71 lines
4.0 KiB
Plaintext
71 lines
4.0 KiB
Plaintext
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MIAMI VICE
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MIAMI VICE is an action/arcade game designed and programmed by Richard
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Leinecker, and published and distributed by IntraCorp under the Capstone label.
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Based on the formerly trendy TV series, VICE offers fine graphics and animation,
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eight scenarios, four levels of difficulty, joystick control, and copy
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protection. The Atari ST version requires 512K and a color monitor, and is the
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basis of this review.
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VICE is really two types of games. In the two-character games (Warehouse, Dock,
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Stiltsville, Final Assault), you'll control both Crockett and Tubbs, who must
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battle villains and obstacles as you guide them to an exit; in the vehicle games
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(Car Chase, Boat Chase, Plane Chase, Parachute), you'll control the vehicle, and
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attempt either to withstand or avoid various kinds of attacks. You'll be dealing
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with Dobermans, bombs, high-speed cars and boats, obstacles in Biscayne Bay,
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other planes and weather balloons, and lots of criminals from the drug trade.
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Each scenario must be completed before moving on to the next. Assuming you
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complete all eight, you'll be awarded a Medal of Service and begin again in the
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first scenario, at a higher level of difficulty.
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The ST graphics display consists of action screen, lives-remaining icons (for
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two-character games) or damage graphs (for vehicle games), score, and three
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blank shields, each of which becomes a Medal of Service when you've completed
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the eight scenarios.
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In VICE, all characters and vehicles are controlled by the joystick. The stick
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alone moves them left and right, lets them climb ladders, kneel, stand, and aim
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their guns (which the button will fire); the Spacebar toggles joystick control
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between Crockett and Tubbs. In the vehicle games, the stick accelerates,
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decelerates, and moves the car and the speedboat left and right; on the plane,
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the stick is used for left/right movement and altitude adjustments, rather than
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speed control.
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The MIAMI VICE package comes with two copy-protected disks, an instruction
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manual, and a Code Card used as an additional form of copy protection.
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In stark contrast to Crockett's pastel fashion statements and the sunny climes
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of Florida, the noir-ish "Miami Vice" TV series was bleak and dismal, populated
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by scumbag characters and unsavory rock stars on hiatus from vid-studio
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lip-synch sessions. VICE looks good on the ST, although the bright and cheery
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visuals seem at odds with both the bleakness of the TV program and the game's
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drug-drenched plot. This is merely an observation, not a complaint; the graphics
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are just fine. The animation routines are good, too -- if a bit jumpy at times.
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In theory, patience and determination can solve the most difficult game (even
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the incredible NEVERMIND). In reality, MIAMI VICE takes the
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patience/determination maxim and rips it to pieces, making for a game that's
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impossible to play well. The graphics and animation are competent and well-done;
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there are neat onscreen details, the action-packed storyline that drives the
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scenarios is straight from the tube, and the joystick is the right controller.
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So what's the problem here?
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Good question. I simply could not get anywhere with this game; what's more,
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when I did get somewhere, I felt as though I'd used up each and every ounce of
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game-iness that's in me. No one's perfect at the arcade every day, but I booted
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VICE and fumbled through it so many times that I don't think my poor performance
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was the result of ineptitude (although that certainly is a possibility).
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The way to beat a screen is either so obvious that it blew right past me, or so
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clever that it's out of range of whatever it is that inspires me. In other
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words, MIAMI VICE seemed far more difficult than it should have been, especially
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since there are thirty-two levels. In fairness to programmer Richard Leinecker
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and IntraCorp, VICE is a decent game and I won't suggest that you avoid it. A
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playtest, however, is a must.
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MIAMI VICE is published and distributed by IntraCorp.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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