Genre
Action

Dominant Algorithm
See dudes/Waste dudes

Game-play
You are Mr. Smith, A.K.A. Codename: VIPER. It is your right and responsibility to shoot your way across the entire continent of South America taking out an endless barrage of (literally) faceless thugs.

Walk. Shoot. Jump. Shoot. Walk. Load up on ammo. Shoot. Throw in the occasional environmental hazards and, while not the most original side-scroller ever invented, you certainly have a solid gaming experience.

Sweetness
Lovingly rendered sprites and environments, a gun that vaporizes bad-guys as they crumble in agony, and a third-act twist that will stop your pulse cold in your veins leave this game overflowing with sweetness.

No doubt, that man is deserving of all Smith’s trust.

Weakness
Smith/Viper (same guy) really didn’t prepare well for this mission. He’s taking on the entire drug cartel of South America and he doesn’t even consider bringing a bullet proof vest. Being touched twice or shot once kills him.

Also, the game suffers from Megaman Syndrome, a term increasingly recognized in the medical community. This is the phenomenon that occurs when a character is hit and they instantly lose control of their body as they fly backwards, typically down a pit.

Invaluable Life Lessons Which I Still Apply To This Day:

  1. Hostages are obliged to maintain good manners during their rescue.
  2. If you find yourself on a rescue mission, don’t dilly dally or you will likely rescue not more than bleach-white skeletons. Should have gotten there sooner, Smith.
  3. Regarding the War on Drugs, the following equation is infallible: 1(dude)+1(handgun)/South America=Victory

Still Fun?
Crazy fun! Despite easy death, the controls are tight and the visuals are superb in this game. Also, the manner in which the story unfolds (through the incremental re-assembly of a letter) is quite interesting.

And the twist… oh, the twist!!! If M. Night ever plays this game, he will likely drop dook!

Relevance Satellite to the Paradigm Shift from my Youth:
This game is another entry in the anti-drug wave of 80′s gaming. Kids wanted violence. Parents wanted a wholesome message. Games like NARC and Code Name: Viper were early attempts to occupy the unfathomably ambiguous overlap in the following Venn Diagram:

The ruse doesn’t work so well now as it did then. Even though the Haitians in GTA: Vice City were ostensibly bad guys and clearly identified as all drug dealers, the following lines of dialog seemed to raise the ire of peaceful Haitian communities around the world:

  • “Kill all the Haitians, they are all drug dealers.”
  • “I hate these Haitians.”
  • “Stinking nest of Haitians. We gonna kill them all. Kill all the Haitians.”
  • “Shoot them (the Haitians) in the head.”

Go figure…

Jesse Koester is a producer working in Tokyo. His work can be seen at www.iceblockfilms.com. Jesse’s clone resides in Russia and goes by the moniker Dendy.