Gaming Target - GameCube: Mission: Impossible: Operation Surma

Written by Kyle Williams on June 11, 2003

First Impressions: УYour mission, should you choose to accept it...Ф

Ah yes, another Tom Cruise movie franchise that doesn't bear his likeness. I'm not sure what it is about that guy, but he seems to be real fickle about his likeness. First, he sues a tabloid over some pictures, the he won't let Activision use his face in Minority Report, and now we are stuck with a generic Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible: Operation Surma. When it comes down to it, the whole likeness thing doesn't really matter as in Operation Surma Ethan Hunt is looking cooler than Mr. Cruise could ever hope to.

It is possible that the thing setting Mission Impossible: Operation Surma apart from the movies is the fact that Atari is looking to build more into the Mission: Impossible franchise than what we've seen in the recent films. In essence, Atari is hoping to give more depth to Ethan Hunt and his IMF crew than we have been seeing on the silver screen. They are pulling this off with a daring balance of stealth, hand-to-hand combat, and gunplay. What does this mean for players? It means that they are going to be playing a solid action title that draws upon the innovation set forth in Metal Gear Solid.

Just like in the movies and TV series, Mission Impossible: Operation Surma is going to be chock full of gadgets and disguises that you will use to infiltrate and overcome. About 50% of Operation Surma is going to rely on your ability to penetrate your enemy's defenses without being detected. You will have to take Ethan into the shadows to avoid detection, use a camera to capture the likeness of scientists so that your teammate can make masks for you, and hang from pipes as soldiers walk underneath you. It looks like your grappling hook is going to become your best friend as you will find yourself auto-winching all over the place. The early gameplay that we saw at E3 illustrated all of these different gameplay elements and all of them blended into the action with hardly a seam. In the end, the infiltration side of the game is going to open the door to non-linear puzzle solving and a variety of gameplay experiences.

Of course, not every situation in Operation Surma will allow you to sneak by without being noticed. To help you take on the opposition, Ethan Hunt will not only have an array of ranged weapons, he will also have a wide variety of hand-to-hand attacks and stealth kills available to choose from. Some of these stealth kills are already a sight to behold as the brutality that Ethan deals will make you cringe with sympathy pains. Mission: Impossible's enemies aren't going to be stupid either as they will not only spot bodies that you leave on the ground, but they will even run for the alarm switches once they find one. The game is promising that you will have to be aware of all of your surroundings and the possible ramifications of your actions.

To help compliment everything that your character is doing on-screen in Operation Surma, the Mission: Impossible team is paying a lot of attention to the visual details. As with every action game out there, M:I is sporting nice character models, textures, and animations but the game is reaching above the bar with movie-like moments. Those of you that have seen the big screen version of the franchise will feel right at home with many of the situations that Operation Surma will place you in. Of particular note is the stunning effect that we are seeing when your player is gassed. The effect comes complete with blurred vision, a rumbling controller, and choking sounds. If nothing else, the potential hiding in details like these gives high hopes for Mission Impossible: Operation Surma.