Spy vs Spy (1999 color) Game by Kemco Reviewed by John Craig john@dmgice.com Save: Password Released: 1999 Works with: Gameboy Color only (clear pack) **************************************************************************** Opening Snide Remarks: The cold war is over, but the luke-warm war rages on! Back in my NES days this was, hands down, the game I rented the most. This portable version has been pushed back quite a few times, and Iıve been waiting to get my hands on it. **************************************************************************** Gameplay Description: First letıs get one thing strait, this is NOT a color remake of Spy vs Spy for Gameboy, that game... well... sucked, this is a port of the NES game. They were two totally different games. Forget Goldeneye or Mission Impossible, Spy vs Spy was the ORIGINAL spy game. You play as either the recognizable white or black spy from the MAD magazines, and your enemy is... the spy you didnıt pick. Your mission is to scour your way through many buildings (32) and collect disks, secret documents, and plans and other various secret agent type stuff, and get the heck out before the timer runs out. But, thereıs a catch. Thereıs an enemy spy trying to do the exact same thing. Obviously you both canıt get the required items and escape, so you can collect weapons, and if you meet up with your counterpart in the building, or set hidden traps in places youıve been. The levels begin with you frantically searching for items and ends with you frantically trying to find an exit, or trying to prevent the enemy from finding one. If you read the Spy vs Spy comics, you know what itıs like, and itıs got that off-beat humor too. Your spy giggles insanely when he sets a trap, or when the other spy gets caught by it. This is also now one of my best multiplayer games. With two games, your friend can become the enemy spy. Ahh, ...thereıs no satisfaction like seeing the expression on my brothers face when he discovers the bomb Iıve planted in the filing cabinet heıs going through. Liked: The pace never slows down. One minute youıve got all that you need and trying to find the right exit, the next youıve been knocked out, and now the enemy spy has everything. Hated: nothing, there is a rather large learning curve though, as the enemy spy shows no mercy. Luckily there is a training mode. **************************************************************************** Graphics Description: Excellent graphics, all the rooms are colored differently, the spys and objects are well detailed. The spys get a puzzled look on their faces and question marks above there heads just before the bomb theyıve found explodes, it looks and has the humor just like the comics. There are short cut scenes after you complete each level in each of the 4 main areas, and they feature your standard Spy vs Spy humor. The objects you search through are very nicely detailed. Many of them have excellent animations too, fishes swim through aquariums, and in the ³Spy Car² levels, some of the TVıs are playing Top Gear!!!! Awesome!!! Liked: Well detailed characters and objects, good use of colors when you move from room to room. Love the animations, the TVıs are playing Top Gear!!! Hated: Watching the same cut scenes over and over. And yes, they could have made 32 cut scenes if they wanted, this could have been the first Gameboy Color game to take advantage of the 32mb cartridge. **************************************************************************** Sound/Music Description: For some reason the music reminds me of Dick Tracy for the NES. Itıs all in a 20ıs jazzy, flapper style that works very well. I canıt remember if this is the same music from the NES game, it might be. When one of the spys has all of the items and is running for the exit the game knows to speed up the music, to add to the tension. The sounds of exploding booby traps and collecting items is all very good. Liked: Good, Œsmartı music and sound effects. Hated: nothing **************************************************************************** Play Control/Game Design: In all honesty, the game isnıt very difficult to beat...at all, but, much like in Wario Land 2, itıs not the difficulty that keeps you playing. Like I said before, there may be a steep learning curve, the enemy spy is very fast, and that means if your not, heıll find the briefcase before you (you can only carry one item at a time unless you have the briefcase). You have to learn how to set traps too. You have 4 different traps you can set, and you scroll through them by pressing the B button. For example, setting a bomb in a desk or piece of furniture is easy, you select the bomb by pressing B once, and you hide it in a object by pressing A at the object (which is followed by your spy snickering insanely). If another spy begins searching through that object the bomb will explode (which is also followed by your spy snickering insanely.) Setting a bucket of water above a door is a bit different though. You have to press B 3 times to select the bucket water, you then have to close the door you want to set the trap on, and then press A to set the trap (which is followed by...I think you can guess.) While this doesnıt sound too difficult, it can be disorienting if your being chased by the other spy. The game screen, by the way, is also just like the NES version. i.e. itıs spilt screen, and you can always see everything the enemy spy is doing (and you can also see him getting blown up.) This isnıt a big advantage though, as youıre always far too busy to watch the other player. I should also note that the computer is very...human. He has to check his map just as often as you do, and also falls for the traps as often as you do. When youıve got the briefcase he hunts you down, and when heıs got the briefcase he knows to run. Kudos to Kemco for making excellent enemy AI. Oh yeah, and the items and exits are placed in random places every time you play the game. Learning where the objects are in a level wonıt help you at all. The definition of Œreplay valueı. Liked: The game is very open ended, so you can use any strategies you can conjure up in that warped mind of yours. Once you surpass the learning curve and learn to successfully use traps, itıs a very balanced game, no matter what your skill level, your bound to win some and lose some. Great enemy AI. Once youre in the lead, youıve got that ³oh my God, Iıve got to run!² feel. Random item relocation gives it a fantastic replay value. Uh, basically everything. Hated: Make the later levels more difficult. There is a difficulty option, but it effects how much time you have, not the skill of the other spy. (If the timer runs out, you both lose). **************************************************************************** Improve: I would pay an extra 5 bucks or so to have a 32mb cartridge with over 32 cut-scenes. Also, it would be cool to have, not only a Œrandom itemı feature, but also a Œrandom buildingı feature that would make a different building every time you played a certain level. Save feature instead of password. Make later levels more difficult. Longer ending. RIYL: This is yet another original game, thereıs really nothing like this. **************************************************************************** Final Words: This has instantly become one of my favorite games. Iıd recommend it to anyone looking for something different. Itıs a great game with a even better multiplayer. **************************************************************************** Score Gameplay: ***** Graphics: ***** Sound/Music: ***** Play Control/Game Design: **** Personal Opinion: ***** Total: 24 Final Score: 96% **************************************************************************** Currently Known Codes: To see the ending, put in the password- Z4W4P and complete that last ³Spy Car² level. The password for all the levels completed is- 15Y24