Play Street Cop Online

Street Cop came out on the NES in 1989, published by Bandai. It was one of those games that felt a little out of step with its time, a simple action title that relied on a gimmick, the Power Pad accessory, which was already fading from use. You play as a police officer tasked with cleaning up a city overrun by crime, moving from one screen to the next in a straightforward left-to-right progression.

You control the cop directly, running and jumping across platforms to catch fleeing crooks. The main objective is to clear each stage by either apprehending every criminal or reaching the exit, using your nightstick to subdue them on contact. The signature mechanics involve careful platforming to avoid pitfalls and using your jump attack to stun enemies from above; some stages also require you to find and rescue hostages hidden in certain buildings. The pacing is deliberate, almost slow, and the difficulty comes from awkward enemy patterns and the sometimes unresponsive controls, especially if you attempt to use the Power Pad. It feels like a clunky, earnest attempt at an action game that is more memorable for its odd concept than its polished execution.