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Mission Extreme Review

Rating:

Mission Extreme tends the bounds between platformer and retro shooter quite well. It is a simple game, but sometimes simple is enough.

Additional Info

DeveloperDeadheat
GenreAction, Platformer, Shooter
PlatformsWindows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
EngineGame Maker 7
Filesize2.0 MB
Webpagehttp://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/platformer/mission-extreme/900/

Full Review

The side-scrolling platform shooter has been around for a long time. It should come as no surprise, then, that Mission Extreme doesn't take itself too seriously. The game has a fun, tongue in cheek style that will bring you back to classic gems like Contra and then spoof on them just a little bit. You get a feel for this very quickly as you watch the opening cut scene: evidently some secret, evil agency has constructed a secret super weapon that's going to secretly destroy the world. It's up to you, of course, to stop them.

I downloaded Mission Extreme in anticipation of its sequel, Super Mission Extreme, which is due out soon. While the sequel looks to add on some new gameplay elements, probably pushing it more in the direction of Metal Slug rather than Contra, Mission Extreme is dirt simple. You run, jump, shoot, and repeat. There are damsels to rescue, hidden paths to find, and guns to upgrade, a feature I rather like, but it simply is a platform shooter.

Graphically, the game looks great with blocky, retro sprites and colorful backgrounds. The palette is impeccable. There is little animation to speak of, but it's not very necessary. What the game lacks, I feel, is a strong tempo. Deadheat makes no excuses; he is a no frills retro developer and that is very apparent in Mission Extreme. Taken with that information, the game is good and does well for itself. If one thrusts the game into a modern context, where shooters have become seizure-inducing frenzies of endless streaming shots, Mission Extreme is just plain slow.

The most interesting feature, the gun upgrade, only kicks in every other level or so and leaves something to be desired. You just get bored with having a desperately slow, single shot (later a spread shot) for so long. Bear in mind that this is coming from me, an MMO junky who has become desensitized to the kind of dull grind born from killing 300 half-orcs in one sitting.

Having said all of that, Mission Extreme is highly enjoyable and does what it does very nicely, even if what it does has been done before.

Mission Extreme is available for download here.

Gamepad recommended.

Posted by Derek Kamal on May 17, 2010 Comments (2)


Deadheat said at 2010-05-16 05:32:

Nice review :)


Zhou Xuanming said at 2010-05-16 18:02:

Thanks, and a great game you have there too. Really looking forward to Super Mission Extreme. :D