Vice: Project Doom

Released for the NES in 1991, Vice: Project Doom is one of those games that feels far more ambitious than its cartridge-era reputation suggests. Developed by Aicom and published by Sammy, it combines several different styles of gameplay into one strange but surprisingly cohesive sci-fi action adventure.

You play as Quinn Hart, a member of the VICE police unit investigating a mysterious neon-green substance known as “gel.” What initially looks like an illegal drug operation soon turns into something much bigger involving BEDA Corporation, aliens, clones, and a conspiracy that has been developing for centuries. The story is delivered through frequent cinematic sequences, giving the game a strong late-NES action-movie atmosphere.

Most of the game plays like a fast side-scrolling action platformer. Hart can jump, duck, climb, and attack enemies with his katana-like whip. He can also use a .44 Magnum and grenades, although ammunition for these weapons is limited. The controls are straightforward, but the stages can become quite challenging as enemies and hazards begin appearing from every direction.

What really makes Vice: Project Doom stand out is the variety. Some stages turn into high-speed driving sequences, while others become shooting-gallery sections where you aim a cursor at enemies and objects. There are 11 stages in total, with the different gameplay styles woven into the larger story rather than simply feeling like unrelated mini-games.

With its dramatic cutscenes, excellent soundtrack, unusual story, and mixture of platforming, driving, and shooting, Vice: Project Doom is one of the NES's most overlooked action games. It may borrow ideas from games like Ninja Gaiden and Spy Hunter, but it combines them in a way that gives the game a personality of its own.