Day 1 purchase...for everyone.
http://wii.ign.com/articles/869/869335p1.html
April 24, 2008 - We've got infinite respect for developers that just "go for it," and that's exactly what Raw Thrills has done with Target: Terror. Believe us when we tell you it's one of the worst games on Wii technically, has terrible environments, cheesy VO, and some of the sketchiest gameplay out there.
Also believe us when we tell you it kicks ass.
Target: Terror was originally made in 2004, and released in arcades only. The game was obviously developed on the world's smallest budget, but takes itself seriously about as much as the Hot Shots movies did. Using mainly friends and workers on the game, Target: Terror is half modeled work, and half filmed actors thrown into the mix, making this pure entertainment glitch-fest a hark back to the days of Area 51, Maximum Force, Mad Dog Macree, and Lethal Enforcers. We're not here to convince you to buy the game – at $40 Konami obviously had no idea what kind of product they actually have here; that, or they think Wii users are morons – but we are completely serious when we say that we had a blast playing this train wreck of a game. Genius, Raw Thrills, genius.
Let's get the "serious stuff" out of the way quick, as it has little to no place in this review. The game is made up of 10 levels, each about 10-15 minutes long to rip through. You've also got four levels of difficulty, a gore setting for anti-blood pansies, a few mini-games, and two player support. There's no online though, no leaderboards whatsoever, no Wii-specific controls aside from a shake to reload and A or B button to fire, and nothing that really sets this sucker apart from say a $5 Wii Ware game. Aside from the space the video most definitely takes on the disc, we're not sure why it couldn't have just been a download.
It's hilarious though, and we say that hoping that the only people who buy this game do so when it's less than a $10 endeavor; or filthy, filthy rich. All the video clips used as character animations are really basic and low-frame, and even disappear at random times when you shoot. The actors don equipment found in anyone's closet for the majority of "characters," sporting t-shirts, sweat pants, track pants, the occasional hood, shades, and vests. Occasionally you see someone pop up with a ninja mask on, or a friendly character stroll by with a doctor's outfit or bikini on, and there's even one actor who rocks a pretty full set of army fatigues, but that's about it. If you and your friends could go out and film yourselves screwing around with fake guns in your backyard, and then somehow managed to get approved for a videogame budget by snagging the Area 51 engine, that's what this is.
If you aren't convinced yet that this is both the best (and worst) game ever, check out our "Video Review?" below.
The game's atrocious, but when you get this "out there" it really doesn't matter, as it's more of a parlor trick, drinking game, or hilarious spin-off light gun pack for Wii enthusiasts at this point. Still, IR control lags whenever the game drops frames, and that's all the time. The experience runs at around 15-20 frames per second for the majority of it, but whenever camera turns happen or multiple characters get on screen the whole thing chugs to almost a near freeze, and that includes your cursor. Characters instnatly switch between "get hit" animations, and even hang from invisible repel lines throughout the game, even when outside. It's painfully bad, but oh so fun to witness.
On the flipside though, Target: Terror brings the awesome in a lot of ways, as you can collect over-the-top weapons – pistols, shotguns, machine guns, flame throwers, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, freeze guns, shock guns, and more - that decimate foes in terribly animated fashion, and tops it off with a handful of spin-off mini-games. You'll be blasting away at guys one minute, and then next minute be pulled away from the action and placed on a driving range. Fire exploding golf balls down the range, and you'll hit terrorists as they drive by in golf karts. Other examples include a Duck Hunt rip-off where you're blasting at turkeys with bombs strapped to them, a missile command "defend the city" game, and old west quick draw standoff. If the 10 levels alone didn't convince you that Target: Terror is one big joke, the nine mini-games will; we can promise you that.
Closing Comments
If you’re “that guy” – and you already know if you are – you don’t need us to tell you to run out and grab this game instantly. Yes it’s one of the worst games on Wii as far as tech goes, and yeah, there are countless other light gun experiences out there that’ll destroy this one in terms of pure gameplay, but damn if this isn’t fun in its own, seriously crippled way. The game’s hilarious, and even though it was made in 2004, it feels like a throwback to the 1990’s era (intentional or not), and people that grew up playing things like Area 51 will love this game to death. Is it actually a good game? No, not at all, not by a long shot, and especially not at the $40 price tag (is Konami nuts?). In fact, without the humor factor we’d say it plays worse than almost anything on the system. It has its market though, and that market just got done telling you how hilariously awesome this painfully poor game is. It sure as hell won’t score high, but it may end up on our “Best Games of 2008” list just the same. And if Raw Thrills needs more actors for the inevitable sequel, you know where to find me.
To say that Target Terror is an offensively low-budget title with abhorrently insipid gameplay mechanics would be to miss the true heart and soul of the game. Sure, the characters have a circa 1993 photorealistic quality to them, and the level designs look like they were made using a trial version of MS Paint; but what this title has in spades is sheer unrelenting grit. The people at Raw Thrills obviously didn’t presume that they were making a great game, they had the faith and the courage to know that they were making the greatest game. To compare Target Terror to other contemporary titles would be an incredible injustice, because although it lacks many otherwise common features (like a story, for example), it achieves the fundamental purpose of video games: to entertain. The best way to categorize Target Terror would be as a novelty title. As such, gamers will not be glued to the screen, playing it for days trying to reach the end of its compelling story, Target Terror doesn’t need that. Players will find themselves on the couch, drunk with friends, playing for hours just to watch terrorists wince as you shoot them twelve times in the crotch for a 12x combo. Of course $40 is a lot to pay for novelty, but you’'ve got to ask yourself how much you are willing to spend on straight-forward, deliciously violent, fun. In the humble opinion of this reviewer, such thrills are priceless and Target Terror should not be missed.
| Rating | Description |  |
|---|---|---|
| out of 10 | click here for ratings guide | |
| 1.0 | Presentation It’s poor. Sloppy frame rate, 4:3 and 480i display, really basic front end, painfully retro story sequences, and pretty sub-par IR. There’s funny, and then there’s sloppy. This is | |
| 2.5 | Graphics Bad, but also hilarious. As a throwback to older video-capped games, it’s both painful on the eyes, and a blast to look at. Very glitchy though, and the environments are plain. | |
| 4.0 | Sound Cheezy VO and generic music is the flavor of the day. Then again, it was the flavor of the entire 1990 – 2000 decade, so go figure. | |
| 3.5 | Gameplay There are frame issues, IR problems at times, massive slowdown, and poor hit boxes. The experience though is beautifully tongue in cheek, and was still fun despite it all. | |
| 3.0 | Lasting Appeal $40 is about $35 too much, but hell if it isn’t fun in its own way. Nine mini-games, 10 levels, a specific dual wield “justice” mode, and timeless light gun design. | |
| 3.5 | OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average) |
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