Zzap


Midnight Resistance
By Ocean
Amiga 500

 
Published in Zzap #66

Midnight Resistance

Your grandad may be getting on a bit, but he's not senile - he's actually a famous scientist. This may seem a desirable state of affairs but it has its disadvantages: not many old fogies get kidnapped, especially by a load of megalomaniacs (Ed-types) led by a ruthless Commissar. Yep, they're after your grandpa's superior weapon research to aid their quest for world domination - and for extra security they've napped the rest of your family too.

This is terrible! Whatever will you do without Auntie Mo's home-made loganberry jam, or Uncle Bob's witty after-dinner anecdotes? Something's got to be done, so perhaps it's just as well you're a trigger-happy vigilante with an uncanny resembalnce to Rambo.

Nine multi-directionally scrolling levels stand between you and your folks, each packed with gun-toting baddies and the odd tanks. An athletic type, you can dodge their bullets by jumping and crawling [Sounds like a sychophant to me - Ed]. You can even rotate your fun to shoot guys above, below and behind you. When shot, some enemies leave behind a key. These are used in the end-of-level weapon rooms to buy new guns such as a flamethrower, three-way-fire and a shotgun. You can also buy ammo for these special weapons, and super weapons such as Homing Missiles and Nitro super-explosive which are activated by pressing Shift. If you lose all your lives, any keys or weapons you've collected are dropped. After entering your initials at the bottom of the screen, you can use one of the shared continue-play. The keys and weapons can be picked up then - unless you partner has nabbed them.

Robin

Midnight Resistance

I enjoyed the coin-op when it first appeared, while it wasn't particularly novel there was plenty of variety and action. It's Special FX maintaining high standards with this very playable game.

The graphics are a little washed out, but otherwise very close to the arcade which is packed with novel opponents and situations, with plenty of vertical as well as horizontal scrolling. I particularly like the huge jetfighter which make lethal bombing runs.

Each level is completely differnet from the one before, and learning all the different attack patterns is really good fun. This is highly playable game and shows Special FX are in top form for their upcoming Amiga Robocop II!

Stu

Midnight Resistance

After the top-notch Amiga Shadow Warriors, Ocean slip into even higher gear with this Special FX version of the Data East blast-'em-up. I can honestly say I wasn't that keen on it from preview shots - this type of game is very familiar - but it's immensely good fun to play.

The men move quickly and the rotating fire action works surprisingly well. Add-on weapon are varied and very useful, while dropping them when you die is both novel and fair - watch out for your 'partner' stealing your weapon before you 'continue-play'. All this hardware is only half the fun, the other half is the terrifically varied nine levels.

Crawling down narrow passages, blasting through conveyor belts, strolling in the countryside and invading a battleship are just some of the coming attractions.

Midnight Resistance

The end-of-level baddies are great too, ranging from tanks to massive buzzsaws (!) and a massive head. In short, a first class conversion of a superb coin-op.

Verdict

Presentation 79%
Music/soundtrack choice, five shared continue-plays, excellent two-player mode but no start-up sequence.

Graphics 89%
A bit pale, but very varied and the attention to detail becomes ever more apparent the more you play.

Midnight Resistance

Sound 76%
Choice of a rousing and varied soundtrack or some good FX.

Hookability 90%
Instantly playable, instantly compulsive in either single or double-player mode. A real coin-op feel.

Lastability 89%
Nine levels of dramatically varying gameplay.

Overall 89%
Ocean keep getting better. Excellent coin-op action.