The mid-’80s to early-’90s were a particularly interesting period in videogame history. We saw the introduction of the NES, SNES, Genesis, Neo Geo, and Gameboy –some of the most popular and influential consoles in history – - and masterpiece titles such as Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter II, and Outun. These consoles and games have stood up to time’s harsh glare and have come to be considered classics in their genres.
But time and society hasn’t been particularly kind to some of the more jingoistic titles. An entire genre of games that I affectionally call “America sticks it’s rifle-wang deep into forgein nations” were wiped out with the fall of the Cold War: Games such as 1942, Cabal, Commando, Operation Wolf, and the none-too-subtle Rush’N Attack were birthed during a time were if you didn’t speak English and wear a Member’s Only jacket, your ass was a prime candidate for extermination. For freedom, of course! After the fall of the Soviet block and the dawn of glasnost, Cold War fears subsided, and game developers really had to look beyond the latest headlines to churn out titles. Super Joe and his compatriots got the pink slip.
That’s why it’s particularly shocking to learn that Rush’N Attack is making a grand return in a totally new game entited Rush’N Attck: Ex-Patriot. The ’80s-tastic plot goes like this:
At the height of the Cold War, the CIA discovered that the Russians have found a never-before-seen material used to create devastating nuclear missiles so the CIA formed a secret branch called “Harvest” to infiltrate and investigate the Soviet weapons program. The Cold War soon ends without a bang and the operation is discontinued. Decades later, new operative Sergeant Sid Morrow, call sign “Wolf Spider”, is tasked with retrieving an abandoned member of Harvest, re-evaluating the missile threat, and sabotaging it if necessary.
In Rush‘N Attack Ex-Patriot, a clandestine struggle exists between Russia and the United States for military intelligence during the shadows of the Cold War. Through three massive environments of a Siberian prison complex, a bio-weapons laboratory, and a nuclear weapons base players will need to complete a variety of missions and survive encounters with elite Russian soldiers.
Players choose their own gameplay style by moving through each level loud and fast or silent and deadly. As they find themselves almost always outnumbered, players must avoid constant detection from the vigilant guards and the unblinking eyes of security cameras. Armed with a little more than a knife, the players will have to scrounge for weapons and supplies to survive as they are truly behind enemy lines.
The downloadable title (which is coming to XBLA this fall), features three “massive” levels with hidden areas, and both stealth and Rambo-style action. The 2.5D graphics (built on the Unreal Engine) are satisfyingly grimy, and includes a Metal Gear Solid-style radar system in the upper-left corner, which I suspect aids in the game’s stealth elements.
Developed by Vatra and published by Konami, Rush’N Attack: Ex-Patriot looks like it could be the Shadow Complex of 2010, provided that the gameplay is up to snuff.
