NARC
Machine: Arcade, and many others
An interesting one, this. This was from the guy who designed the classic Defender and Robotron; just to show that even genius has it's flaws, I've decided that NARC makes the Over-Rated List. NARC was basically an anti-drugs game, released at a time when the United States decided to declare war on narcotics (the Communists weren't really considered major enemies any more, so the USA had to find someone else to pick on).
Basically you controlled some all American meat-head and you wandered down a semi-digitised street (or underground station or borken bridge etc etc) blowing away addicts and dealers with your big guns. It was possible to walk up to the baddies and arrest them, but it was quicker and easier to shoot them. For the time, the game was incredibly gory and violent. You could blast the baddies with your rocket launcher, causing them to explode into little pieces and constituent body parts.
Does this game sound great? Alas, the game just didn't work very well. The controls were awkward and the gameplay was extremely repetetive. Crucially, like Mortal Kombat, the game relied on it's violence too much. How many times can you blow up a crack addict until it gets boring? Was the game supposed to be ironic, a satrical stab at Reaganite America? Who cares; the game sucked. It was no fun to play. Couple all of this with the moralistic "Winners Don't Use Drugs" slogan and you have a very poor version of a dumb 80s Hollywood Action Movie.
Bubbaray 20 Aug '03
If you hate NARC, bin it and try:
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