Previous Next

Sounding more like a crisis in the National Health Service than a bid to rid the world of an evil tyrant, Surgical Strike follows on the heels of Midnight Raiders to bring 'interactive' entertainment to the Mega-CD.

In a bid to bring the major powers to their knees, evil tyrant Nasso Zitar is threatening to fire his arsenal of nicked thermonuclear missiles on the major captitals of the globe. As the star of the movie, the player has the vital task of commanding a squadron of STRIKE hovercraft into the heart of his operations. Will his evil plans succeed? Can you take out the missiles before they launch? Is it Military Prison for failure? Only you can decide...

To assist you in identifying targets, the tactical systems highlight potential threats before they present a risk to the hovercraft squadron. On approaching an enemy target, the on-screen display flashes a yellow sight on the danger area, which once covered by the green weapons system crosshair, flashes red cueing the launch window to release your choice of weapon.

Obviously being the pinnacle of military technology, the Surgical Strike hovercraft are preprogrammed with the map co-ordinates of every level. However, the pilot still has the choice of direction when faced with an intersection in the roadway or tunnel, at this point deciding whether to take a left, right, or double back on themselves.

The movie thang has definitely lost all its novelty now, and what we're looking for is some kind of gameplay to make them worthwhile. With more choice than most, Surgical Strike has that, to a point.

But I don't think people who think of buying it are new to the Mega-CD software scene. They'll probably have several of these movie games already, and I can't really see the appeal of another clone.

There's no question Surgical Strike is the best of the bunch when it comes to interactive movie games. The action whizzes past at an intense rate, cinematics cutting in to enhance the visuals, and you've got to be quick on the trigger finger if you don't want to take too many hits.

The FMV is, of course, a bit on the grainy side, but this is far less than seen in previous titles, and thanks to the fast pace, you don't dwell on the graphics for too long. In the sound department, be prepared for some funky audio effects, especially the eerie music on the title screen. The Mega-CD was never going to be interactive 'wonder machine', but you could do worse than pick up a copy of Surgical Strike.

Graphics 72%
Fast and furious battle sequences. Shame about the FMV.

Animation 71%
No real animation to talk about.

Music 80%
Surprisingly cool music, best played through headphones.

Effects 74%
Very chunky explosions and top screaming from the cowardly enemies.

Playability 86%
High octane blasting, but repetitive using the same mission objectives.

Lastability 74%
Quite a laugh up to a point, but all visuals and no gameplay.

Overall 72%
The best of the 'interactive' Mega-CD range to date, but nothing really to write home about.