Yes a good game. Even if it lags really a lot...

XD thanks. Wait just a few minutes and You'll see the "Sunset Riders" review I love this game, what about You? I'm writing all the reviews that I can in this last days of freedom...

Thank you! Even if in these months I will be really far from a real and stable Internet connection, When I have enough time I will continue my reviewing works (I'm writing my graduation thesis too...You know, it steals all your time and freedom XD ).

Thank You! I always try to do my best (even if English isn't my mother tongue, I guess You could spot it ). But now I have to leave my home (and my STABLE INTERNET CONNECTION!!!). All because of University exams... But if I can, I'll write other reviews. I'll tell you later. Bye!

I'm rating this game without considering the terrible sound and graphics lags.

-Genre: 3D Shoot'em'up (Rail shooter, Vs time)

-Developer and Publisher: Namco

-Year: 1995 (arcade) - 1997 (Playstation)

-Players: single player

-In a fistful of words: The plot isn't original (save the president's daughter, kill all the bosses and bad guys, fight versus time, get your prize walking in the sunset...) But the action is frenetic and really enjoyable. Even Though, The shoot'em'up genre quite always works like this, and if You don't know, I'll tell You this is one of the most important ancestors of arcade (and not just arcade) light gun shoot'em'up games. And a great game too. You must play this game, even if You don't complete it, just to do this good gaming experience.


Introduction:
The lag is terrible or... beautiful: I'll explain You later. But You're gonna love this game, the cornerstone of light gun shoot'em'up, the granddaddy of Killzone, the progenitor of Medal Of Honor, the... Ok, ok, I'll stop. Just imagine the arcade, a crowd of friends supporting your actions screaming:"Kill him!", "Pay attention on your left". Or if you are a lone wolf, You can just forget all your friends (You sick egomaniac! XD ). By the way You are the one-man-army, the terrible gunner, the slayer, the sorrow and death distributor, with the... PINK (or azure...) light gun!


Plot:
1995: The republic of Sercia is finally ruled by a democratically elected president: William MacPherson. He is the agent of the VSSE International Intelligence Agency who successfully stopped the despotic dictatorship of the Garo family. Now the freedom finally rules and no one will harm the population of Sercia once again. No, just kidding. The last member of the Garo, family, Sherudo, isn't really happy. And if you think that in about a millennium he's the only Garo that has been removed from the throne...So, he decided to hire Wild Dog's mercenary army and take his country and power back. Oh, and of course, he kidnaps the president's daughter, Rachel MacPherson. Now it's up to You: Richard Miller, the VSSE best agent (Why not William MacPherson himself?! If he did it one time...), the one man army (with the infamous pink or azure gun). You have to save Rachel, destroy the mercenaries army, take back Sercia from Sherudo Garo and Wild Dog's hands. Oh, and do it in a little break-time. Not very original (even for its times), but still works though.


Aesthetics:
Good work! But precisely

Graphics:
Realistic 3D (and 2D parts too), good pixeling from the soldiers (very nice and "precise" selection of bad guys! You'll see) to the backgrounds. I love the clock tower, the Garo and the Iron Claw boss stages... And Wild Dog stage too. An important matter about the terrorists: You can recognize them by different things.

NORMAL TROOPS
-Blue soldiers: the basic minions of Wild Dog. They will quite never hit You. Really, You must be very unlucky if they hit You. In years of gaming, I never had the satisfaction of being hit by them...
-Brown soldiers with red beret: middle difficulty soldiers. They are something like sergeants or lieutenants. They will hit You by and by.
-Red soldiers: The best and well trained normal troops. They will easily hit You if You don't kill'em!

SPECIAL TROOPS
-Red camo soldiers with crested hair: they have got a rocket launcher. Can't fail. But when they go down...Ka-BOOOOM!!!
-Blond soldiers with green pants and yellow jacket: They could throw grenades or hit You with a lead pipe. You can surely spot the difference...
-Iron claw soldiers: the minions of the first boss. They are really fast and agile, but not the hardest problem in the game. They will appear even after You defeat their boss.
-White soldiers: the elite forces of Wild Dog. Pay attention, they rarely fail a shot!

This differentiation is a good thing: You'll know how to decide your killing strategy.
So the characterization is well done even for the bosses, between stereotypes and ironic ideas. I mean, look at Garo's movements and at Wild Dog's bad boy behaviors! And What about their combat styles (the same thing for the Iron Claw boss!).

Sound: What a pity! These lags kill me. A good music and sound combination is now unheardable. 


Gameplay: The founder of the light-gun+pedal modern shoot'em'ups. So, You know what to do: hide yourself when the terrorists are firing, and then fight them back until the end of your delicate mission. A mission composed by three stages, divided into different areas that You can play in "Story Mode" or "Timed Mode". The former is the "normal" mode, when you have to successfully complete your mission from the start to the end; in the latter You can select a particular stage and try to complete as quickly as You can (with unlimited lives). A bad new: We can't play the Kantaris Mission, a special mission You can play only for the Playstation version. A nice Mission where You have to destroy a special mecha weapon that is going to be send to Wild Dog by another terrorist organization (Kantaris). But We can play the original arcade game, so, no problem! 



Conclusions: Even with all these lags, You could really enjoy this game. A good time killer... Between study or work sessions. I hope someone will find a better version... Oh, on the Wikipedia page of this game, I read: "The game holds an average aggregate score of 9.0 out of 10 at GameStats" and "The noted novelist Stephen King stated that he enjoys playing Time Crisis". Yeah, We like it too...


Your newbie-newbie reviewer, Jamal999  

Actually it depends. I'm not very trained with the keyboard. But the movements of the pointer in this game are really slow, so You are in trouble when you need precision and a fast reaction. Perhaps You could do better, but I don't. That's why I said difficulty 6-7-8... Try it And thanks for the rating!

-Genre: Shoot'em'up

-Developer and Publisher: Namco/Bandai

-Year: 1994 (arcade) - 2006 (Nintendo DS)

-Players: single/multiplayer (Versus and Co-op)

-In a fistful of words: If You like to shoot everything that moves (or also everything that stands still), this is the right game for You. A wide set of challenges, a great variety of levels, with different skills to test (fast-fire, memory, accuracy, anti-terrorist/ninja simulation...), a gun (or two if You like to challenge friends) and lots of fun! 


Introduction:
An icon. When you say Point Blank, the arcade guys of my generation say "Yeah, let's play!". Really, if you never tried this game, this is a good opportunity to become Point Blank addicted. Without the light gun the levels are a bit more difficult, but with a good controller or joystick, no problem! Prepare for a lot of fun.


Plot:
Not available. Seriously, At the end of the 16 beginner or very hard levels, You will find an "ending level" that is about..."fireworks". Otherwise, a sort of story is the one that sees You always saving Dr. Don and Dr. Dan (the two little characters with mustaches) from piranhas, sharks, tanks, etc... This game is based on a frenetic shooting, the plot is simple: shoot or lose (so, no rating for the story, obviously).


Aesthetics:
A cartoon-style game with good graphics and a very nice music and sound system. A full immersion in the 90's, with a bit of 80's too, with the good ol' arcades memories.

Graphics:
The "simulation" levels (versus the terrorists/ninja/far west bandits) are quite realistic, but generally, the cartoon style is the real ruler of the scene. By the way, You'll enjoy different styles for each level. For example, the creepy skeletons shooting is ambiented in a dark graveyard; the puppet matching level in a cute toy shop; the accuracy levels in the country, outdoor. The atmospheres are different and You'll surely find your favourite levels, not only because of the gameplay, but for the graphics too.  

Sound:
The background musics are adapted to the level type. So, Accuracy levels have a quiet and relaxing music (sort of new age meditation stuff), the fast-fire levels have frenetic musics, and so on. Of course, the sound works, because every thing that You destroy reacts in different ways and with various sounds. And every time you miss, an odious "Beeep!" will let You know that... Yeah, in this game You'll focus on the screen movements, but with a bit of addictive playing, You will love the musics too. 

Gameplay:
Here We go with a bunch of problems. Firstly, the control system isn't even distantly comparable with the light gun, neither with the Nintendo DS pen. So I'm rating difficulty 7, but for someone else it could be an 8 or more. If You use a controller or a joystick, You could fix this problem, but  not at all. And there is a paradox: the accuracy levels are practically toooooo easy, but the simulation, memory and intelligence levels could be too hard, even in easy mode. I don't know if You can find a sort of light gun for computer games, but if You do, TELL US!!!
Ok, now the good things. A good selection of variegated levels (38), added to the fun frenzy of the game is a real game experience booster. You can select four game modality: Practice (four levels) Beginner (sixteen) Expert (sixteen) and Very Hard (sixteen... If You dare! XD ). Of course, it's preferable to play a little bit of practice levels and the to go on with Beginner, Expert, and Very Hard modalities. At the end of every single modality, the game will judge your performance, stating if You can go on with the next levels or if You need more training.
Now, in the great variety of levels, you can find:

-Fast-fire levels (shoot an amount of bullets to destroy a car, or kill a certain number of piranhas, octopuses...)
-Simulation levels (Kill the bad guys, don't hurt innocents)
-Accuracy levels (Shoot a leaf, an apple on Dr. Don or Dan's cute head...)
-Intelligence levels (Fire on number buttons from 1 to 16 in just a few seconds)
-Matching levels (shoot the correct puppet, etc...)
-Memory Levels (just like the normal matching card games)

And with 38 kind of levels, don't forget it. You will find yourself killing ninjas, piranhas, bees, condors, destroying cars, targets, falling barrels, saving the Earth from a meteor shower and so on.
And if You try the multiplayer experience, You will really double the entertainment. You can Co-op or challenge your friends. Player one will be the red - Dr. Don gunfighter, the second player will be the blue - Dr. Dan gunman.

Conclusions:
The perfect Cartoon/Jap shoot'em'up. The godfather of its genre. Playing Point Blank is an offer you can't refuse. Taste the bullet! How can I say? Just play this awesome game!

Your newbie-newbie reviewer, Jamal999  

XD Now I understand what happened. I guess the glitch caused greater problems than the one with my little review. Nice to meet the founder of this beautiful site. And, as I say, (time zone moment!) Good night to me, good afternoon to You. Bye!

If only I could... I submitted the review just one time, but, somehow, There are other three identical copies. And When I tried to connect with the site, it was in maintenance. Sorry for the problem!

Yes I was trying to delete the other two review but...How can I do it?

First of all, I'm Italian, so if my language is incorrect, I'm really sorry.


-Genre: Shoot'em'up (sniping/versus time), specifically a Rail Shooter.

-Developer and Publisher: Konami

-Year: 1999 (arcade) - 2004 (mobile)

-Players: single/multiplayer

-In a fistful of words: A masterpiece of shoot'em'up genre, mixed with adrenalynic fight versus time and good graphics, sounds and gameplay. A good but not really complex plot, but a great variety of possibilities. Recommended to everyone (but especially for the lovers of shoot'em'ups)


Introduction:
If You ever played this game in arcade, with the giant gun in your hands, with a palpitant heart, looking through the (silent) magnifying scope, inserting an ocean of coins to reach the end of the story, save the president and kill the big bosses, You know what I'm talking about. If not, read my review! You have to kill terrorists, save your president, and be a professional sniper. A normal day for a Vizzed member I must say that when I review a game, I always refer to its times standards, So, when I say "It is a masterpiece!" I mean: for its times, in its contexts! This is the only way to objectively judge an old game, I think.


Plot:
You are the best sniper of the United States and there's your mission: save the president and his family from the menace of a well structured terrorist organization. You start the game after the return of the first family from a function in Chicago (Illinois). The terrorists kidnap the president, his wife and daughter and demand the liberation of their leader, the dictator. It's up to You to successfully help the first family and end the terrorists menace once and for all. So, in the first level you will help the police, killing every single terrorist in the city area. A good start to polish your skills (but there is also a good shooting range training minigame available in the home menu). But things get serious when you have to decide where to fight the first bosses (Scorpion, Hornet or Cobra): On the top of a skyscraper, in a battle versus a military jet or in the city stadium. By the way, whatever is Your choice, You'll seek Your enemy from a chopper: the movements are harder! But wait, there's more: Your choice decides your next level, so, if You want to enjoy every single possible path, You'll have to play again the game. Going on with your difficult mission, You will save the first family in very different places, get to the terrorists base and, with an epic ending (With a great soundtrack! Oh, I love the final mission theme!), try to save the president and kill the big boss...In a REALLY HARD challenge. The hardest challenge in the game, that will make you fail or win just in a fistful of seconds! Thrilling adrenaline for every shot, every second, every headshot! A must play for all the kinds of gamers, escpecially the lovers of the arcade games like Time Crisis, The Evil Dead, and, of course, Silent Scope! The story isn't really complex, but it works.


Aesthetics:
Great game, the graphics, the music, the sound are really good, realistic. The sound of th sniper rifle, the rendering of the places, the reaction of your enemies that will be alerted whit a wrong shot...A dream come true (at least for its times)! 

Graphics:
The environment is very realistic, from the city to the terrorists base. Even the characters are good enough, even if the bosses aren't really nice...Not a perfect work for them, if we except the final bosses like Tom and Jerry, but first of all, the great Monica (wonderful character!) and the big boss, the dictator (in his white suit he looks like a parody of South American mobsters, or perhaps the singer Pitbull  in his video "Blanco" XD). Tthe overall score is a good and deserved 8. 

Sound:
Realistic too. The environment reacts with different sounds to your shots. The music is great (even if in the arcade version it is better...) and follows You in the entire games, pumping emotions and blood through your veins, creating a perfect atmosphere for this adrenalinyc game. The backup voice in your earphone is nice: for example, when You miss a shot, the backup operator says:"Calm down!" or "You have lost your touch!".


Gameplay:
This beautiful game is a hard challenge from the start to the end: Your worst enemy is the time (not a boss or a terrorist), in facts, if you end your time the game is over, but you can gain more seconds by killing your enemies. But if you hit innocents or policemen, you lose time and life: so pay attention! You can adjust some difficulty settings (time, life, hard/easy mode), but time and terrorists are not really easy to beat. Even with the easy in-game options, Only after a good practice You will see the end of the game and its hardest challenges. You don't have to reload: every 5 bullets, the rifle will be authomatically reloaded. If You need a life, You can see the nice ladies in bikini through your scope, and You'll get one life (and hear a "sexy" music, another interesting thing about the sound). The other part of the coin is that, if in the arcade version You have a plastic rifle with a small LCD placed in the scope, the movements with the computer keyboard or with a joystic are terrible. You have to try it often, but after a little bit of perseverance and patience, You'll get it and become an unstoppable sniper. When You get a headshot, or a heartshot, you got more points, but if you miss, the terrorists will spot you in a hurry, so You've got to be "silent", precise and fast. like a real sniper. The boss battles are difficult and really enjoyable, You can kill them with a headshot or with 5-10 o rmore shots in the body (pay attention for other terrorists and don't shoot the hostages!) The mission objectives are always the same:to kill the terrorists, save the hostages, don't hurt the innocents or the policemen and to fight against the terrorists bosses. But the quite good variety between the bosses scenarios and the full sniping action missions and the frenetic rythms of the games, connected with the possibility to choose between different scenarios and paths, is a perfect mix for your gaming experience!

Conclusions:
A great game. What else? Are you still here?! Enjoy Silent Scope!!!


Your newbie-newbie reviewer, Jamal999  

First of all, I'm Italian, so if my language is incorrect, I'm really sorry.


-Genre: Shoot'em'up (sniping/versus time), specifically a Rail Shooter.

-Developer and Publisher: Konami

-Year: 1999 (arcade) - 2004 (mobile)

-Players: single/multiplayer

-In a fistful of words: A masterpiece of shoot'em'up genre, mixed with adrenalynic fight versus time and good graphics, sounds and gameplay. A good but not really complex plot, but a great variety of possibilities. Recommended to everyone (but especially for the lovers of shoot'em'ups)


Introduction:
If You ever played this game in arcade, with the giant gun in your hands, with a palpitant heart, looking through the (silent) magnifying scope, inserting an ocean of coins to reach the end of the story, save the president and kill the big bosses, You know what I'm talking about. If not, read my review! You have to kill terrorists, save your president, and be a professional sniper. A normal day for a Vizzed member I must say that when I review a game, I always refer to its times standards, So, when I say "It is a masterpiece!" I mean: for its times, in its contexts! This is the only way to objectively judge an old game, I think.


Plot:
You are the best sniper of the United States and there's your mission: save the president and his family from the menace of a well structured terrorist organization. You start the game after the return of the first family from a function in Chicago (Illinois). The terrorists kidnap the president, his wife and daughter and demand the liberation of their leader, the dictator. It's up to You to successfully help the first family and end the terrorists menace once and for all. So, in the first level you will help the police, killing every single terrorist in the city area. A good start to polish your skills (but there is also a good shooting range training minigame available in the home menu). But things get serious when you have to decide where to fight the first bosses (Scorpion, Hornet or Cobra): On the top of a skyscraper, in a battle versus a military jet or in the city stadium. By the way, whatever is Your choice, You'll seek Your enemy from a chopper: the movements are harder! But wait, there's more: Your choice decides your next level, so, if You want to enjoy every single possible path, You'll have to play again the game. Going on with your difficult mission, You will save the first family in very different places, get to the terrorists base and, with an epic ending (With a great soundtrack! Oh, I love the final mission theme!), try to save the president and kill the big boss...In a REALLY HARD challenge. The hardest challenge in the game, that will make you fail or win just in a fistful of seconds! Thrilling adrenaline for every shot, every second, every headshot! A must play for all the kinds of gamers, escpecially the lovers of the arcade games like Time Crisis, The Evil Dead, and, of course, Silent Scope! The story isn't really complex, but it works.


Aesthetics:
Great game, the graphics, the music, the sound are really good, realistic. The sound of th sniper rifle, the rendering of the places, the reaction of your enemies that will be alerted whit a wrong shot...A dream come true (at least for its times)! 

Graphics:
The environment is very realistic, from the city to the terrorists base. Even the characters are good enough, even if the bosses aren't really nice...Not a perfect work for them, if we except the final bosses like Tom and Jerry, but first of all, the great Monica (wonderful character!) and the big boss, the dictator (in his white suit he looks like a parody of South American mobsters, or perhaps the singer Pitbull  in his video "Blanco" XD). Tthe overall score is a good and deserved 8. 

Sound:
Realistic too. The environment reacts with different sounds to your shots. The music is great (even if in the arcade version it is better...) and follows You in the entire games, pumping emotions and blood through your veins, creating a perfect atmosphere for this adrenalinyc game. The backup voice in your earphone is nice: for example, when You miss a shot, the backup operator says:"Calm down!" or "You have lost your touch!".


Gameplay:
This beautiful game is a hard challenge from the start to the end: Your worst enemy is the time (not a boss or a terrorist), in facts, if you end your time the game is over, but you can gain more seconds by killing your enemies. But if you hit innocents or policemen, you lose time and life: so pay attention! You can adjust some difficulty settings (time, life, hard/easy mode), but time and terrorists are not really easy to beat. Even with the easy in-game options, Only after a good practice You will see the end of the game and its hardest challenges. You don't have to reload: every 5 bullets, the rifle will be authomatically reloaded. If You need a life, You can see the nice ladies in bikini through your scope, and You'll get one life (and hear a "sexy" music, another interesting thing about the sound). The other part of the coin is that, if in the arcade version You have a plastic rifle with a small LCD placed in the scope, the movements with the computer keyboard or with a joystic are terrible. You have to try it often, but after a little bit of perseverance and patience, You'll get it and become an unstoppable sniper. When You get a headshot, or a heartshot, you got more points, but if you miss, the terrorists will spot you in a hurry, so You've got to be "silent", precise and fast. like a real sniper. The boss battles are difficult and really enjoyable, You can kill them with a headshot or with 5-10 o rmore shots in the body (pay attention for other terrorists and don't shoot the hostages!) The mission objectives are always the same:to kill the terrorists, save the hostages, don't hurt the innocents or the policemen and to fight against the terrorists bosses. But the quite good variety between the bosses scenarios and the full sniping action missions and the frenetic rythms of the games, connected with the possibility to choose between different scenarios and paths, is a perfect mix for your gaming experience!

Conclusions:
A great game. What else? Are you still here?! Enjoy Silent Scope!!!


Your newbie-newbie reviewer, Jamal999  

First of all, I'm Italian, so if my language is incorrect, I'm really sorry.


-Genre: Shoot'em'up (sniping/versus time), specifically a Rail Shooter.

-Developer and Publisher: Konami

-Year: 1999 (arcade) - 2004 (mobile)

-Players: single/multiplayer

-In a fistful of words: A masterpiece of shoot'em'up genre, mixed with adrenalynic fight versus time and good graphics, sounds and gameplay. A good but not really complex plot, but a great variety of possibilities. Recommended to everyone (but especially for the lovers of shoot'em'ups)


Introduction:
If You ever played this game in arcade, with the giant gun in your hands, with a palpitant heart, looking through the (silent) magnifying scope, inserting an ocean of coins to reach the end of the story, save the president and kill the big bosses, You know what I'm talking about. If not, read my review! You have to kill terrorists, save your president, and be a professional sniper. A normal day for a Vizzed member I must say that when I review a game, I always refer to its times standards, So, when I say "It is a masterpiece!" I mean: for its times, in its contexts! This is the only way to objectively judge an old game, I think.


Plot:
You are the best sniper of the United States and there's your mission: save the president and his family from the menace of a well structured terrorist organization. You start the game after the return of the first family from a function in Chicago (Illinois). The terrorists kidnap the president, his wife and daughter and demand the liberation of their leader, the dictator. It's up to You to successfully help the first family and end the terrorists menace once and for all. So, in the first level you will help the police, killing every single terrorist in the city area. A good start to polish your skills (but there is also a good shooting range training minigame available in the home menu). But things get serious when you have to decide where to fight the first bosses (Scorpion, Hornet or Cobra): On the top of a skyscraper, in a battle versus a military jet or in the city stadium. By the way, whatever is Your choice, You'll seek Your enemy from a chopper: the movements are harder! But wait, there's more: Your choice decides your next level, so, if You want to enjoy every single possible path, You'll have to play again the game. Going on with your difficult mission, You will save the first family in very different places, get to the terrorists base and, with an epic ending (With a great soundtrack! Oh, I love the final mission theme!), try to save the president and kill the big boss...In a REALLY HARD challenge. The hardest challenge in the game, that will make you fail or win just in a fistful of seconds! Thrilling adrenaline for every shot, every second, every headshot! A must play for all the kinds of gamers, escpecially the lovers of the arcade games like Time Crisis, The Evil Dead, and, of course, Silent Scope! The story isn't really complex, but it works.


Aesthetics:
Great game, the graphics, the music, the sound are really good, realistic. The sound of th sniper rifle, the rendering of the places, the reaction of your enemies that will be alerted whit a wrong shot...A dream come true (at least for its times)! 

Graphics:
The environment is very realistic, from the city to the terrorists base. Even the characters are good enough, even if the bosses aren't really nice...Not a perfect work for them, if we except the final bosses like Tom and Jerry, but first of all, the great Monica (wonderful character!) and the big boss, the dictator (in his white suit he looks like a parody of South American mobsters, or perhaps the singer Pitbull  in his video "Blanco" XD). Tthe overall score is a good and deserved 8. 

Sound:
Realistic too. The environment reacts with different sounds to your shots. The music is great (even if in the arcade version it is better...) and follows You in the entire games, pumping emotions and blood through your veins, creating a perfect atmosphere for this adrenalinyc game. The backup voice in your earphone is nice: for example, when You miss a shot, the backup operator says:"Calm down!" or "You have lost your touch!".


Gameplay:
This beautiful game is a hard challenge from the start to the end: Your worst enemy is the time (not a boss or a terrorist), in facts, if you end your time the game is over, but you can gain more seconds by killing your enemies. But if you hit innocents or policemen, you lose time and life: so pay attention! You can adjust some difficulty settings (time, life, hard/easy mode), but time and terrorists are not really easy to beat. Even with the easy in-game options, Only after a good practice You will see the end of the game and its hardest challenges. You don't have to reload: every 5 bullets, the rifle will be authomatically reloaded. If You need a life, You can see the nice ladies in bikini through your scope, and You'll get one life (and hear a "sexy" music, another interesting thing about the sound). The other part of the coin is that, if in the arcade version You have a plastic rifle with a small LCD placed in the scope, the movements with the computer keyboard or with a joystic are terrible. You have to try it often, but after a little bit of perseverance and patience, You'll get it and become an unstoppable sniper. When You get a headshot, or a heartshot, you got more points, but if you miss, the terrorists will spot you in a hurry, so You've got to be "silent", precise and fast. like a real sniper. The boss battles are difficult and really enjoyable, You can kill them with a headshot or with 5-10 o rmore shots in the body (pay attention for other terrorists and don't shoot the hostages!) The mission objectives are always the same:to kill the terrorists, save the hostages, don't hurt the innocents or the policemen and to fight against the terrorists bosses. But the quite good variety between the bosses scenarios and the full sniping action missions and the frenetic rythms of the games, connected with the possibility to choose between different scenarios and paths, is a perfect mix for your gaming experience!

Conclusions:
A great game. What else? Are you still here?! Enjoy Silent Scope!!!


Your newbie-newbie reviewer, Jamal999  

First of all, I'm Italian, so if my language is incorrect, I'm really sorry.


-Genre: Shoot'em'up (sniping/versus time), specifically a Rail Shooter.

-Developer and Publisher: Konami

-Year: 1999 (arcade) - 2004 (mobile)

-Players: single/multiplayer

-In a fistful of words: A masterpiece of shoot'em'up genre, mixed with adrenalynic fight versus time and good graphics, sounds and gameplay. A good but not really complex plot, but a great variety of possibilities. Recommended to everyone (but especially for the lovers of shoot'em'ups)


Introduction:
If You ever played this game in arcade, with the giant gun in your hands, with a palpitant heart, looking through the (silent) magnifying scope, inserting an ocean of coins to reach the end of the story, save the president and kill the big bosses, You know what I'm talking about. If not, read my review! You have to kill terrorists, save your president, and be a professional sniper. A normal day for a Vizzed member I must say that when I review a game, I always refer to its times standards, So, when I say "It is a masterpiece!" I mean: for its times, in its contexts! This is the only way to objectively judge an old game, I think.


Plot:
You are the best sniper of the United States and there's your mission: save the president and his family from the menace of a well structured terrorist organization. You start the game after the return of the first family from a function in Chicago (Illinois). The terrorists kidnap the president, his wife and daughter and demand the liberation of their leader, the dictator. It's up to You to successfully help the first family and end the terrorists menace once and for all. So, in the first level you will help the police, killing every single terrorist in the city area. A good start to polish your skills (but there is also a good shooting range training minigame available in the home menu). But things get serious when you have to decide where to fight the first bosses (Scorpion, Hornet or Cobra): On the top of a skyscraper, in a battle versus a military jet or in the city stadium. By the way, wathever is Your choice, You'll seek Your enemy from a chopper: the movements are harder! But wait, there's more: Your choice decides your next level, so, if You want to enjoy every single possible path, You'll have to play again the game. Going on with your difficult mission, You will save the first family in very different places, get to the terrorists base and, with an epic ending (With a great soundtrack! Oh, I love the final mission theme!), try to save the president and kill the big boss...In a REALLY HARD challenge. The hardest challenge in the game, that will make you fail or win just in a fistful of seconds! Thrilling adrenaline for every shot, every second, every headshot! A must play for all the kinds of gamers, escpecially the lovers of the arcade games like Time Crisis, The Evil Dead, and, of course, Silent Scope! The story isn't really complex, but it works.


Aesthetics:
Great game, the graphics, the music, the sound are really good, realistic. The sound of th sniper rifle, the rendering of the places, the reaction of your enemies that will be alerted whit a wrong shot...A dream come true (at least for its times)! 

Graphics:
The environment is very realistic, from the city to the terrorists base. Even the characters are good enough, even if the bosses aren't really nice...Not a perfect work for them, if we except the final bosses like Tom and Jerry, but first of all, the great Monica (wonderful character!) and the big boss, the dictator (in his white suit he looks like a parody of South American mobsters, or perhaps the singer Pitbull  in his video "Blanco" XD). Tthe overall score is a good and deserved 8. 

Sound:
Realistic too. The environment reacts with different sounds to your shots. The music is great (even if in the arcade version it is better...) and follows You in the entire games, pumping emotions and blood through your veins, creating a perfect atmosphere for this adrenalinyc game. The backup voice in your earphone is nice: for example, when You miss a shot, the backup operator says:"Calm down!" or "You have lost your touch!".


Gameplay:
This beautiful game is a hard challenge from the start to the end: Your worst enemy is the time (not a boss or a terrorist), in facts, if you end your time the game is over, but you can gain more seconds by killing your enemies. But if you hit innocents or policemen, you lose time and life: so pay attention! You can adjust some difficulty settings (time, life, hard/easy mode), but time and terrorists are not really easy to beat. Even with the easy in-game options, Only after a good practice You will see the end of the game and its hardest challenges. You don't have to reload: every 5 bullets, the rifle will be authomatically reloaded. If You need a life, You can see the nice ladies in bikini through your scope, and You'll get one life (and hear a "sexy" music, another interesting thing about the sound). The other part of the coin is that, if in the arcade version You have a plastic rifle with a small LCD placed in the scope, the movements with the computer keyboard or with a joystic are terrible. You have to try it often, but after a little bit of perseverance and patience, You'll get it and become an unstoppable sniper. When You get a headshot, or a heartshot, you got more points, but if you miss, the terrorists will spot you in a hurry, so You've got to be "silent", precise and fast. like a real sniper. The boss battles are difficult and really enjoyable, You can kill them with a headshot or with 5-10 o rmore shots in the body (pay attention for other terrorists and don't shoot the hostages!) The mission objectives are always the same:to kill the terrorists, save the hostages, don't hurt the innocents or the policemen and to fight against the terrorists bosses. But the quite good variety between the bosses scenarios and the full sniping action missions and the frenetic rythms of the games, connected with the possibility to choose between different scenarios and paths, is a perfect mix for your gaming experience!

Conclusions:
A great game. What else? Are you still here?! Enjoy Silent Scope!!!


Your newbie-newbie reviewer, Jamal999  

First of all, I am Italian, so, if my language isn't correct, I'm really sorry! Now let's read my first review!

Introduction
I'll be honest. I love Tomb Raider saga, the entire saga of Miss Croft's adventures, but the first episode isn't the best of all. The overall rate is 6 just because of the great history of Tomb Raider, from the first appearance to the last one. Ok, I admit that I touhgt about a 7 or even more, so I think this would be the overall rate for the fanatic fans (just like me). For The standards of the time It was quite a good game for the Atari 2600, but It doesn't exploit entirely the (not so high) possibilities of this retro console. A honest overall rate could have been 5,5 or q bit more... But I decided for the 6 because no one knows this is the real origin, the Adam...No, the Eva of all Lara Croft's adventures. Before of Vilcabamba, before of all the pixels and the three dimensions stuffs, this is the real original one. You can see and barely recognize Lara (think about the hair...and just this characteristic is the one that you could recognize, with a lot of fantasy).

Plot
The first work for the greatest female tomb raider of the entire videogames history (dear Nathan Drake, you can eat her dust, if You want). You have to solve the riddle of the Scarlet Dragon, an artifact carved out of ruby. It was discovered in Jipijapa, Ecuador, by an archaeological expedition. No one knows the real facts, the origins, the powers of this ancient masterpiece, but no one is ready to venture deeper in the ruins and find out the reality. No one, except Lara Croft, the rich adventurer, the woman without fear and with two guns. And...That's it. Not really deep, I know, but quite deep for an Atari 2600 game. Go and find out the truth of this mystery!
 
Aesthetics
Graphics and sounds are well done for the standards of this console. Not a lot of music, just some sounds when you die or use your weapons, or when you collect items. And the one for the footsteps makes me laugh, but I simply don't know why. By the way it is both strange and exciting to see there is something that a Tomb Raider fan could recognize in the graphics (and in the gameplay too). The spiked moving traps, your enemies, the great jumps... The omnipresent colour is the darkness black: it is night? Are you in deep tombs? Perhaps both. Yes, a good game for its times. Not a real masterpiece, but a great promise, and if You see the results of this promise, Lara is still young and alive with new adventures, enemies, tombs to raid and artifacts to study, from the movies to the games, from the comics to the action figures... An icon, a myth, a symbol of the videogames era. Aesthetically you can't compare a 2D old game with the newest 3D games. It will result like a war between a medieval principality army and the modern American Army. It's not about evolutions, but about the contemporary standards. And it was a really good game.  

Gameplay
This is basically a 2D platform. If you remember Atari 2600 old times, You surely remember Pitfall! So this game is quite  an "upgraded Pitfall", with new weapons, complex levels, a new star (Lara Croft) and new concepts about the puzzle solving mechanics. You need different items to go on with your adventure, and You must collect all the artifacts of the dragon too. For example You need to get a torch to complete your tasks in the dark areas, or you could use pistols to kill your enemies (like fiery beasts). Oh, yeah, your beloved dual pistols: You'll find them in this game too! But the fundamental actions are two: run and jump, jump and run, run, run, elude the traps, jump and run, elude the traps while running and jumping... Sometimes it is frustrating to lose every time for a single wrong move, and if you add the problem that You've got just five life to lose (and You'll lose them really quick, I guess, if You're human), and the You have to start over from the first level, It is not frustrating: it is the worst nightmare of a videogamer. No checkpoints, no crystals, nothing that could save You from repeating the entire game on and on. A terrible and pointless thing, that connected with the bad controls system is a deadly alliance for the gamer's patience...Even for the experts. But You mustn't forgot: It's an Ooooooold Atari 2600 game. 

Conclusions
As I said for the entire review, It is an old game, so, the evaluation must be done thinking about it's contemporary standards, not with the eyes of a 3D modern games expert player. If you watch this game (and all the ancient games) with the fascinated eyes of the first videogamers of the history, you could find the real magic of it. Without this grandpas and grandmas, videogames would have been just a dream, not the beautiful reality of this days. 

Thank You too, really epic epic epic...especially for the animated gifs XD I discovered the options of the writing board (image, url, youtube...). I'll try something new by and by. I like all your images in the posts, I guess it isn't difficult to try. But I have to study, so, I haven't a lot of time to play retro games or answer. See you!
  

Thanks. Ok, I'll speak Italian just when someone could understand me...Or when I have to say bad words (just kidding, I know and appreciate your netiquette). By the way I don't have a favourite console. I mean, I love games like Metal Slug, Metal Gear, Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat, Batman and I like to play this games even in retro consoles. I like to see the differences between the games I played with the PlayStation or on the computer, and I always hope to find Easter eggs. And by the way I NEED to know the origins of Metal Gear Solid story and plot XD bye!

Thank You both! Austinpokedude, can I see your artworks somewhere? Good morning to You and goodnight to me  Oh, ehm...Just one question: can I speak Italian sometimes? Are there Italian chats or something similar?

I'm happy to join you in this amazing site. I'm from Italy, I love art, aesthetics, philosophy... Pizza and retro videogames XD See you!