A playthrough of Capcom's 1990 action-platformer for the NES, Code Name: Viper.
Code Name: Viper was one game in the long string of hits that Capcom bombarded gamers with in the late 80s/early 90s. Their output at the time was amazing - they were constantly putting out new titles, and the consistency and quality of their stuff was really only rivaled by Nintendo itself. If you were going to buy a new game, you could confidently grab any box with the distinctive purple frame and be assured you were going to have fun. That's actually how I discovered some of my childhood favorites!
But with so many good games, they can't all be in the spotlight. And like so many others, Code Name: Viper is an excellent game that could never quite elbow its way to the front of the stage. A lot like Destiny of an Emperor. Or Yo! Noid. Or Gun.Smoke. Or Willow. You get the point. It's frickin' sweet.
It's a fair mix of bits taken from Shinobi and Rolling Thunder, and I actually prefer it over either of those. You play as an undercover US agent - a quirky sort guy named "Kenny Smith," who is, in short, a macho action hero with an aversion to wearing pants - as he runs around South America blowing everything up and saving hostages as he chases down a drug lord. It was more than over-the-top enough for little kid me to get a complete kick out of. And I still find it a blast to play now.
You generally have to search for hostages by opening doors and evading gangster bad guys until you find a POW that can give you some charges to blow up the exit to the area so you can escape and continue on. Opening doors will usually give you extra time or some ammo, and most of the levels play on a split field where you can jump freely between the top and bottom halves. It really does feel like a natural combination of Shinobi and Rolling Thunder, but though it is quite difficult, it's much more merciful than its influences ever were.
And since this was a game developed by Capcom themselves, you know that it's going to look and sound great. Yoko Shimomura's soundtrack is predictably fantastic, and the character sprites are huge and well detailed. And that "thank you!" sound is so cool, for whatever reason.
But yeah, Kenny really needs to find pants.
*This is a new video to replace my original playthrough. The first one was uploaded in 2013 and it was only 240p. In almost-2019 that seemed a bit ridiculous, so, here is a newer, better video in its full 60fps glory.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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6 окт 2024
