Paratech
April 22nd, 2010, 23:34
Impossible Mission for the Wii.
Mini Review.
This is a remake of a game that was very popular on the C64, among other 8 bit systems. The goal of the game is to search through the hideout of Evlin Atombender and retrieve the launch codes before Atombender launches his nuclear missiles.
I played the classic version, as I prefer playing the game that way, although there are 2 other versions available, the “new” version, and the “classic” version with the updated graphics. I’ll review the “updated” version soon, hence the “mini review.”
The classic versions controls aren’t bad; you hold the Wiimote upwards and use the d pad to move your character. You move the character left or right, or you can move the elevators up or down to access different rooms.
In the rooms you will encounter various robots; if you touch them or they’re electric beams, you will lose 10 minutes of time. That’s right, you’re on a 6 hour timed mission to find those launch codes or face nuclear Armageddon! When you search various items or interface with the computers you press up as well. You may find codes to use at the computers to temporarily disable the robots or to reset the lefts in the current room, or the codes you need, or nothing at all.
As you progress, you can try to pause, best done in the elevator sections outside of rooms, and put the code pieces together. Once you have the code, you can stop the missiles from being launched.
The codes need to be manipulated, sometimes flipped horizontally or vertically, or both, and their color may not be correct. You can get help with the pieces, but that costs you time, which is limited.
The rooms are not always in the same arrangement with a new game, but they are all the same rooms, just rearranged differently. Some of the rooms are very difficult, but once you learn the rooms, it shouldn’t take long to clear them of most of their codes. The robots don’t behave the same way in each room each game, so even though they are always placed in the same area of the same rooms, some games they may be harder than other games.
So for each room, you explore it, try to check everything in the room, furniture, garbage cans, toilets (eww), and try to do it without falling trough any holes in the bottom floor, touching, or getting zapped by a robot.
It isn’t always best to try and clear a room before moving out, if a room is costing you time, move on to other, possible easier, rooms and go back to the hard ones when you clear the easy ones.
There are two “bonus” rooms in the game with a checkered screen that play music, and you have to repeat the notes from low to high. The Wii version doesn’t seem to be accurate, or I’m tone deaf, take your pick, but the sounds don’t always seem to match pitch correctly. I’ve sworn I played them from low to high and not received credit. Credit by the way is either lift or snooze codes.
The “new” version supposedly makes “Better” use of the Wiimote, but in my opinion this game was fine with a joystick.
Once you beat the game you can try to beat it in less time, as you are rewarded for time remaining if you win. If you lose you get to see the missile launched with a nice video.
You still get points for finding codes and putting puzzle pieces together even if you lose, but you get more points by completing the code and winning the game.
As far as the original game compared to the “original” version on the Wii, the voices aren’t the same. I preferred the “Boris Karloff” voice in the C64 version, but I’m sure there were some legal issues there, and the laughter of Atombender if you lose is missing as well.
Overall the Wii version is nice, and for $9.00, I was happy to get this (used.) I haven’t seen many copies at Gamestop stores and none anywhere else. It is worth the money. If you want the “pure” version, there is a C64 download for the Wii, but it gets tied to your Wii, so if it breaks and you buy a new Wii, you’ll have to repurchase it. I’m happier with the Wii version.
A play through of the game shouldn’t take more than an hour, so there is no save feature. If you’re great at the C64 version, you might blow through this game quickly, but as mentioned before, then you can play the “modern” version or go for a higher score. This game is definitely worth up to $20, and you should try to at least beat both modes one time, then if you’re bored of it, give it to another Wii gamer or donate it to a second hand store as Gamestop sure is going to give you squat for it.
There is a DS version as well, and it is cheap at Gamestop as well. Besides have a tinier screen, and better use of the touchpad than the Wiimote, it’s a decent game.
Stay a while, stay forever!
Mini Review.
This is a remake of a game that was very popular on the C64, among other 8 bit systems. The goal of the game is to search through the hideout of Evlin Atombender and retrieve the launch codes before Atombender launches his nuclear missiles.
I played the classic version, as I prefer playing the game that way, although there are 2 other versions available, the “new” version, and the “classic” version with the updated graphics. I’ll review the “updated” version soon, hence the “mini review.”
The classic versions controls aren’t bad; you hold the Wiimote upwards and use the d pad to move your character. You move the character left or right, or you can move the elevators up or down to access different rooms.
In the rooms you will encounter various robots; if you touch them or they’re electric beams, you will lose 10 minutes of time. That’s right, you’re on a 6 hour timed mission to find those launch codes or face nuclear Armageddon! When you search various items or interface with the computers you press up as well. You may find codes to use at the computers to temporarily disable the robots or to reset the lefts in the current room, or the codes you need, or nothing at all.
As you progress, you can try to pause, best done in the elevator sections outside of rooms, and put the code pieces together. Once you have the code, you can stop the missiles from being launched.
The codes need to be manipulated, sometimes flipped horizontally or vertically, or both, and their color may not be correct. You can get help with the pieces, but that costs you time, which is limited.
The rooms are not always in the same arrangement with a new game, but they are all the same rooms, just rearranged differently. Some of the rooms are very difficult, but once you learn the rooms, it shouldn’t take long to clear them of most of their codes. The robots don’t behave the same way in each room each game, so even though they are always placed in the same area of the same rooms, some games they may be harder than other games.
So for each room, you explore it, try to check everything in the room, furniture, garbage cans, toilets (eww), and try to do it without falling trough any holes in the bottom floor, touching, or getting zapped by a robot.
It isn’t always best to try and clear a room before moving out, if a room is costing you time, move on to other, possible easier, rooms and go back to the hard ones when you clear the easy ones.
There are two “bonus” rooms in the game with a checkered screen that play music, and you have to repeat the notes from low to high. The Wii version doesn’t seem to be accurate, or I’m tone deaf, take your pick, but the sounds don’t always seem to match pitch correctly. I’ve sworn I played them from low to high and not received credit. Credit by the way is either lift or snooze codes.
The “new” version supposedly makes “Better” use of the Wiimote, but in my opinion this game was fine with a joystick.
Once you beat the game you can try to beat it in less time, as you are rewarded for time remaining if you win. If you lose you get to see the missile launched with a nice video.
You still get points for finding codes and putting puzzle pieces together even if you lose, but you get more points by completing the code and winning the game.
As far as the original game compared to the “original” version on the Wii, the voices aren’t the same. I preferred the “Boris Karloff” voice in the C64 version, but I’m sure there were some legal issues there, and the laughter of Atombender if you lose is missing as well.
Overall the Wii version is nice, and for $9.00, I was happy to get this (used.) I haven’t seen many copies at Gamestop stores and none anywhere else. It is worth the money. If you want the “pure” version, there is a C64 download for the Wii, but it gets tied to your Wii, so if it breaks and you buy a new Wii, you’ll have to repurchase it. I’m happier with the Wii version.
A play through of the game shouldn’t take more than an hour, so there is no save feature. If you’re great at the C64 version, you might blow through this game quickly, but as mentioned before, then you can play the “modern” version or go for a higher score. This game is definitely worth up to $20, and you should try to at least beat both modes one time, then if you’re bored of it, give it to another Wii gamer or donate it to a second hand store as Gamestop sure is going to give you squat for it.
There is a DS version as well, and it is cheap at Gamestop as well. Besides have a tinier screen, and better use of the touchpad than the Wiimote, it’s a decent game.
Stay a while, stay forever!