Mission: Impossible Operation Surma (Game Boy Advance) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

The first one was deemed too confusing, the second too contrived and the third... isn't quite with us yet. What are we talking about? Mission Impossible movies, of course. It's still a little difficult to see how such an exciting TV series can be watered down into what can best be described as Hollywood Pulp but they do all star one Mr. Tom Cruise after all. We're not, though, here to discuss the movies but the game and whilst this is the first outing on the GBA we were given a GBC version some years ago. Mission Impossible provides a whole host of possibilities for the game developer with each movie/episode featuring car chases, shootouts, double-crossing and that's before we get to the gadgets. So has UK developer M4 managed to produce the goods or is this just another example of a poor TV/Movie tie-in?

Gameplay

Stop me if you've heard this before but it appears that a maximum-security prison has been penetrated by an enemy organization. It's up to you as part of the Mission Impossible Intelligence Force to track down the individuals who have the knowledge and power to unlock these high security complexes. Got all that? Good. Each of your missions starts out with a briefing with your main objectives listed and, like the information regarding your various gadgets; this can be reviewed at any time with a simple press of the button. Then it's on with the adventure, which you begin by shooting almost everything that moves. The various weapons you'll pick up are governed by ammunition and as soon as you run out you can attempt to take some of the guards out with a kind of 'Karate Chop' but this isn't always as effective as it should be. This could raise a whole new aspect of stealth-based gameplay but it's never really fully exploited or rewarded. In addition you have to hack into computers, jam surveillance devices and locate keys but there's really nothing you won?t have encountered before. Complete one aspect of your mission and a kind of sub-briefing will be delivered usually raising new objectives. It's very important to listen to these as they can't be replayed and generally contain essential information. Saving is done automatically and to the cart but does seem a little random and doesn?t always occur when it's most needed. like just before eight henchmen open up fire upon your tired weary body.

Controls

A great deal more complicated than it should be to be honest and once you've spent a little time with this game you'll know exactly what I mean. Actually controlling Ethan is fine but using any of the many gadgets can be incredibly confusing so that you'll occasionally use all of your valuable gadgets on a trial and error basis just trying to follow simple instructions. One task, for example, involves you 'placing a sticky bomb on the South East exit'. The problem here is that there is no South East exit, they mean the wall and they don't actually mean the wall but the ground. See what I mean? Once you learn to interpret this kind of 'backward intelligence' the whole game is a lot more enjoyable but actually getting there may not be for everyone.

Graphics

When we first posted screenshots some time ago there was some debate as to whether they were actually GBA screens as the image quality looked more like that of the GBC version with only the resolution providing a clue to its format. Unfortunately they were and everything about Operation Surma screams 'leftovers'. There's even more evidence of this with the 2002 copyright notice and the fact that the whole game is credited to Infogrames and not Atari, which is what the company has been known as for some time now. I can't begin to tell you just how disappointing this all is and although these types of games do require a high level of clarity we're also far enough into the GBA's game development cycle to expect more than what's on display here.

Sound

I'm sure when the developers sat down to discuss the audio, the idea of a full-on GBA version of the theme seemed like a good idea but the reality is something quite different. For starters it's really not the level of quality that we've come to expect from our GBA titles, sounding incredibly distorted. You can almost feel your tiny handheld creaking under the strain so take our advice and simply turn it off via the options menu. Obviously you're now left with the sound effects and while these are best described as average they're not nearly as distracting as the music.

Final comments

Clearly if you've managed to get to this final paragraph you'll realize that I was somewhat less than impressed with this latest Mission Impossible outing. Technically the game would be flawed on the GBC platform but the fact that this has been released on the GBA platform several years after the hardware was introduced is unforgivable. Despite all that though there are some good ideas contained within the tiny cart and once you overcome the quirky control system it is reasonably enjoyable, if a little on the short side. Finally what you no doubt want to know is 'is it worth buying?' Generally I'd have to say no unless you're a huge Mission Impossible fan but until we're treated to an Advance version of Metal Gear Solid games like Operation Surma really are your only option.

Pro: Not A Lot Really
Con: Sloppy Design
Final score: 3.2

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