Reviewer: Agent K
Company: Taito 1987
Rarity: Not rare but I don't see it much(B-)
Expertise: Not that great
Man oh man was I excited when I picked up this game. I had remembered playing it in the arcade as a kid and loving. Man oh man was I disappointed when I actually played it. Don't get me wrong it's still a little bit fun, but when you're expecting one of the greats and you get a somewhat boring monotonous game you're more than a bit upset. Oh well, at least I needed it for the collection. Elevator action is actually pretty cool for the first level. You're some sort of spy and you basically start at the top of a building and work your way down to your car. On the way you have to get the packages behind all the red doors and watch out for the bad guy spies, or whatever they are. The problem is that this is how the whole game is for what I believe is an infinite amount of time. The bad guys get smarter and the levels get tougher but it's the same deal. Keep in mind this is a port from an arcade game from the early 80's and it is pretty accurate, or so my memory tells me. However that doesn't make for a top notch exciting NES game.
Graphics and Sound: Not too good.
There isn't much detail or variety. All the bad guys look the same and every level in the building pretty much looks the same.
Gameplay and Controls: Decent
There's not much to the controls. Shoot and jump. When you enter a red door, step on the white line and then push up. Also the elevators are nice and easy to control.
Features: What features
Features? Who needs features, apparently. Just hit start and then pump guys full of lead.
Fun?: Some
It's actually a fairly unique game for the NES and the first level is pretty fun. But it gets pretty boring pretty fast.
Challenge: Pretty Hard
The first level isn't too tough but it gets harder as you go. Plus it just keeps going and going.
Replay: Not much
Once you stop appreciating the novelty of the game there isn't much left.
2 Player: Yup
2 players can take turns playing with 2 player mode.
Online Manual?: Yup
TSR's site has one. This is the shortest manual I've ever seen.
Bottom Line: Maybe
If you liked the arcade game, by all means run out and get this game. If you never played it and find it for a couple of bucks you'll be briefly entertained. If you don't have the great NES games yet, like Zelda, Castlevania, etc, get those first.