Trap Gunner: Countdown to Oblivion Review

Remember the old Commodore 64 game, Spy vs. Spy? You'd take Mad magazine's pointy-faced guys and run around a level, simultaneously planting traps for each other while trying to assemble enough items to leave the level? Trap Gunner borrows the basic premise of Spy vs. Spy, tosses in a storyline that looks like it was conceived about two hours before the game went gold, and brings it into a top-down polygonal world.

The story goes something like this: You pick a character and set out to blow up the rest of the characters, who have apparently all turned against Gain, the organization you all work for. The story only manifests itself before and after fights, with such riveting lines as "Van cocked his gun and shot him in the head." Thankfully, the poor writing doesn't get in the way or bog the game down in any way.

Once the game has started, you run around the level, planting traps as you go. If you crouch, you can see enemy traps and even disarm them. Most levels have spots where power-ups occasionally appear. Since the computer will make a beeline for the power-ups as soon as they spawn, it's usually a good idea to lay down some bombs or mines around that area.

The graphics are basic, but effective. The polygonal characters look nice, and the levels themselves look fine, as well. The sound effects are about what you'd expect (heavy on the explosions), and the music is a really nice mix of tunes that all fit the atmosphere of the game.

All in all, Trap Gunner faithfully reproduces the fun found in Spy vs. Spy and adds enough twists so it doesn't come off as a complete rip-off. This one is definitely worth checking out.