Mission: Impossible - Operation Surma Review
" Your mission, should you choose to accept it..." I'm sure by now, that well known saying is familiar to most of you out there.
In mission impossible: Operation Surma, we delve once more into that familiar genre of solo-stealth action that we're already used to, with titles like Splinter Cell. As Ethan Hunt, you and the other members of your team have been given the task of tracking down and stopping those responsible for hacking IMF's (Impossible Mission Force) Top Secret database. Their main objective is to find out all they can about the international corporation SURMA, and recover at all costs the virulent and extremely advance computer virus known as The Ice Worm. Ice Worm has the ability to hack into any military security system, no matter how advanced and secure it might be. It then steals the military's Secrets and weapons research which can be used for weapons of mass destruction - something which the IMF must stop at all costs. Ethan and his team use all the cutting-edge weapons and gadgets at their disposal in order to track down the culprits and recover the data.
The style of gameplay used in Operation Surma should be all to familiar to those of you who have already played Splinter Cell. It's the same sneak and greet tactics in both. There's no use charging around this game, in plain sight, acting like Rambo if you want to last any longer than five seconds. The element of surprise really is your best friend here. Tactics are essential. Like in a good game of chess, it always helps to think a couple of moves ahead. As well as stealth and shadow work, you have quite a useful arsenal of gadgets and weaponry For example, things like Binoculars which double up as a digital camera and the EWG (Electronic Warfare Gun); a device for disabling Security cameras, and tagging people so you can monitor them on your mini map. There are plenty of other gadgets typical to IMF, but I'll let you find that out for yourself. Believe me, these gadgets are essential to successfully navigating round a level.
You need to disable CCTV cameras, knock out guards - sometimes using their palm prints to open electronically locked doors and bug computers to gain essential information. Ethan will also wear disguises from time to time...
When you find yourself in a face to face confrontation with an enemy guard, ethan has quite a handy little punching combo going on that will quickly deal with any guard. On a lot of occasions Ethan is quick enough to knock out the guard before anyone else can be alerted. You also have to be pretty quick in disposing of the body, making sure that it's not spotted by guard or CCTV alike. A frontal assault isn't always necessary, there are other ways of going about it. For example if you're standing with your back to the wall of a side alley with with a guard coming your way from another direction, a symbol pops up on the screen to let you know he's in the right position. When you press the X button Ethan Should spin around, knocking the guard out with a spinning backfist, in a slowed down matrix kind of effect. There are quite a few different kind of attacks Ethan can use. It all depends on his positioning. Some attacks have the matrix-style cut scene I was talking about, some don't...
Something that I like about this game is the fact that you can train as you're going along. You don't have to spend years messing about with some lame training mode. For example, if you find yourself at a point in the game where a new skill is required to proceed, a text box pops up telling you how to do it. I'd also say that the control method has been made user-friendly to a point where people shouldn't have any problems in picking it up.
Graphically, I think Operation Surma is quite a decent looking game. There's a fair bit of attention to detail - character faces look realistic. The scenery, at times is really nice and could be imagined as a real place. I personally think the out doors environments are better. You get things like fog, rain, street lights reflecting off of water, etc. There's a good combination of lighting and shadows, with a nice selection of some pleasantly surprising animation sequences. From what I can see, there has been quite a bit of time spent on all the textures, whether it's the environment or people. There's enough there for you to look at without the risk or getting bored. The only main problem I can find with this game is the somewhat lack of imagination where the guards faces are concerned. If I didn't know better I'd say the game was full of clones, lol. :) I mean, how many time do you want to kill a guard, only for another one to pop up later on with the same face. Tut, Tut...
As far as the sound goes, I'd say it captures the whole atmosphere you'd expect the world of mission impossible to have. I'd say they've managed to capture the usual everyday subtleties you might hear as you went about your daily business. But of course it has the most important sound of all - the M:I theme tune! :) they must of taken quite a bit of time to get the sounds just right... Raindrops, thunder, coughs, motors in the CCTV cameras. I can safely say, play this in stereo and you'll be totally immersed in the world of Mission Impossible.
Mission Impossible: Operation Surma is a good game, don't get me wrong. Only trouble I can see is, after playing for a while, progressing through the levels, you might start to suffer from De Ja Vue. A lot of the levels do seem to have quite a similar feel about them. Some people might also be disappointed to discover that Tom Cruise isn't in this game. Don't let this put you off though. I think Operation Surma copes pretty damn well without him. Plus isn't it a blessing in disguise? This Ethan Hunt looks taller. I'm not really that bothered...