This has been quite a year for stealth action gamers--who, I must add, have fallen in love with the genre ever since they’ve played Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance on their Xbox consoles--since there are plenty of games in this genre to choose from now.  Adding to the list is a game based on the Mission: Impossible franchise that was revived by two action films starring Tom Cruise.  While that was quite a long time ago, stealth action fans are certainly glad to see M:I Operation Surma for the Xbox.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to please read on, action fans.

For those of you who have forgotten what the Mission Impossible franchise entailed, it revolves around a covert-ops team of specialists working under a secret branch of the National Security Agency called the IMF.  You assume the role of top IMF Agent Ethan Hunt who is called away from his scuba diving vacation (already we’re seeing shades of Splinter Cell) to accept your first mission that is just the start of a major plot that involves renowned scientists and the ultra shadowy international conglomerate SURMA.  It seems that a new technology known as the Ice Worm has been recovered by a certain faction that means to use it for their own evil purposes and the only team that can stop them is Ethan Hunt and his chosen operatives Luthor Stickell, Billy Baird, George Spelvin and Jasmine Curry.

It will be impossible to get through this review without mentioning Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell since the game resembles it in every possible sense.  Ethan Hunt moves like Sam Fisher to the point that they both grab enemies and slam their faces in the retinal scanners the same way.  He can even climb overhead pipes and drop down on an unsuspecting patrol guard.  There’s also a shadow meter that tells how concealed he is in the dark.  So what sets this game apart from Splinter Cell, you might ask?  Well the thing about Mission: Impossible is that the group depends on teamwork and your fellow agents lend a hand in several instances.  Each member has his or her own specialty and it is used wonderfully in the game.

Control-wise, Ethan Hunt moves around his environment rather smoothly and does so with the same precision as Sam Fisher and Solid Snake combined.  It’s also good to see that there are plenty of high-tech gadgets that are easy to use.  Need to hack into a compound’s main computer?  Then just press and hold the action button and Ethan goes straight to work.  Not bad at all, actually.  He also aims his gun the same way Sam Fisher does for more precise shots and this works well in a third-person perspective.

There is both good news and bad news for Operation Surma.  First the good news: the game does stealth-action right and the game does keep you on your toes.  The bad news is that the game seems to have had a path already selected for you and thus feels as though the game is pushing you along rather than allowing you to fully enjoy yourself.  The game could have also benefited by missions that have you assuming the role of other team members in order for you to fully experience what it is like to work as an IMF team.

Visually, the game does not use any Xbox graphical enhancements but it is still not a bad-looking game either way.  The environments, for instance, have nicely detailed backgrounds with enough eye-catching design in both the interior and exterior locations.  There are also great visual effects that look spectacular during the thick of the action.  As for the characters, they’re wonderfully well rendered.  While Ethan Hunt looks nothing like Tom Cruise, Luthor Stickell looks a lot like actor Ving Rhames (who came out in both films).  What really ruins the visual quality, however, is the camera that often responds by showing you awkward angles of walls or other surfaces instead of following the hero.

And speaking of Ving Rhames, his voice is the only familiar one you will hear as well since Mr. Cruise was not available to offer his vocal talents to his own character (funny thing, he neither uses his likeness or his voice in the game version of Minority Report either).  Still even with this, the voice acting is handled very well.  The soundtrack also works well with the game since it adds tension in all the right places as well as giving the game a cinematic feel.  The sound effects, though, could have used an audio boost to match the cool visual effects.

While M:I Operation Surma doesn’t surpass the far superior stealth-action games available at the moment, the game is still fun enough to warrant some attention.  If you are able to dismiss the few things that hold the game back--such as the poor camera angles or the fact that the game is somewhat linear--you will have a good time sneaking into compounds.  If you’re a fan of the genre or enjoy the newly revamped Mission: Impossible franchise then rent this one right away. 

Gameplay: 7.0
Ethan Hunt might have all the right moves and the controls are actually pretty smooth when it comes to moving him around and interacting with the environment, but the rest of the game feels as though you’re being lead by the hand to accomplish each mission the way it was intended to do so.  This makes for a rushed experience, but there are actually moments in the game where you’re given the freedom to handle the enemy anyway you see fit.  Still, with the path already chosen for you, there’s nothing else you can do but go along for the ride.

Graphics: 7.5
Operation Surma’s visuals don’t quite take advantage of the Xbox’s graphical capabilities and that’s quite a shame considering the fact that the game has plenty of detailed environments and dazzling visual effects.  For the most part, though, the character models are rather neatly rendered and Ethan Hunt moves just as naturally as Sam Fisher or Solid Snake.  The environments are nicely detailed as well, with plenty to see even in the most sterile of laboratories.  Yet it’s the special effects, especially those centered around the gadgets like the binoculars.  Yet the game’s visual downfall falls mainly on the camera angles that are just too awful to ignore.

Sound: 8.0
The game’s score is actually pretty decent and the Mission: Impossible theme song is one catchy tune.  You won’t find any cool artist tracks like the movies, but the score does help make this a very cinematic experience.  As for the voice acting, it’s done very well and you’ll even find actor Ving Rhames reprising his role as Luthor.  There are even some great sound effects, but the game could have used detailed effects in the background.

Difficulty: Medium
For a game that basically leads you by the hand in most of the missions, there are many moments in the game when it’s entirely up to you and your ability to sneak around from Point A to Point B without being seen.  The gadgets actually do a good job of helping you out but its up to you to sneak up behind unsuspecting guards.  Thankfully there are plenty of checkpoints you can restart from if you fail to accomplish a task or get yourself killed.

Concept: 8.0
The absence of Tom Cruise’s likeness in this game is felt throughout the game since the two action films inspire the game.  No worries, though, since this Ethan Hunt is far less cocky and can hold his own without trying to look good.  The gadgets are certainly a highlight in this game, as are the many Splinter Cell-type situations you get into to complete the mission.   While we’ve seen stealth action in games of this genre before but it’s done rather nicely in this game.

Overall: 7.8
M:I Operation Surma doesn’t quite reach the same height as Splinter Cell but it follows closely in its footsteps to the point of offering a pretty decent stealth-action game.  While there are a number of cool gizmos and action-packed sequences true to the Mission: Impossible theme, its imperfections will leave gamers just a bit disappointed.  This one is worth the rental so pick this one up if you’re a fan of the genre or enjoy a game that faithfully tries to recreate Splinter Cell’s most addictive qualities.