Buddy Cops

Demolishing doughnuts and busting perps with Play Station’s finest police pals

FAR CRY 5

With Hope County infested with the followers of evil cult Eden’s Gate, your mute deputy isn’t afforded many opportunities for bobby-onthe-beat bonding with their colleagues. When your custom character isn’t fighting the Seed Family, Sheriff Earl Whitehorse (and his stupendous ’tache) is happy to have a chinwag.

TRUE CRIME: STREETS OF LA

It’s a scientific fact that adding Christopher Walken to anything makes it 76% better. This is the case with Luxoflux’s so-so sandbox, where Walken’s cop George, a kindly desk sergeant, is the only likeable character to interact with Nick Kang. The two share a father/son bond, and we all wish Chris Walken was our pop.

MAX PAYNE 3

When he’s not off his face on Kong whiskey, Max is granted plenty of time to befriend ex-cop Raul Passos, once the Colombian talks him into taking a protection job in São Paulo. After one of their protectees is kidnapped, the two former NYPD detectives get to share in their love of pithy put-downs, sharp suits, and slo-mo shootouts.

TIME CRISIS 2

There ain’t no friendship like a friendship that’s been solidified with lightgun bonding. Time Crisis 2 was the first game in the series to introduce co-op, allowing you to partner with a chum as you take control of agents Keith Martin and Robert Baxter while the compadres foil a nefarious terrorist plan involving satellites.

RESIDENT EVIL 4

Leon receives the most horrid of welcomes upon arriving in Resi 4’s rural Spain. Still, though parasite-infected locals try to gouge his face off, at least he becomes pals with ex-cop Luis Sera. The special agent and hunky po-po become Gandos-slaying allies… well, until Luis gets skewered like a sea bass.

STREETS OF RAGE

Axel Storm, Blaze Fielding, and ex-boxer-turned cop Adam Hunter all get the chance to grow closer on those 16-bit streets while whupping the collective arse of Mr X’s evil forces. Well, provided your definition of ‘grow closer’ involves never talking to each other, eating chicken off the ground, and kicking an Ultimate Warrior wannabe in the teeth.

LA NOIRE

Unlike Raymond, everyone hates Cole Phelps. His patrol unit? Total resentment. The traffic desk? Can’t stand him. The homicide and vice desks? All the hate… with extra contempt thrown in. It’s not until the elastic-faced ’tec lands on the arson desk that he finally makes a friend in amiable cop Herschel Biggs.

DRIVER: SAN FRANCISCO

Tanner and Jones are just like Riggs and Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon. One’s a by-the-book lawman, the other’s a renegade who can project his consciousness into every car in San Fran via a magic coma. All right, they’re sod-all like Riggs and Murtaugh. At least Tanner and Jones share some banter before the former’s extended nap.

DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN

‘Buddies’ may be stretching the affection between android cop Connor, and his partner Hank, a jaded alcoholic. Depending on your choices, the pair either bond while trying to stop the robot renegades, or kill each other. For the purpose of this list, we’ll choose the police pals option.