Cosmic Cop (1991). Play online

Summary

Cosmic Cop spins you into a fast‑paced, horizontally scrolling shoot ’em up where the speed isn’t forced—steer the R‑11B Peace Maker to the right and the world rushes faster, rewarding aggressive positioning. Each of the five zones ends in a distinctive boss and throws power‑ups like “P” for double weapon strength, “L” to refill the lock‑on laser’s energy, and “M” for a detachable missile unit that can switch among anti‑air, anti‑ground, or napalm fire—though a careless brush with terrain immediately snaps it away. Speed matters not just for excitement; the game grants big bonus points to anyone who cleaves through a zone quickly, a mechanic that still feels fresh decades later. Though it sits on Irem’s M‑84 arcade board and bears the R‑Type lineage, this 1991 title carved its own niche, landing 13th on Japan’s November table‑arcade ranking. I love how its adjustable scroll turns a classic side‑scroller into a personal race against the screen itself.

Storyline

Cosmic Cop (often referred to simply as Cosmic Cop) takes place concurrently with R‑Type Delta, sharing the same timeline of the Bydo invasion. The game drops you into the role of an operative for the private security organization that bears the same name.

As a Cosmic Cop agent, your mission is to track down and destroy the autonomous vehicles that have gone berserk under Bydo control. These rogue machines are known in‑game as “Mad Cars,” and eliminating them is the core of the gameplay experience.