Spy Games: Elevator Mission

The premise of this strange title from a group of Taito-affiliate developers is a spiritual successor to Elevator Action that didn’t quite make the cut; after developing a slew of DS Taito sequels in the years prior, Spy Games: Elevator Mission got published by shovelware purveyors UFO Interactive.1 However, the outcome is focused from back-to-front thanks to a limited, setpiece-less structure. It’s a rare post-fifth generation first-person shooter in the Metroid Prime / Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D mold: hybrid tank controls with a strafe button, back-turns, and infrared aiming. Turning while moving is smooth, and much like the original Elevator Action, bullets are dodgeable thanks to a relatively slow shot speed. Each hallway forms a small light-gun challenge thanks to random spawns from doors on either side, featuring enemies in the classic standing/crouching positions. Compared to progressing in a 2D plane, where slow bullets still command an uncomfortable amount of real…