There need to be more games that just don’t give a shit. I’m not talking about a faces fall off Assassins Creed kind of don’t give a shit, but rather the ability to be completely silly. When was the last time you used a slab of meat to beat terrorists into submission? When was the last time you rescued the president daughter, only to make you fight your fellow counter terrorist to claim rescue rights?

Dynamite Cop (Dynamite Deka 2 in Japan) has you do all of this. You’re saving the world, stopping terrorists but doing it in the most absurd way possible. It’s Under Siege meets Hanna Barbara and it works in the best possible way.
Dynamite Cop is a 3D beat em up that has you going from stage to stage beating up enemies and using a variety of environmental weapons and items to progress through the game, occasionally running into bosses who are bigger and hit harder and the random QTE event that has you reacting to punch and kick in time with the button presses. Damage is shown with health bars but also visually represented through clothing taking damage. Take too many hits and you’ll be stripped down to your bras and boxers until you regain your health again.

While this may sound like any other beat em up, one thing that sets this apart is the wide variety of items laying in the environment. If you can see it, you most likely can pick it up and use it. Rocket launcher in a bathroom? Sure. A baguette to use against a raging chef? Why not? Similar to Dead Rising, the wide variety of weapons available makes each playthrough a slightly different experience, even more so with friends. With two players, playing the game increases the level of fun tenfold and allows two players to beat up bad guys and cover one another’s backs.

Enemies are also equally absurd with a focus on the pirate theme (think Pirates of the Carribean more than Black Flag) along with some bosses such as a giant angry chef in the kitchen and a giant octopus living in the freezer. The entire enemy selection is very tongue in cheek and matches the manic and absurd atmosphere.
It’s not a perfect game by any means. It’s short, able to be finished in under an hour along with somewhat clunky controls that don’t allow for quick evasion when enemies are attacking you, but all of those problems seemingly melt away when you’re beating pirates by a swimming pool with a giant fish. It’s bright and colorful with a wide variety of environments despite being set on a single cruise ship. The plot is paper thin and laughable but if you’re looking for a ridiculous, action-packed cartoon romp and have a friend to kill the time with you, take the plunge, embrace the absurdity, stop giving a shit and laugh a little.

Dynamite Cop can be played on Dreamcast and can be found on sites like eBay for a reasonable price. There are other methods to play this game that is a little more…sketchy but still provide the same experience for those wanting to go down that route (read: nullDC emulation)