Steve Irwin is tough to ridicule because he's already a parody of himself. That's OK, though, because he seems like a genuinely nice guy with a passion for crocodiles. All that charm comes through in The Crocodile Hunter: Operation Rescue, in which Steve Irwin must break up an "underground crocodile smuggling cartel." This game combines simple platforming with even simpler action, and the result is way more fun than it should be. Operation Rescue's tight design and silly premise make it a very good play. Those who remember Max Trigger will notice a marked similarity in gameplay between Enorbus' two titles, but Operation Rescue succeeds, in part, because of its more interesting material.
In order to thwart the pernicious poachers--using non-lethal means, of course--Steve must travel to the bayous and swamplands of America. Crocodiles are the least of the dangers he faces there. The trappers constantly assail the Australian sensation with tranquilizer darts in the air and bear traps on the ground. Unsurprisingly, it takes a ton of apocynaceae-laced darts to take Irwin down. He is a man on fire in this game, freeing crocs with one hand and tossing gas bombs with the other.
Steve can jump, duck, and perform two attacks. Your standby is the net toss, which will wrap up trappers or open crates, some of which contain medical supplies. You can also toss the aforementioned gas bombs, but these can bounce unpredictably and should be used secondarily. The combat is much more involved than in most mobile actioners, because you'll constantly be ducking darts or leaping over cobras. Dispatching a single poacher is a simple matter. But, as you progress through the game, they'll start traveling in large packs. You'll find yourself in some pretty intense firefights. Again, if you played Max Trigger: Insurgence, you'll find Operation Rescue's gameplay to be quite similar. More-interesting enemies and obstacles improve the experience here, however.
Operation Rescue looks quite good on the LG VX7000, and it animates fluidly. The color palette and backgrounds could have used some additional variety, but the fertile swampland look is probably geographically accurate. Whenever you free a crocodile, it recedes into the background, creating the illusion of depth. Stylistically, the game looks a bit like the Neo Geo's Metal Slug series, which could hardly be called a bad thing. The game's sound probably outshines its visuals. The Operation Rescue theme is genuinely catchy, and it features an ambient, oscillating electro loop. You won't hear Steve yelling "crikey," though, which is a shame. Nevertheless, Steve Irwin's winsome personality goes a long way here. One of his catch phrases appears in a comic book-style font whenever you free a croc.
The Crocodile Hunter: Operation Rescue is a simple concept that is executed well. The game controls responsively and fairly intuitively--an accomplishment on a phone's digital keypad. As Irwin says, "she's a beaut!" Furthermore, if you were disappointed with Max Trigger, this game's more-palatable setting, along with its superior enemy placement and obstacle design, makes it worth a go.
