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Stuntman (GBA)
by thole09
"Stuntman" is a video game released for the Gameboy Advance console in 2003 by Atari. It is a driving game based on an earlier Playstation 2 game. In the United States, the game received a rating of "E" by the ESRB panel which deemed it suitable for all ages.
Stuntman is a mission based driving venture ... which requires the player to follow the guidance of a director. The player's character is a movie stuntman and must perform certain acts which are intended to be placed in feature length motion pictures. The game is spread over 21 unique missions which feature the character making simple jumps to driving through explosion-laden twists. Generally speaking, the game is very simple to complete due to the very large prompts which will pop up on the display and inform the player as to where what task should be executed. The controls are also simple with "A" accelerating, "B" breaking, "R" making use of the vehicle's hand brake for quick turns and "L" using an environmental action such as detonating an explosive object.
The graphics are presented from a trailing view of the player's vehicle. Each course is unique in its design and features fully three dimensional images. I did note some pixelated areas on the driving tracks themselves, and is especially obvious in dirt road scenes, but the game is otherwise excellent in its visual department. Most scenes are accented heavily by buildings, pedestrians, trees and shrubbery which solidifies the game's premise as being a part of a film. The soundtrack is not quite as good and is limited to typical engine screeches and noise coming from the player's vehicles.
Overall, Stuntman is a unique and original concept which I would recommend to prospective buyers. I found it to be an enjoyable play and is something which I still regularly enjoy to date.
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Peter Pan (GBA)
by thole09
"Peter Pan" is a video game released for the Gameboy Advance console in 2003 by Atari. It is an action game based on the motion picture of the same name. In the United States, the game received a rating of "E" by the ESRB panel which deemed it suitable for all ages.
The gameplay of this story follows Peter ... Pan in seemingly his encounters with Captain Hook. The player assumes the role of Peter Pan and guides him through a series of naval related scenes with cannonballs and pirates. He is on a search to recover gold coins which generate points for the player. It relates very closely to a standard platform release in periods of actual gameplay with the player running, jumping and avoiding enemy confrontation. Text based dialogue in a central feature of this game and takes the player through the recent Peter Pan story in its its entirety. I found myself bored with this game quickly due to the few moments of gameplay in exchange for the few minutes of reading. It may appeal to those who knowingly enter the game with the presumption that they will read a lengthy virtual novel but not having known this I found the dialogue scenes to be highly intrusive.
The graphics are presented from a side scrolling perspective which focuses on Peter Pan. The visuals of this title appear to be very dated and could have been intended for a release on the earlier Gameboy Color. Character sprites are small, flat and lacking in finer facial details. This is similarly seen in the background scenes which are, too, "flat" in appearance. Colouring is acceptable but only features solid fragments without any finer shading. The soundtrack is comparably poor with basic musical scores and "beeping" sound effects following the player throughout.
Overall, Peter Pan is not a game I would recommend to prospective buyers on this more modern platform. It would likely have seen more success if released on the prior Gameboy Color system but severely lacks in terms of the Gameboy Advance and its hardware capabilities.
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Mission Impossible: Operation Surma (GBA)
by thole09
"Mission: Impossible: Operation Surma" is a video game released for the Gameboy Advance console in 2003 by Atari. It is based on the "Mission Impossible series. In the United States, the game received a rating of "T" by the ESRB panel which deemed it suitable for teenage years and above due to its violent ... content.
In this title, the player assumes the role of Ethan Hunt who is on a mission to dismantle a criminal organization who have gained the technology required to infiltrate high security complexes. He is armed with only one firearm known as the "Multipurpose Gun" and an assortment of gadgets to complete the required missions which tend to involve simply remaining alive against hostile enemy forces. The game does bear resemblance to Konami's "Metal Gear Solid" in that the player must remain undetected to avoid heavy enemy confrontation. This confrontation, however, is simple and does not challenge the player in the slightest. I was able to simply navigate from left to right as the game "in the open" and accept the onslaught of enemy fire; keeping Ethan in tact throughout.
The graphics are presented from a side scrolling perspective which focuses on Ethan Hunt. The animations are smooth but are offset by an obviously repetitive palette of backgrounds scenes which loop throughout. While they were drawn nicely, I did notice their repeating status and found myself able to predict where the character would find himself next. The enemy characters are also identical in their design and only feature slight facial differences. The soundtrack is comparably basic with simple musical scores and very quiet sound effects when executing an action.
Overall, Operation Surma is not a game I would recommend to prospective buyers. It offers little challenge to the "teenage" age rating and is hindered by repetitive graphical scenes and simple audio implements.
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