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| Title: |
Moon Patrol & Spy Hunter |
| Publisher: |
Bally/Midway |
| Features: |
For GBC or Classic GameBoy
No Link-Up
No Battery/Password |
| Format: |
Arcade |
| Reviewer: |
Jason |
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Introduction
Kids these days have Pokemon, when I was a kid, I had Moon Patrol and Spy Hunter (and a milk crate to stand on
to help me reach the arcade controls.)
These games are what classic arcade gaming is all about. Moon Patrol and Spy Hunter are on my top 20 list of all
time greatest 80's arcade games, and being a connoisseur of 80's arcade games, I was psyched at the release of
this double-pack for the GameBoy.
These two titles may be a little unfamiliar to gamers under the age of 20, but even if you have never even heard
of them, you'll probably love 'em anyway.
Game Play
Moon Patrol is a wonderfully creative little game which has you behind the wheel of a moon buggy, jumping moon
craters and dodging fire from all kinds of enemies on the ground and in the sky. You even have to avoid huge moon
boulders to keep your buggy from exploding into hundreds of pieces (remember the bouncing tires?)
Spy Hunter is an absolute classic with an unmistakable James Bond undertone. This is no ordinary driving game;
your spy mobile is equipped with all the latest high-tech weaponry, and you'll need it, because the villains mean
business, and they play dirty!
Translation, Graphics, Control & Sound
These games are translated almost perfectly from the arcade (I was delighted
by the "Insert Coin" messages which appear in Moon Patrol when your game is
over.)
The programmers obviously paid a lot of attention to detail. The simple graphics of each game make it very easy
to play and decipher on the small screen of the GameBoy.
The game uses the palette of the CGB as well as it can, but it is an authentic port of an old arcade game, and
let's face it, back in those days, we weren't dealing with millions of colors and ray tracing and all that other
stuff you young whippersnapper take for granted! Graphically incredible it is not, but 100% true to the original,
it absolutely is.
In the sound department, once again, this title ports it perfectly. Those catchy little tunes in both games are
here just as you
remember them from the arcades, and the Spy Hunter song appears in it's entirety!
All characters, stages and little details that were in the originals are here, and I know because I tested them
against the original arcade versions myself! Even that pain-in-the-butt limousine with the bladed tires in Spy
Hunter still makes me bang my head on a wall.
The control is also very well done, no major gripes. The only little thing (which really isn't even a problem)
is the lack of buttons for Spy Hunter.
In the arcade, there was a panel of flashing buttons corresponding to the weapons that you picked up. In the GameBoy
version, you will have to use a combination of D-Control and B button to deploy each weapon.
The programmers were considerate enough, however, to put a list of all controls on a splash screen before each
game to remind you. Wasn't that nice?
The fun factor on this one is really going to vary from person to person. With all due respect to our younger gamers,
it may not last too long for those who didn't play it in the arcades when it was originally "a totally rad
game."
For those of us who remember plunking our hard earned quarters into the machines, you'll want to play it over and
over just to "get your money back," so to speak. The nostalgic trip you take with these will have you
coming back for more.
Final Comments
Overall, this is a solid title that was very thoughtfully produced. If you can remember exactly how the song went
in Spy Hunter, then you probably should not be without this. GameBoy comes through again with another pair of perfect
80's remakes. |
