If the thought of you, a knife, and a boatload of Russians out to kill sounds like a good time, Konami's Cold War classic, Rush 'n Attack is right for you. Some gamers might remember it as the more politically correct 'Green Beret' title; but regardless of what you call it, this retro title is one fondly remembered for being one of the more difficult side-scrolling action titles of the mid-80s.
Gamers take the role of a soldier sent to a Russian military complex with the task of retrieving four American P.O.W.s before they are executed by a firing squad. The non-stop onslaught of Russian soldiers makes the game a twitchy action-packed thriller; at least by 1985 standards. The standard left-to-right side-scrolling gameplay constantly reveals new areas of each level, and new challenges; including grenade launchers, mines, and the like. Rush 'n Attack places gamers in the kind of situation, with incredibly challenging odds, that even Jack Bauer may not survive.
The familiar whine of the air raid siren greets gamers on the very first level, as a signal to older gamers that Digital Eclipse did not destroy their childhood this time around. The harsh difficulty of the original is intact; without continues and sparsely awarded extra lives. Most gamers will be relieved to find out the game is actually a port of the original 1985 arcade version, and not the sub par NES port. The lone gripe with using the arcade rather than the NES version is the lack of co-op play on the same screen; only offered in the NES version, with the arcade supporting turn-based multi-player. The rest of the differences, including the original four-level design, enemies approaching from both sides of the screen, and appearance of the flamethrower weapon remain from the arcade original.
The game offers both updated and original graphics, with the new and improved look being the default. Gamers looking for the complete nostalgic experience will find the original graphics available under 'Options', but the newer graphics will not hurt anyone's feelings. The new art design is similar to what was done with Double Dragon, but without the big-head goofiness of that title, rather maintaining a more realistic look with both your soldier and the Russian enemies. The crisper graphics blend well with the old-school sound, creating an experience that will give you some warm and fuzzy nostalgic feelings while not hurting your eyes.
