Final Combat

Ever since getting my SuperVision a few months ago I've been desperately searching for a killer app. I'm not looking for the greatest game of all time or something that will change my perspective on video gaming, but it would be nice to have something that isn't just a rip-off or a poorly constructed me-too product. After months of searching, I may have just stumbled across the console's killer app. Final Combat is that game that makes me happy to be a SuperVision owner.

While you wouldn't know it from the name, Final Combat is an overhead tank game. You pilot a fast moving tank around a maze-like level trying to kill the enemy tanks and take out their base. It's a deceptively simple game. The challenge comes from the level designs, which often combine wide-open areas and maze areas into the same locations. It's a weird mix, but they'll definitely keep you on your toes as you play through the single-player campaign.

While the gameplay itself isn't all that new or refreshing (even back in 1992 when it was released), the reason this game speaks to me is because there's just nothing else like it right now. Sure there are plenty of overhead action games, but none of them play out like Final Combat. As I played through the single-player campaign I was struck by how new this game felt, it may have an old school sensibility to it (some would probably compare this to some of the tank games released on the Atari 2600), but it never comes off feeling retro.

What's more, this is the only game of its kind on a handheld. I've played my fair share of Game Boy Advance, PSP and Nintendo DS games, and none of them are able to pull out the same emotions I had during this game. This is a fantastic action game that will challenge and entertain, but it's more than that. It's a whole new experience that you probably have never had before. It's this hidden gem that was lost forever on a handheld that nobody owned. This isn't like Fatal Craft, John's Adventure or any of those other games that are just aping the success of another game; this is a brand new action game that works perfectly on the Supervision's limited hardware.

Unfortunately the experience it's flaw-free. Sadly there is no multiplayer option, a mode that is sorely lacking this from title. The game's single-player levels will keep you entertained for awhile, but without some sort of multiplayer mode (or extra mode in general) you're probably going to get bored before too long. Also annoying is the music, which cuts through every sound around you like a knife. I don't care if you're at a Metallica concert, everybody in the audience is going to hear your annoying blips and bloops over the band. Thankfully you can turn the music down, because the audio is so bad that it's almost a game breaker.

Final Combat may not have the look of some of the best games of all time, but this is definitely one title that is at the top of its class. There aren't a lot of games worth owning on the Watara SuperVision, so I'm even more impressed by this rare gem. This is the kind of game that needs to be remade on a current system; more people simply need to play this game.