Confidential Mission

"The full arcade game and extras up the ying-yang."

Intro:

My arcade review of Confidential Mission (or CMF, as in Confidential Mission Force) scored a high ranking of 9/10, so it's funny I'd give an identical Dreamcast port just that. The staggering selection of unlockable extras, coupled with an escalating challenge for trigger-fingers more than outweigh the bare-bones tradition of standard, one-way NAOMI-DC ports. Initially, I intended to bestow the DC version with an 8, but quickly added one point when I found out how many extras were present. On to the review:

Graphics: 9/10

Why Sega needed NAOMI 2 is still an enigma, at least to me. There are few 128-bit games that look visually better than NAOMI1. And that is just what CMF offers: clear, smooth, detailed textures running at a silky 60 frames per second. Each enemy and environment is in high-res beauty, and the dash of light as your bullet rips through their bodies is done artistically. Maps and level architecture are astounding, ranging from multi-tiered underground bases to a desolute, snow country expressway.

Gameplay: 9.5/10

Yes, the gameplay has made the transition flawlessly. As most CMF players have stressed, a lightgun is ab-so-lute-ly essential. This is a gun game after all. The difficulty is significantly harder than Virtua Cop and Time Crisis- mainly owing to an influx of faster enemies and hysterical bystanders. Quite a portion of the baddies are good shots- unlike Time Crisis which places an emphasis on red-skinned terrorists. Your gun's impact area is smaller - pinpoint accuracy is the key. This is no walk in the park. CMF must be considered as the higher echelon of gun game history. Even a seasoned Virtua Cop veteran may find he needs more continues to conquer the game. The premise is identical to the arcade: shoot at targeted enemies, point offscreen to reload, avoid the innocent, and try your hand at the mini- challenges. Perhaps the BEST aspect are the HEAP of training missions! These additions will keep you busy until the next challenge, and they're just as difficult as the arcade game. The training missions, or should I say 'Agent Academy', include various stages based on certain aspects of light-gun games: Reflexes, Who's the enemy, Justice Shot, and more. Those who have played Police Trainer in the arcade will be overjoyed with Agent Academy. Arcade-perfect plugging and police-trainer all in one? SWEEEEEET.

Audio: 7/10

Ooookayyy, as with all Sega's lightgun games, the dialogue is cheesy, but not as inept as House of the Dead. The swank, nifty BGM is reminiscent of Sega's trademark arcade crusties and early 70's spy music. Not terribly good, but not bad. SE is alright, my only gripe is the gun sounds- a dull 'tac-tac-tac' noise. I know their using silenced pistols, but at least use a more high-pitched 'tziu!' (the proper noise of most silencers).

Story: 8/10

A mix of every dramatic twist taken into James Bond and Mission : Impossible, the extensively borrowed plot of CMF joins Time Crisis 2 as two agents scour the enemy base in search of their primary foe. Who just happens to use a devastating orbital satellite in order to destroy the world. It goes like this:

A secret cold-war militia group, known as Agares, has seized control of the World Coalition's spy satellite. CMF has sent two agents, Howard Gibson and Jean Clifford, to investigate and find who is responsible for this theft. Of assistance is Irina Mikhailova, who holds valuable information of Agares' location, and of the satellite itself.

There you have it. Not as different as the scheme in Goldeneye. It's not a weak story, and quite a bit unravels as you progress.

Replayability/Lastability: 9/10

Offering a wealth of extra modes, CMF doesn't disappoint. Though the game itself is rather short compared to Ninja Assault and HOTD, Agent Academy will take you a great deal of time to pass Level 3, and the tempting Another World option gives you the arcade game with different enemy patterns and never-before seen angles! Other obtainable goodies include a mode without target displays and life icons, for the daredevil in all of us, and gold-colored guns for use in arcade mode. Pair play mode will put you and your partner to test, offering a color-coded battle to determine who is the weakest link. This isn't all- there are ways to unlock more continues, and other unknown goods.

Compatibility-Please Note!

Strange, that I include a topic like this. Rather, consider it as a guide for various lightgun/language problems, as Sega confused many importers with their Official DC gun- only compatible with PAL-E and NTSC-J games.

NTSC-U(US) version of CM-NOT compatible with Official Dreamcast guns, however will work with most 3rd party models (Interact Starfire, Madcatz, Pelican Stingers) or Hongkong models bearing the sign ''Compatible with USA, Japan, and Europe guns''. In english.

PAL-E(European) version of CM-Compatible with all Dreamcast guns (seemingly)and mouse, english enabled, unknown weather it has other languages.

NTSC-J(Japan) version of CM-Fully Compatible with all lightguns and also DC mouse. Has both English and Japanese modes, depends on the language settings that your Dreamcast has selected during menu mode.

Overall: 9/10

An arcade-perfect transition, with a sack full of extras to boot! Any lightgun-fan must own Confidential mission. Kudos, Hitmaker! Now when the hell are you gonna port The Lost World?

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/28/01, Updated 06/28/01