Review - Vice Project Doom
Aug 11, 2016 20:13:47 GMT
stratogustav, scipioafricanus, and 2 more like this
Post by Pimpjira on Aug 11, 2016 20:13:47 GMT
Vice Project Doom is a bit of a hidden NES gem, although it seems to be a bit more known nowadays then it used to be a few years ago. It is developed by Aicom and published by Sammy in 1991, know in Japan as Gun-Dec. It could be classified as a multi-genre game possibly but it's mostly an action platformer and could be compared to the Ninja Gaiden series although not as difficult for the most part. The game fully encompasses the 80s action genre as you can really see with the cover art which bares a resemblance to Die Hard and isn't the greatest piece of art to sell a game on.
Thankfully the game itself is a lot better than the cover art. The game starts of with a 2 minute or so cutscene, which is where the game can really be compared to Ninja Gaiden. The cutscenes are well done and in a similar style but I don't think they or the music is quite as good as that classic. Then it cuts to a Spy Hunter-ish driving section that is over very quickly. This is one of only two driving sections in the game so it doesn't add much to the game but it's nice for a little bit of variety. Then it's one more short cutscene and then on to what the bulk of the game is like.
The first full length stage will show off what the game is really about. Hart the player controlled character can switch between three weapons and they are a laser whip, revolver, and grenades. The whip feels more like a sword to me and is a short ranged weapon while the gun and grenades are longer range and have limited ammo. All three weapons are useful in different situations but the laser whip while likely be used the most. Other than the three methods of attack, all Hart can do is run and jump and climb ladders. Although I compared the game to Ninja Gaiden a little in style, it does not have wall jumping. The controls are spot on and work great though, jumping off of ladders can be a little tricky at times but I didn't feel that any of my deaths were to do bad controls and only my own errors.
Vice Project Doom has all the elements you might expect of an 8-bit action platformer. The object is to get through levels avoiding (or killing)enemies and pitfalls and most levels end in a boss battle. The levels are very well designed though and the visuals are quite good for an NES game in 91. The backgrounds look quite good and the sprites are animated well. If there is any disappointment in the presentation it's that the music wasn't very memorable. That's not to say it's bad though, it was good in the game but not catchy or stand out enough to be remembered long after playing. Other than the main platforming levels and the two driving sections mentioned earlier, there are a couple of first person on-rails shooting sections. These are not spectacular either but are a fun and short distraction to break up the rest of the game. It's best not to run of the gun or grenade ammo in the main levels to have some stocked up for these although more can also be collected in those levels.
Through most of Vice Project Doom, it is not a game that I would consider to be NES hard. The levels provide a moderate challenge but anyone familiar with games like this should be able to get through most of it. There are tricky enemies and things like collapsing floors that will definitely send players to their doom but the game has infinite continues and there are also checkpoints, only having to restart a level after a game over. Until the final level, all of these were easily tackled after a few tries and knowing what is coming ahead. That all changes on the last stage though, were the difficulty ramps up a ton. And that is because the last checkpoint is before the hardest platforming section in the game and the last stage has two boss battles as well. All of it must be done on a single life. It was quite the challenge playing it on the original hardware. For those that that will play it by other means and use save states, it probably won't very hard at all.
Vice Project Doom is not a game I grew up with in the slightest and I still enjoyed it thoroughly without any nostalgia attached to it. The only nitpicks for it is that the music could have been a bit better, maybe add more driving and shooting section as they felt a bit underused, and the uneven difficulty once the end of the game is reached. With 11 stages it has a moderate length of games for it's type. Easily recommended for fans of NES action platformers. I enjoyed it a lot and it easily fits in proudly with Ninja Gaiden, Batman, and Mega Man.
+ Cool style and looks great for an 8-bit title
+ Spot on controls and great level design
+ Different styles of play
+ Fun boss battles
- Music was just okay
- Difficulty a bit uneven
4.5/5
