Snipe 'em up (Silent Scope (DC))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Silent Scope (DC)
Date:	03/09/09 (2 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great premise

Disadvantages: No home sniper rifle, very simplistic

Silent Scope began as a rather genius arcade game, in which you operated a mounted sniper rifle, with the intention of picking off numerous fleets of baddies in the allotted time before they succeeded in one of their nefarious plots. Now, the thought of porting this to a console is just a big headache, so Konami went with the almost unthinkable approach of just letting you use the controller and not even releasing a peripheral!

For the most part, though, it does actually work, and whilst not quite as fun as the arcade version, is somewhat more accurate, probably because they're not trying to stiff you out of any more money than you've already paid for the game! Instead, you use the D-Pad/analogue stick to move the scope crosshair into position, then bring up the scope, and pull the trigger - simple as that. Of course, it's a lot harder to master than you might expect, and requires a steady hand and absolutely pinpoint accuracy.

Although a simple game, there is a lot of fun to be had - most missions revolve around protection a high-level target or preventing a hostage takeover, by choosing one of a few branching routes, beginning with a fleet of no-name soldiers, and each level concluding with a dangerous boss fight, where the enemy moves around the screen at a much faster pace, and deals far greater damage.

Although there's not much to it, it's a good looking game for its generation, and the sound effects of the gun are also quite satisfying, particularly as you unload a bullet into an enemy who then screams out in pain as he falls to the floor, often grabbing his crotch if you're as sadistic a shot as I am!

I won't attest that it's a game that's going to keep you coming back for more and more, but it's a solid entry into the shoot em up genre that delivers unapologetically simple thrillers, and as a result is a highly accessible game that anyone can get in to, but to master it is obviously a lot harder.

Summary: I want a sniper rifle peripheral!