Operation Jupiter
| Developer: Infogrames | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Mindscape | Sound: |
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| Year: 1988 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Unclassifiable | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
5/10 | |
Also known as Hostages (in the UK), Hostage: Rescue Mission (in the US), or even Rescue: The Embassy (on the NES), this precursor to stealth games puts you in charge of an elite police tactical unit tackling a hostage situation in an embassy.
Step one: deploy the snipers. This plays out as a mini arcade game where you dash along walls, avoiding searchlights as you make your way down the street. It’s relatively manageable and straightforward.
Step two: much less so. Three operatives are dropped onto the roof by helicopter. Your task is to rappel them down the facade, smash a window, and infiltrate the building. Your surviving snipers from phase one can lend support by taking potshots at silhouettes in the windows – just be careful not to hit a hostage! The controls, however, are an absolute mess. Are French commandos clumsier than Wily the window washer? After countless attempts – each lasting only a few seconds – I eventually succeeded by sheer accident. Not fun.
Step three: the most entertaining phase. You navigate the corridors in first-person view, armed with a submachine gun. There’s something oddly satisfying about peppering the walls with bullet holes or accidentally taking out a diplomat or two before you deal with the terrorists – assuming they don’t shoot you first…
In summary, it’s an original, if somewhat brief, game that has its fans. Personally, I’m not big on mini-game compilations. While these kinds of prototypes spark my curiosity, they rarely hold my interest for long. And, in an extraordinary twist of fate, I’m terrible at them!
Its pseudo-sequel, Alcatraz (1992), refined the concept by introducing a two-player mode.
For a spiritual successor, I’d recommend Door Kickers (2014).
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