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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