Platform: Xbox
Genre: Action
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Paradigm Entertainment
ESRB: T (Teen)
Released: Q4 2004

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Mission Impossible: Operation Surma

Score: 6.9 / 10

Pros:

- Great composition in music and voice acting

- Has the feel of the Mission Impossible style

Cons:

- Very poor framerate

- Awkward schematics for weapons and shooting

- Graphics feel watered down

- Plays like an alpha copy of Splinter Cell

Related Links:

Review: Splinter Cell (GC)

Review: Metal Gear Solid 2 - Sons of Liberty (PS2)

Review: Hitman 2 - Silent Assassin (XB)

"Simply put: Operation Surma is a half-assed Splinter Cell."

We all know the catchy tune from the ‘70s and slick stealthy action of the Mission Impossible feature films. The team work, the danger: it was all there. The first Mission Impossible game, which landed on the long since retired N64 was a major disappointed to fans of the franchise. So how did Mission Impossible: Operation Surma fair?

The game starts off with a very impressive cinematic of Ethan Hunt scuba-diving in uncharted waters. He traverses through a wrecked submarine to find a hidden message, which later unveils his mission. To be honest, the video had me nearly in tears due to its genuine Mission Impossible feel. (Well, maybe not to tears, but it was still pretty damn good.) You are told the general outline of your mission: to track down and recover the Ice Worm, a highly advanced computer virus used to bypass security systems, from an international conglomerate known as SURMA.

Operation Surma carries the genuine feel of the Mission Impossible franchise, but the graphical and technical flaws water down most everything else.

The first flaw is the slow framerate. Moving the camera from side to side, it’s clearly sluggish. Operation Surma isn’t as graphically advanced as Project Gotham Racing 2 or Deus Ex: Invisible War so it’s a little puzzling as to why Operation Surma doesn’t look and move better.

The gameplay of Operation Surma is just as unimpressive as the graphics. Simply put: Operation Surma is a half-assed Splinter Cell. Taking almost all of the same moves and style that Splinter Cell showcased so beautifully, Operation Surma features nothing we haven’t seen before. The same barrel roll, grab, wall hug, weapon system, and mission structure have all been “borrowed” from Splinter Cell in a desperate effort to seem original. The stealth aspect of the game is prominent, with shadows being your friend and lighted areas your enemy, but several actions took me out of the game. For one, when initiating a hit from behind, the camera cuts to a cinematic with quasi-Matrix slow-mo effects. I understand that the game developers wanted the cinematic quality, but it leads to repetitive take-out animations. The same type of effect takes place when jumping onto the enemy from a clothesline or sneaking from behind a wall and attacking an enemy.

The worst part of the gameplay is another Splinter Cell feature that doesn’t work here – the shooting system. When engaged in ranged weapon combat, the camera shifts to a close-up 3rd person view with an aiming cursor. With the already slow framerate in hand, the shooting mechanics didn’t work smoothly. For one, the shooting feels delayed and unrealistic. When firing, the bullet takes what feels like hours to reach the target. Add that to poor physics and stupid AI, you have a weak system that makes a chore out of every shooting scenario.

Keeping the authenticity of the franchise is done exceptionally well in one area, that being sound. With great voice acting from well-known actors such as Ving Rhames and a comprehensive soundtrack of memorable tunes, the Mission Impossible vibe isn’t completely desecrated but most of that will go unnoticed due to the memorable bad gameplay.

The official license is here, the song is here, and Ethan Hunt is here. What isn’t here is a solid foundation for a series. When comparing the stealth action found in Operation Surma to Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell, you might feel somewhat cheated. It’s a rental at best.

This review will self-destruct in five seconds.

- Chris Lahiji

(February 14, 2004)

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