Mission: Impossible

"Underrated Mission"

Opening Remarks: Despite the crap people said about the 1996 Mission: Impossible movie, I still loved it. Despite all the crap people said about the N64/PlayStation game, I still loved it. And despite all the crap people have said about this game, I still love it. Sucks to be in the minority, doesn't it?

Gameplay: If you want to know more about the Agent Organizer included with the game and could care less about the actual gameplay, just skip these first three paragraphs entirely, and only look at the fourth. Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the game, for the people that care. Let it be said that this game, even though its main character is that of the movie, has noting to do with the 1996 film (or N64 game). The storyline is your basic spy film crap: When a UN weapons inspector is kidnapped while investigating the Doomsday weapon, you need to rescue him and spoil the bad guy's plans by destroying his weapon. The plot is paper thin...you're never told who you're spying on, what country you're doing it in, or who the bad guy is.

Take a glimpse at Mission: Impossible and Metal Gear Solid immediately comes to mind. Both games are viewed with the same camera angle, but they are very different games. Wheras MGS has you running through levels doing nothing but sneaking and shooting (and don't forget all that boring dialogue), M:I has you running through levels shooting, planting explosives, sabatoging missiles, climbing buildings with a grappling hook, putting on disguises and masquerading as someone else, stealing and photographing information, planting bugs in elevator shafts, and just about any other cool spy stuff I left out.

Gameplay consists of running through a level, reaching an objective point, and doing what your objective is. The lack of a health meter is frustrating, as you can sustain about 3 shots before dying. Don't get me started on the useless stealth meter. Throughout the game you'll be dodging some enemies that aren't really dumb, but blind. They won't see you unless you walk directly in their field of view, so you can walk right by them and they won't even notice. This may sound lame, but trust me. If these guys had a field of vision similar to that of MGS, the game would be hard beyond belief. The game is short, only 10 levels, and this would have been OK if not for the game's biggest fault: You can't go back and replay levels. Let's say you want to replay level 5 after you beat it. To do this, you've got to start a new game (which, by the way, erases your current game, since there's only one save slot), and play through the first 4 levels until you reach it. Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is lame.

And now, onto the Agent Organizer. This consists of Secret Files (notepad and address book where you can type, print, transfer and store information), a standard calculator, and the best feature, a remote control. You can store up to 4 sets of remote control signals for anything that uses one. Just point the remote at the IR port on the GameBoy Color, press a button, and assign
that command to either Up, Down, Left, Right, A, or B. I like to use A for Power, B for Mute, Up and Down for channels and Left and Right for Volume control. You can really screw with peoples' heads with this nifty gadget. Best yet, it's not limited to TV's: you can store your CD player remote signals, stereo, VCR, DVD player...anything that uses a remote. Plus, it works from 20 feet away, so you can sit in the back of your classroom while the teacher is playing some educational video, and screw with the TV.

Pros: Espionage gameplay

Cons: Can't replay levels, no password protection for the files

Graphics: Wow. You've really got to hand it to Rebellion for making these excellent graphics. Everything looks dark and moody during the night levels, and bright during the desert levels. The animation is top-notch...shoot a guy, watch him fly back, and try not to say, "Wow!" when you see the animation.

Pros: Excellent graphics, excellent animation...just excellent everything.

Cons: The camera angle blocks your view of certain areas

Sound/Music: Everything here is very basic. Gunshots, alarms, explosions...MGS just did its sound effects better...and the music, too. The music in M:I sounds great at first, but it gets annoying fast. One can only hear that familiar theme so many times before flipping their lid. The worst thing is that you can't turn the volume down if you want to play the game right. You've got to listen to your mine detector so you won't blow yourself up, you need to listen for alarms, and you won't even know if you're being shot unless you hear it.

Pros: I've heard worse

Cons: You can't turn the volume down if you want to play the game right

Play Control/Game Design: When controlling Ethan Hunt, you'll feel right at home if you've played MGS. You can point in 8 directions, the A button is run (jump when indoors), B fires your weapon (completes objectives when promted), and Select crawls (to get under laser beams).

Pros: Has that MGS feel

Cons: Can sometimes get stuck on objects

Improve: Music

Recommended if you like: Metal Gear Solid

Final Words: I really don't see why this game has gotten so many bad reviews. There are better games to play, but there are far more worse games to play. If you've finished MGS and need a similar game to play, pick this up (I found it at Circuit City for $5). Just be sure not to expect the same quality. Even if you're unsure about the game, buy it just for the Agent Organizer.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/17/04