is especially problematic in a game built around instant reactions. Audio fares better, with clear enough dialogue, gunfire and effects preserving the chaotic B-movie atmosphere.
There is very little mechanical depth beyond aiming, shooting and learning enemy positions, and repetition becomes obvious after a while. Still, the constantly escalating scenarios and different ranks give the campaign enough variety to stay entertaining until the end.
Crime Patrol is ultimately a short, silly and surprisingly demanding FMV shooting gallery. Its Sega CD presentation is technically rough and controller play can be frustrating, but with a light gun or mouse it becomes a fun slice of early-'90s arcade excess. Fans of American Laser Games and cheesy interactive movies should get the most from it.
Crime Patrol was developed and published by American Laser Games and released for the Sega CD in 1994, based on the 1993 arcade game. It is a live-action FMV light-gun shooter that replaces the Wild West setting of Mad Dog McCree with modern police work, taking you from street patrols all the way to Delta Force operations. It is short, repetitive and brutally demanding, but the ridiculous acting, varied scenarios and fast arcade structure make it one of the more entertaining American Laser Games titles. Rating: 6/10.
You begin as a Rookie police officer and gradually advance through four ranks: Rookie, Undercover, SWAT and Delta Force. Each rank contains several assignments, with the action escalating from robberies and street gangs to drug operations, tactical raids and increasingly absurd terrorist situations. Completing a set of missions earns you a promotion, giving the game a stronger sense of progression than most FMV shooters.
Every rank also pairs you with a different partner who provides warnings, instructions and plenty of wonderfully cheesy dialogue. The changing partners and environments help keep the campaign fresh even though the basic gameplay remains unchanged throughout.
The action is completely on rails. Live-action footage determines where you move while criminals suddenly appear from doorways, windows, cars and behind scenery. You must shoot them before they fire back, while avoiding civilians who occasionally enter the picture. Reloading is also important, since running out of ammunition at the wrong moment can quickly cost you a life.
Crime Patrol's real challenge comes from its extremely demanding reaction times. Early missions are fairly manageable, but later stages require near-perfect speed and accuracy. Enemies can appear for only a moment, meaning memorization becomes almost as important as reflexes. The game itself is not particularly long, but completing it legitimately can take much longer because failure may force you to replay earlier material.
It was clearly designed around a light gun. With the proper setup, snapping quickly between targets feels natural and closely matches the arcade concept. The Sega Mouse also works well. A standard controller is supported, but moving a crosshair with the D-pad makes an already difficult game considerably harder, especially when enemies give you only fractions of a second to react.
Presentation is classic American Laser Games. Real actors shout exaggerated dialogue while criminals leap dramatically into view, cars crash, explosions erupt and increasingly ridiculous situations unfold. The acting ranges from wooden to spectacularly over-the-top, but that is also much of the appeal. Crime Patrol often feels like an interactive low-budget action movie that takes itself completely seriously.
The Sega CD hardware naturally struggles with the FMV. Video is grainy, heavily compressed and less fluid than the arcade footage, while fast camera movements can make small or distant enemies difficult to identify. That is especially problematic in a game built around instant reactions. Audio fares better, with clear enough dialogue, gunfire and effects preserving the chaotic B-movie atmosphere.
There is very little mechanical depth beyond aiming, shooting and learning enemy positions, and repetition becomes obvious after a while. Still, the constantly escalating scenarios and different ranks give the campaign enough variety to stay entertaining until the end.
Crime Patrol is ultimately a short, silly and surprisingly demanding FMV shooting gallery. Its Sega CD presentation is technically rough and controller play can be frustrating, but with a light gun or mouse it becomes a fun slice of early-'90s arcade excess. Fans of American Laser Games and cheesy interactive movies should get the most from it.
