Dom Robinson reviews

For

Distributed by
Sega

Price: £29.99 Players: 1 or 2 A Virtua Cop clone is where Confidential Mission finds its foundations, but there's nothing wrong with that if you can pull it off. Developed by Hitmaker and the follow-up to House of the Dead 2, this game gets its stature by subtituting the "Impossible" in everything connected with Mission Impossible, for "Confidential", which makes you part of the CMF: Confidential Mission Force. The basic premise is that terrorism is rife throughout the world at the end of the 20th Century (so what's new?) and you have to put paid to the dictators as either special agent Howard Gibson or Jean Clifford through all of three stages.

And there's the problem. Only three stages. Even on my first go with the maximum number of lives allowed - 8 - and no gun to play with (I would buy one but if Sega are stopping support of the Dreamcast within the year and certainly seem to have given up with any kind of online support outside of Phantasy Star Online then what's the point?), I managed to get part-way through the second stage and did just as well with my second go, thus hanging a question mark over the game's longevity. By the way I've compared the game with Virtua Cop, you'll know exactly what to expect and it plays out with arcade-perfect graphics and sound, but these days we need more. Just look at an arcade game like Police 24/7, which can be found in the Trafford Centre, Manchester, where I played it. Yes, it's the same style of action, but sensors are placed all around the front of the player and it actually responds to you moving about yourself to dodge the bullets, much to the amusement of those watching.

So, in each stage you fire your gun, kill the cops and SAS guys who run or roll in front, trying to avoid the real people who occasionally move into view for which you'll lose a life if shot, but then the hostages are so stupid at times that they deserve everything they get for getting in the way. In short, Confidential Mission is very enjoyable, but is a short-lived experience.

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Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2001.