Customer Reviews

Death to Spies

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I'm not a huge fan of these spy games to begin with but I am a history major and the Eastern Front of WWII is my forte, so that's the real reason I decided to try out this game. Well, in the historical sense this game isn't exactly accurate. SMERSH was a counter-intelligence service, not an intelligence service. They operated in their army's own rear, not in the rear of the enemy. Those who operated behind enemy lines were recon forces, partisans, and others, but not SMERSH.

So, with that out of the way, I can honestly say that I like the game. I like the choice of weapons, the missions are interesting, and the AI isn't stupid. The graphics aren't great and it's at times hard to be accurate when using the weapons, but, we're talking about WWII, so that's forgivable.

Obviously few people will share the same opinions so if you liked third person 'action' games in the sense of 'splinter cell' then you will probably enjoy this game as well. Sneaking around, assassinating people, dumping bodies, stealing documents, using chloroform and knives, and so on and so forth. The game has it all in abundance.

Death to Spies is a FPS/RPG where the player assumes the role of a Soviet scout in 1943-5. Some of the early missions are more military-oriented, e.g. in support of Operation Bagration, while later missions tend to be more spy-oriented. The designers certainly got the Red Army uniforms correct. Overall, the quality of the graphics are decent and the game has some unusual items that are not standard in WW2 games, but it is just not very much fun or instructive. The emphasis here is on stealth and sneaking around to accomplish objectives which are often quite nebulous (several times I had to ask, what am I supposed to be doing here?).

The main character is usually equipped with a sub-machinegun, a pistol and sometimes a sniper rifle, along with a "bottomless" back pack that can carry everything but the proverbial kitchen sink. The A/I Germans you are up against are fairly dense, but if they spot you, their aim is quite good. In most firefights, the main character is usually killed off quickly - the emphasis here is not getting spotted. As it turns out, being sneaky may be realistic, but it makes for a long, dull game of crawling and hiding. The game has some unique features, like using chloroform to knock out guards, lock-picking and hiding bodies in wells, but otherwise the basic training section seems to consist of endless ladder climbing drills. Levels are very difficult to compete and you won't get much help. Frankly, this is the kind of game that you play a couple times and never look at again.

This title follows in the strong tradition of: "Move silent and carry a big container of Chloroform."

The game's main character is Semion, a Captain in the 4th Department of the Soviet Counterintelligence Service called SMERSH. And little did we know that SMERSH is an abbreviation from Russian which means `Death to Spies'. Good lord.

So, is this another game based on reality or something obscure from history? Apparently, all the missions in the game are based on documentary essays of people connected with the counterintelligence service of that time period. But this is a video game on a PC platform, so the realism only goes so far, regardless of the intricate storyline that the game tries pretty hard to sell you on.

Semion, as we are told, is a professional spy trained to execute dangerous operations on his own. During missions he will have to eliminate different enemy officers or high-ranking officials, kidnap and sabotage, blah blah blah - and all the other usual non-sense that comes along with your purchase into the world of deep-cover KGB.

If you enjoy covert op games in a third-person view, this game will feel much like Splinter Cell, but without all the latest gadgets. This First-Person Shooter is set during WWII where night vision was not a reality yet.

Though the tools at hand are primitive, they are effective, lock picking becomes your best-friend and dressing up in another man's clothes almost becomes an obsession, but don't worry too much about body lice or bad odors.

But as I read: "Your choke cord and chloroform will be your best friends." I slowly began to realize different. In my experience, my best and only friend was 'Quick Save.' I started to feel like Nicholas Cage in the movie `Next', where he would see his death seconds before and then moments later avoid it.

In Death to Spies, which is NOT a hearkened call by Gerard Butler from `300', you actually die, but beautifully respawn to make the appropriate adjustment. The difficulty level of Death to Spies is quite high because it's realistic; the game plays fair, although you will always be against a heavily armed and superior force in terms of numbers. And not willing to run through the entire mission again, and equally unwilling to review an entire game based only on the experiences gained in the first level, I did what every desperate gamer does at least once: I Googled up the cheat codes and opened the remaining levels. So sue me; I'm a spy, so your lawyer probably isn't going to be able to find me!

So, here are the core codes you'll need. And this game is so incredibly hard that they should've printed these on the packaging:

Cheat "silence" - Enables silent movement
Cheat "camouflage" - Appear disguised from the enemy
Cheat "invisible" - Guards can't see you
Cheat "disable ai" - Disables AI
setv cl_superman 1 - God Mode
setv c_noammo 1 - Infinite ammo
OpenLevels - Access all levels
PL_SavePos - Save your game
PL_RestorePos - Load your game

As I worked through the levels (and yes, at some point 'worked' became the appropriate verb), I found that the most useful skills to learn were:

1) how to get a guard separated from a group,
2) how to get behind him to stun, chloroform, or choke him in order to swap clothes with him, and
3) how to avoid officers. In Death to Spies it is critically important.
4) Cheat Code: Cheat "silence" and OpenLevels.


Overall I would recommend this title for those that enjoy playing this style of game. It was nicely done and seemed very realistic. Russians rarely do anything small. Russian novels are rarely under 600 pages, Russian Poetry goes on for days at a time and Russian architecture is usually painfully grandiose and redundant, much like this game.

Death to Spies will probably become a cult classic amongst games if it gets played by enough people for the simple fact that it is so incredibly difficult to get through that bragging rights should be established for those that can get through the game:

1) With Cheat Codes
2) Without Cheat Codes
3) Length of time stuck to your computer playing this.

People will talk about this game in years to come when they're adults and use this as a standard for separating true gamers from the uber-obsessive halo-kiddies. So far, no other plans have been made to put it on any other console, so it's dream of becoming really big may be thwarted yet.

But remember, this game is far from fun ... it's frustrating, difficult and incredibly complex ... Well done!

I can see how this might be an enjoyable game; however, my review is not about someone else's perceptions. I'm not a first person shooter (FPS) aficionado, so that may color my view of the game. The setting is Russian secret service versus German troops in World War II.

It took about 20 minutes to install, no glitches or problems noticed, a bit long, but then again I spent more time installing WoW so I cannot complain too much. The task of configuring the mouse to a barely acceptable range was non-trivial, even after dropping video options to the bare minimum I still had a noticeable lag time between mouse movement and screen update (my system is within suggested range for the game). That lag in mouse activity was an annoyance during config and startup, but it turned into a major drag when actually in a scenario. I have played a little with FPS games like Rainbow Six and 1942, and this is the first I have run into this type of problem.

Now, if you can get things configured properly, the visual aspects of the game are up to par, and after a few runs through the training scenario you should have a decent feel for the controls (I'd still keep a reference sheet handy for the first few runs). The play is not all that complex (at least on Easy) and the map view if very helpful when sneaking up on opponents. I cannot comment on the replay value as the control issue kept me from playing through more than the first few scenarios.

Bottom line, this game was not my cup of tea.
P-)

Death to Spies, did you catch that last word? Spies? This is not a game about running pell mell through streets and fields, mowing down hundreds of enemies with every type of weapon known to man. It is a more subtle game, where patience, timing, and being invisible are desired traits. There is a training mode to get you started and let you get your feet wet. After that, you have missions, much like in the Metal of Honor series, where you must complete tasks before the level ends and you can move on.

My complaints: It is too linear, it would have been fun to be able to ramble around a bit and not be penalized by being "caught" just because you don't complete tasks in a particular order. There is usually more than one way to skin a cat, but apparently not in this game. When you do get an opportunity to pull out the firepower, good luck. Mouse control is jerky, slow and awkward. You can make adjustments on the mouse speed, but it is never a fluid movement.

Now for what I liked: I liked the laid-back attitude of the game. It required that you take a few moments planning your next move, then even more time executing it. For those who enjoy shooting everything that moves, you will be sadly disappointed with this game. If you enjoy solving problems, figuring out what to do next, and sneaking around without being seen (i think they call that spying, then you will probably have some fun with this game. I have to say, the more I play, the better I like it. It has no "WOW" factor, it just kind of sneaks up on you.

All-in-all, this is an okay game, but Atari can do, and has done better.

I have to admit: when I first got this game, I was skeptical about whether I'd like it or not. I'm not into the WWII/ military genre; I don't like shooters; and the most experience I ever had playing a stealth game was Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness (which means barely at all). It didn't help matters any that I found the training level of Death to Spies exhausting, or that my initial impression of the 1st level was one of being overwhelmed.

But the strangest thing happened-- it began to grow on me. And the longer I played, the more I understood why: Death to Spies is definitely one of the most intriguing games I have ever played.

For one, being of the stealth genre, it's not your typical shoot 'em up where all you have to do is develop quick reflexes and twitchiness. It's very cerebral, in that you have to rely a lot on strategy, powers of observation, patience, logic, and a sense of timing in order to complete the number of tasks given to you each level. In many ways, it plays out more as a game of logic and timing, if anything else. There's some action in Death to Spies, but on the whole the majority of your time will be spent either observing other characters or planning your next move.

Another reason why this game grew on me was its immersiveness. From the more down to earth graphics to the occasional sounds of radio broadcasts that play from the rooms of NPCs, there's a subtlety to the look, feel, and sound of it all that makes you really feel as if you're in whatever environment you're playing in, whether it be inside a prison camp or inside a lavish hotel.

If there's any quibble to this game it's that it's well designed to a fault. Some reviews have given points to this game for its realistic approach to the stealth genre. This is both its strength and weakness. On one hand, you'll marvel at the level of realism in which you have to make the main character carry out his tasks without resorting to a Rambo-style slaughter. (For example, you can't indiscriminately kill guards who are within walking distance of each other, because their bodies will eventually be discovered by their colleagues, which will then alert everyone to your presence.)

On the other hand, you might find your patience strained at times from the realism, because you have to spend so much of your time either walking past enemies from place to place (when you'd rather be running), or crouching for several minutes at a time waiting to leap into action.

More laid back gamers might enjoy this type of gameplay because there isn't the anxiety you would have in a shooter where there are enemies coming at you every which way. The twitchy gamer, on the other hand, might find the more slow-paced style of gameplay frustrating and even laborious.

Fault aside, I think Death to Spies is a pretty good game, especially for people who are more into puzzle and logical gameplay than action or just want a change of pace from it all. If you're more into shooting, running, driving, flying, and zipping your way through a game, however, I'd pass; there's far too little of that in Death to Spies to make it enjoyable for the more action-oriented gamer.

Where to start with this game. Death to Spies could have been a good game, but it fails in every area except for the original idea.

Your character is assigned to counter intelligence missions within the Soviet Union during WW II. You're tasked to assassinate or kidnap German agents and generals, steal or photograph blueprints and plans and other counter intelligence related missions. Unfortunately, the idea for this game is about the only good part of it.

The installation process is quite easy and straight forward in my opinion. It states that the game is compatible with Windows XP, but it did not run very well at all on my machine and it has more RAM and a better video card than the recommended system specs.

Once you get the game installed, it all goes downhill. The training mission is outright ripped off from another Atari game for the PS2. Getting your character pointed in the right direction and moving properly is a chore and I've got an optical mouse that has no problems with other games. Once you complete the simple tasks of running over boards and climbing a latter, you get to learn weapons. You're stuck in a third person mode and aiming is a disaster. Even with a good mouse and turning down the sensitivity in the game options the aiming reticle jumps all around the screen. I finally gave up on the training mission and went into the first mission of the campaign. This is where the problems with aiming are at their worst. No matter what I did to aim at certain soldiers I wanted to kill in order to steal their uniform, I never could hit them for some unknown reason. Also the graphics were VERY clunky. Instead of simply taking steps, the enemies would basically "glide" all over the screen and were suddenly on top of me. But then they didn't stand there and shoot at me, they glided on past only to somehow locate me again and shoot from behind after looking for me for a couple minutes even though I was right out there in the open. Nothing could fix this game, even after I turned down the graphics to their lowest setting. At that point I quit. I simply could not stand this game any longer.

Stay FAR away from this game. It's a glitchy, horrible mess.

Here is the game that those who like "spy" type games should go for! Its a WWII game that has real cool graphics and the controls are easy to learn (command).

What I didn't like was how long it took to install (I have a speedy computer not even a year old) and then to set everything up with your character (level of use, etc.). Note this is a one time thing, not each time you go to play the game.


But once you have all that set (put aside time to do all this) you're set to go and it's a very cool game that gets you in the mood as if you're out "in the field."

I really wanted to like this game. Essentially, it's a military/spy variant on the classic "Thief," the anti-first-person-shooter. In a sense, you want to kill as few people as possible to succeed. I like the concept, which is more challenging than shooting a huge gun at everything that moves. The location is unconventional (USSR 1951), and some of the graphics are great. And unlike Quake and the like, once you get shot, you're dead. So you have to try hard to not get shot!

But in other respects this game is a throwback to 1997. The user interface is awkward and nonintuitive at best. Gameplay is strangely linear. If you don't "solve" a level in just the right way, the guards will find a body and you're dead. The forced linearity of the levels is a far cry (pun intended) from the more open-ended mission approaches of "Far Cry," a much more advanced, smooth and intuitive game. And the sound is truly atrocious. There is precious little of it, and it is ill-used in a game of stealth. Sadly, gameplay proceeds along the familar refrain of save a lot, go back a lot, and try again to guess what the developer wanted you to do. And many of the graphics are rudimentary at best. This hardly seems like a game that needed to be packaged on a DVD-ROM.

I wanted to like this game a lot more than I did. But it has the feel of something that Atari left on the shelf for a few years and decided to push out the door before Christmas.

If your machine can run it smoothly and you have the patience for a fairly frustrating 3rd person stealth shooter w/ strong espionage WWII overtones then this might be a good choice. I found it to be most appealing in its overall ambiance effective background sounds and music make it a mildly immersive experience, but the missions which ramp up in difficulty very quickly can border on hair pulling difficulty because the game lets you roam and get off task very easily. That coupled with controls that feel a little convoluted compared to your average console stealth run through and you have a game that is for a specific few. Those who find Russia's DTS program and its ties to the war will find alot in the details to enjoy as the weapons and missions are interesting and varied enough but this is for the diehard PC gamer as you will be restarting missions alot. My machine ran this game okay and graphics looked OK but check your specs as I had alot of choppiness and sound clipping overall making this title not much fun to muddle through in the end.