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Website
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(c) 2000 James Burrows
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At the risk of being keel-hauled I would have
to say that the 64 version of Stop
the Express isn't
quite as good as the old Spectrum version, for
one or two reasons. The hero isn't as detailed
a graphic and in the gameplay I cannot understand
why the overhead stanchions don't have to be ducked,
because this added another skill element. On the
plus side, the sound is far better of course.
There are some very nice touches like when you
get knocked off the train by a baddy, you fall
to the rails and sit there, stunned, while those
carriages you have already negotiated flash past
you. This is a game of timing skill, as the events
are not random from game to game, so you must
learn the rhythm, improving each time you play.
By the end, it requires a pretty good memory to
win out! Generally fun to play and quite addictive
as well.
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| Welcome
to Game of the Week! Each week there will be a
new featured game on this page. The game may be good,
average or diabolically bad, it really doesn't matter!
Just look at the pics, read the text and enjoy the nostalgia!
:-) Game of the Week! is open to contributions so if you
would like to contribute
a game article for this page you're more than welcome
to! Every article we receive will be considered! |
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Stop
the Express
1984 Commodore
Business Machines
Programmed
by Itasan
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| Most
text of the present article comes from the review published
in the fourth issue of the British C64 magazine ZZAP!64
(August 1985). |
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STOP
THE EXPRESS
Commodore,
£5.99 cass, joystick or keys
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Stop the Express was a much underrated game on
the Spectrum about a year and a half ago, and now it's
available for the 64 with slightly improved graphics
and sound. For those who haven't seen it, Stop the
Express puts you in a typical James Bond style scenario.
You
have to work your way to the front of a twenty-carriage
train which is speeding along. The object is to reach
the front and stop the train before it crosses the border.
Up against you are Red agents who, as Red agents usually
do, want to stop you stopping the express. The first
ten carriages are negotiated by running along their
roofs, jumping the gaps while ducking their bullets.
The last ten have to be negotiated by running through
the compartments inside the train itself. Here too,
of course, red-coloured baddies track you and try to
stop you from reaching the front of the train, and towards
the front of the train is certainly swarming with them.
Just
landed on the carriage, and already a
Red Agent is chasing up behind you.
The
game starts when you are dropped off on the last carriage,
lowered on a rope from a helicopter. As you work your
way along the top of the first ten carriages, the evil
agents follow up and throw knives. These can be dodged
by ducking at the right moment. To help you fend off
their filthy foreign aggressive ways (now this is a
real strange bit), birds fly towards you from the front
of the train and by jumping at the right moment you
can catch them, hold onto them and then release them
at the agents to send them tumbling from the roof. You
can only catch one bird at a time, so it's advisable
to make the best use of them and avoid wasting any.
When
you reach the tenth carriage, the action cuts to the
inside and a similar routine is adopted, except this
time you have to use the roof straps to hang on to avoid
knives, and in close combat a kick replaces the friendly
birds.
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This was a big favourite of mine when it first
appeared on the Spectrum over a year ago and I
was somewhat
disappointed to see that the game hadn't been
improved upon in any way other than better sound
FX and a better definition on the enemy agents.
The shocking yellow hair of your agent had gone
-- it's been replaced by a rather flaccid blue
rinse style. The scrolling was surprisingly jerky
and in fact the Spectrum version was smoother.
I was also peeved that you could stand up going
under the stanchions, something that certainly
didn't feature in the original. This made the
game that bit easier and even more disappointing,
but due to the overall compulsive nature of it
I still found myself enjoying this version as
much as the original.
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Presentation 64%
Above average packaging, but lacking in options.
Graphics
73%
Nicely detailed, but not so nicely
animated or coloured.
Sound
54%
Not too much in the way of sound
FX but what there is, is effective.
Hookability
86%
Frustrating and challenging enough
to be addictive.
Lastability
59%
Once you've done it, it'll probably
stay done.
Value
For Money 78%
Worth shelling out an ill octopus
for.
Overall
66%
By no means outstanding but certainly
a good little game for the price.
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Htmlized
by Dimitris
Kiminas (9 May 2002)
Other
"Games of the Week!"
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