Spy vs Spy
MADdening, but not in a good way.
Tags: Spy vs Spy Categories: Reviews, Xbox Reviews
Posted by Mark "MadMup" Zwolanek on Jun 23rd, 2005
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Spy vs Spy (title page) | 1 - 4 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Action | No | ||
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Back in the days when the Commodore 64 was the best home gaming system a person could have (that just might be this reviewer’s opinion, by the way), an unassuming game by the name of “Spy vs. Spy” was released. This game, also released on the Apple II and Atari systems, featured “Simulvision” and “Simulplay” which allowed two players to play at the same time and on the same screen. The game (and its two sequels) let Black Spy and White Spy square off in an attempt to find secrets and set traps for each other. (The electrified water bucket on the door was my personal favorite.) The NES, GameBoy, and Sega Master System each got a version of the game as well.
Fast forward twenty years. MAD Magazine is still in print, and White Spy and Black Spy are still trying to steal secrets from each other and wound each other in increasingly bizarre ways. Enter the updated Spy vs. Spy game.
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At its heart, it’s the same game. Multiplayer modes pit up to four players in now-3D environments, searching through safes for secrets, setting traps for other spies, and engaging in hand-to-mallet/machine gun/flamethrower combat. Single-player story mode has the Spy (you can choose which color) searching for the plans to defeat the General and his doomsday device, but still requires bashing baddies and searching for secret plans in safes.
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The look of the game is decent. The Spy models move like you would expect them to, and they have permanent grins plastered on their beaky faces. The environments and bad guys – ranging from robots to mechanics to ghosts and skeletons – all have the distinctive look that the Spies themselves have made famous over the years. While I wish they had taken the bold step of making the entire Spy vs. Spy world black and white (like certain commercials that could be mentioned…), the colorful cartoony world fits and looks fine.
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Frankly, that’s about the best to be said about the game. There are unlockable outfits and multiplayer levels, but for the most part, the game is search, bash, repeat. It’s pointless to save the money you earn from bashing baddies to buy upgraded traps since it’s easier to just bash the baddies rather than try to fool them into activating a trap. Occasional puzzles are scattered throughout the game, but none of them are too difficult, and a large flashing green arrow will point the way if you spend too long wandering about aimlessly.
For a game that seems to be aimed at a younger crowd, the boss battles can be frustratingly difficult. A hit from a boss’s flamethrower can drain life faster than it can be filled with health kits, and the bad third-person camera ensures multiple hits from off-screen enemies. A target lock button would have made a huge difference in this game.
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As mentioned, the multiplayer (either on a local Xbox or across Xbox Live) is basically 2 to 4 players doing the same exact thing as the single player game. All modes tend to blend together and feel like the same bland game.
All in all, while playing this game, I couldn’t help but think about how much fun I had playing the Commodore 64 original twenty years ago.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+The graphics fit the Spy vs. Spy world very well +The Haunted House story mode level has some nice touches, like a monster under the bed that will grab you +The traps are fun the first time you use them |
5.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
-Bad camera -Repetitive uninteresting gameplay -The traps get real old real quick |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Even though this game is budget priced, your money would be better spent elsewhere. Don't get trapped into buying this one. | |
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Tags: Spy vs Spy
Posted by Mark "MadMup" Zwolanek on Jun 23rd, 2005 and is filed under Reviews, Xbox Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
