Rating: NNN
ADDICTIVENESS: A nice diversion on a rainy day.
GRAPHICS: Blood-free.
ANTI-SOCIAL FACTOR: Nothing says romance like shooting as a couple.
PROXIMITY TO THE REAL THING: How many terrorists do you know who wear eye patches?
there is nothing quite like a
good shooting game.
Video game manufacturers can make massive leaps forward in graphics, Internet-capable machines and plot lines, turning simple games into epic, four-disc marathons. Put a gun in someone’s virtual hand, though, and chances are you’ve created an addict.
Sega’s absurdly titled Confidential Mission might not sound particularly exciting, but it pushes all the right buttons. A vague storyline concerns eye-patch-wearing terrorists, a spy satellite, a beautiful woman waiting to be rescued and a bunch of bad dudes with assault rifles. Your job, not entirely unexpectedly, is to kill the bad guys, get the girl back and save the world.
That’s about all there is, but it’s enough. In the tradition of violent shoot-’em-up games like Lethal Enforcer, the bad guys pop up all over the screen, holding innocent hostages. Shoot the wrong person and you lose, but kill someone with style and you get extra “justice points.”
There isn’t a lot of flash to Confidential Mission, but that’s fine.
This is a decidedly old-fashioned video game, and in this instance, simple is best.
mattg@nowtoronto.com
CONFIDENTIAL MISSION for Sega Dreamcast, $60. Rating: NNN
