The Super Spy

The Super Spy[lower-alpha 1] is an early Neo Geo game released by SNK in 1990.[1][2] It is a first-person shooter and beat 'em up game with action RPG elements in which players move through the many floors of an office building shooting terrorists. It is a first-person game where the player character's arms and weapons are visible on screen.[3][4] In 1991, ADK's Crossed Swords had similar gameplay, but with more RPG elements and hack & slash combat instead of shooting and fist-fighting.[5]

The Super Spy
Developer(s)SNK
Publisher(s)SNK
D4 Enterprise
(Virtual Console)
HAMSTER Corporation (PS4/Switch/Xbox One)
Director(s)Eikichi Kawasaki
Producer(s)Kazuhiro Nishida
Designer(s)Akira Goto
Hideki Fujiwara
Takeshi Kimura
Composer(s)Masahiko Hataya
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s)Action role-playing, beat 'em up, first-person shooter
Mode(s)
Arcade systemNeo Geo MVS

Gameplay
Gameplay screenshot.

Movement in the game is done by mainly strafing and only moving forwards or backwards in corridors. Additional moves include ducking, sidestepping and blocking. The player can only progress after all enemies in sight are cleared. Occasionally, the player can move forward into rooms to save hostages or ambush a boss or other enemies. Saving hostages will grant the player healing items, chances to repair or upgrade his weaponry, or random moments of exposition. Eliminating enemies grants the player experience points used to raise a level, granting more power in attacks.[6][7]

Much of the close combat system resembles Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!. The player's attack variety consists of four types. Punching (which can be upgraded with brass knuckles) includes some special moves: Strong punches and stunning right hook punches. Kicking includes knee smashes. The combat knife is sturdier but loses power and gets rusty the more it is used. The pistol has limited ammo and no recharges but can be used to pistol-whip to conserve shots. Finally from certain hostages the player can gain a submachine gun which has a wider range than the pistol. Firearms can also be used to blow up various explosive materials in the background against enemies.

Enemies consist mainly of palette-swapped ski-masked men, ninjas and gunmen who get stronger as the player progresses through the levels. There are occasional sub-bosses including engineers, scientists and strongmen. To finish the game, both bosses in the first mission must be eliminated and all six in the second mission.[8]

Plot

The plot revolves around a C.I.A agent, named Roy Heart,[9] who needs to traverse office buildings, and warehouses to stop a group of terrorists, known as the Zolge King terrorist group, led by a man named King (who bears a slight resemblance to Geese Howard in his business suit from the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters franchises, both also by SNK). The group is responsible for the horrible murders of thousands caused by destroying the subways with bombs. As Mr. Heart, the player hunts through the terrorists' bomb factory for those responsible.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed The Super Spy on their December 15, 1990 issue as being the fifth most-successful table arcade unit of the year, outperforming titles such as Columns and its sequel.[19] RePlay reported The Super Spy to be the seventh most-popular arcade game at the time.[20] The game has been received with an overall mixed reception from critics since its initial release.[21][22]

Notes
  1. Japanese: ザ・スーパー・スパイ Hepburn: Za Sūpā Supai

References
  1. "Oh! Neo Geo Vol. 14 - ザ•スーパー•スパイ". Beep! MegaDrive (in Japanese). No. 49. SoftBank Creative. October 1993. p. 142.
  2. "Neo•Geo CD: The Arcade In A Box - The Super Spy". GamePro. No. Premiere Supplement. IDG. Spring 1996. p. 108.
  3. The Super Spy at AllGame
  4. Super Spy at the Killer List of Videogames
  5. Crossed Swords at AllGame
  6. "VG: ザ・スーパー・スパイ". Beep! MegaDrive (in Japanese). No. 14. SoftBank Creative. November 1990. pp. 130–131.
  7. The Super Spy user's manual (Neo Geo AES, US)
  8. http://www.neo-geo.com/reviews/neo-reviews/super_spy/superspy.html
  9. http://www.mobygames.com/game/neo-geo/super-spy
  10. "ACA NeoGeo: The Super Spy for Nintendo Switch". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. 2019. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  11. Frear, Dave (July 24, 2018). "The Super Spy Review (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  12. Knight, Kyle (1998). "The Super Spy (Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2014-11-16. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  13. Rignall, Julian (November 1990). "Complete Guide to Consoles - The Complete Games Guide - Neo Geo - Super Spy". Computer and Video Games Mean Machines. No. 4. EMAP. pp. 86–88.
  14. "Neo Geo For Real! - Previously Played... - Top Player's Golf". GamePro. No. 30. IDG. January 1992. p. 103. Archived from the original on 2019-01-06. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  15. "Reportaje - Clásicos en CD -- Titulos disponibles para el nuevo formato de SNK: The Super Spy". Hobby Hi-Tech (in Spanish). No. 1. Axel Springer SE. March 1995. p. 29.
  16. Noak, Philipp; Hellert, Stefan (August 1993). "Special - Neo Geo - The Super Spy". Mega Fun (in German). No. 11. CT Computec Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. pp. 28–30. Archived from the original on 2018-10-21. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  17. Yanma; Itabashi (July 1992). "Super Soft 大特集 - 今、『NEO・GEO』がおもしろい！: ザ・スーパースパイ". Micom BASIC Magazine (in Japanese). No. 121. The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation. p. 208.
  18. Boardman, Julian (October 1991). "Reviews - The Super Spy (Neo•Geo)". Raze. No. 12. Newsfield. p. 58.
  19. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 394. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 December 1990. p. 25.
  20. "The Player's Choice - Top Games Now in Operation, Based on Earnings-Opinion Poll of Operators: Best Software". RePlay. Vol. 16 no. 4. RePlay Publishing, Inc. January 1991. p. 4.
  21. Drevet, Cyril; Scamps, Olivier (December 1990). "Stop Info - La Neo-Geo De S.N.K. -- Super Spy". Player One (in French). No. 4. Média Système Édition. pp. 14–16.
  22. "Tests - Néo Géo - Super Spy". Génération 4 (in French). No. 30. Computec Media France. February 1991. p. 73.
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