[{"TitleName":"Last Mission","Publisher":"U.S. Gold Ltd","Author":"Probe Software Ltd","YearOfRelease":"1987","ZxDbId":"0002823","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 44, Sep 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-08-27","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nAssistant Editor: Barnaby Page\r\nStaff Writers: Richard Eddy, Lloyd Mangram, Ian Phillipson, Ben Stone\r\nPhotographers: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson\r\nOffice: Sally Newman\r\nTechnical Editor: Simon N Goodwin\r\nAdventure: Derek Brewster\r\nPBM: Brendon Kavanagh\r\nStrategy: Philippa Irving\r\nLondon: John Minson\r\nContributors: Jon Bates, Robin Candy, Mike Dunn, Franco Frey, Dominic Handy, Nick Roberts, Mark Rothwell, Paul Sumner\r\nEducational Software: Rosetta McLeod\r\n\r\nPRODUCTION\r\n\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nArt Director: Gordon Druce\r\nIllustrator: Oliver Frey\r\nLayout: Tony Lorton, Mark Kendrick\r\nProcess and Planning: Matthew Uffindell, Jonathan Rignall, Nick Orchard\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Nick Wild\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nEditorial and Production: [redacted]\r\n\r\nMail Order and Subscriptions: [redacted]\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nTypesetting by The Tortoise Shell Press, Ludlow\r\n\r\nColour origination by Scan Studios [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group.\r\n\r\nDistributed by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced whole or in part without written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return any written material sent to CRASH unless accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material which may be used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates.\r\n\r\n©1987 Newsfield Limited\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: US Gold\r\nRetail Price: £8.99\r\nAuthor: Data East\r\n\r\nThe only way out of exile and back to your homeland is through dangerous territory where incredibly powerful enemy craft lie in wait.\r\n\r\nBut armed with the most sophisticated weapons systems, guarded by a protective force field, you set out on your death-defying crusade to conquer the enemy starbase which threatens your journey.\r\n\r\nYour ship is equipped with a basic laser gun - but if you strain your eyes and shoot the large floating mass that appears now and again, a small square is visible. Pick it up, and more weapons become available, ranging from pulse waves to K-rings (which give you three times the fire power of the laser).\r\n\r\nThere are also limited smart bombs installed in your ship.\r\n\r\nThe last mission is the ultimate mission - your goal is to destroy all the enemy bases and fighters in each level and return to your beloved homeland where your wife and two kids are waiting in anticipation.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nJoysticks: Kempston, Sinclair\r\nGraphics: good shading effects and well-defined sprites\r\nSound: reasonable tune, dull FX","ReviewerComments":["There are a lot of decent monochrome shoot-'em-ups on the Spectrum, so when a below-average one such as Last Mission comes out it looks particularly bad. There seems little point in producing a game in which even a novice player can just go on shooting non-stop for hours - the only way of dying is of boredom. You can only be grateful that this is the Last Mission; at least we'll have no follow-ups.\r\nPaul Sumner\r\n22%","Last Mission is pleasant enough and may appeal to Shadow Skimmer freaks. There's a reasonable title tune and the usual spot FX, and the graphics are well-defined, with excellent shading. There's also the attraction of different weapons, though you have to collect them first. But there are simply too many games of this genre on the market, and Last Mission doesn't stand out.\r\nNick Roberts\r\n65%","I wasn't very impressed by Last Mission. The graphics are fine, but the backgrounds led to more than one case of chronic whathitme?itis. The game's main flaw, for me, is the speed. The turning speed and the actual flying speed aren't well matched: the plane responds quickly to rotate commands, but actually flies forward too slowly. Indeed. Last Mission is all a bit simple and slow.\r\nMike Dunn\r\n58%"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: An unimpressive shoot-'em-up.","Page":"24","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Paul Sumner","Score":"22","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"65","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Mike Dunn","Score":"58","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"With lasers blazing, can you survive Last Mission?"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"67%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"63%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"45%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"45%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"48%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 22, Oct 1987","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1987-09-10","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nArt Editor: Peter George\r\nActing Production Editor: John Leach\r\nTechnical Editor: Phil South\r\nSoftware Editor: Marcus Berkmann\r\nDesigner: Darrell King\r\nEditorial Assistant: Angela Eager\r\nContributors: Richard Blaine, Audrey & Owen Bishop, Chris Donald, Mike Gerrard, Gwyn Hughes, ZZKJ, Tony Lee, Rick Robson, Peter Shaw, Rachael Smith, Mischa Welsh, Tony Worrall\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Julian Harriott\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nManaging Editor: Kevin Cox\r\nPublisher: Roger Munford\r\nPublishing Director: Stephen England\r\n\r\nPublished by Dennis Publishing Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England.\r\nTypesetters: Carlinpoint [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Sinclair ©1987 Felden Productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Sinclair is a monthly publication."},"MainText":"US Gold\n£8.99\nReviewer: Tony Worrall\n\nHow many times have you been driven from your home galaxy? I make it seven this week alone, and wouldn't you know it, along comes Last Mission, and I'm flung into exile again. My only chance of getting back to my own front door is single-handedly to take on the might of an all-powerful alien invading force, and obliterate the enemy stronghold. Piece of cake really!\n\nNever to do things by halves, I arm myself with what I think is the 'ultimate' in firepower (well it said that on the packet), a jolly terrific new spacecraft thingy containing the most sophisticated weapons systems yet known to man. As long as they all go bang that's alright by me!\n\nSo off I trundle into outer space. Where are those enemy chappies...? Oh, here they come - dozens of little round flying things spitting fire in my direction. Cheek! I give them all a taste of my laser as I spin my ship round. Reminds me of Asteroids with a touch of Xevious, I think, (checking my data banks I see that Probe Software wrote that, too) as I dodge yet another flashing bullet. Thanks goodness the collision detection is not 100% or I'd have been pushing up the daffodils then. I just have time to check out the lie of the land. Ahhhm, pleasant colour scheme and detailed backgrounds. These aliens are artists. Whoops! No more time for sightseeing! I shot a ground object that featured on my radar as containing a new weapon, but it vanished leaving a letter. I scoop it up quickly and - wow - what's this? I now have a nifty four-way cannon. Ace! Several other letters later and my ship is now a fantastic sight. At the touch of a button I can command some well-devastating firepower. All of it only has limited life, but it's good while it lasts! Flying my ship all around the 8-way scrolling landscape I finally come up against a well-hard mothership. Blasting this with a well-aimed laser bolt, white under my protective force- field. I suddenly find myself on the next level of action. A beautiful yellow band black landscape with plenty more aliens to blast. Away we go again!\n\nLast Mission is very addictive - a bit slow, but I must admit very enjoyable, and easy to play right from the start, and the sonics help things along, especially the boppy title tune. If this mission seems familiar, I'm told that it's a 'coin-op classic' and available down your local arcade for 20p. But do yourself a favour and join me on this home entertainment version - you'll find me stuck at the end of level two! I was never a good spaceship pilot anyway!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"8-way shoot 'em up set in space. A slow but very addictive conversion from the Data East coin-op.","Page":"74","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Tony Worrall","Score":"8","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"8/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 66, Sep 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-08-18","Editor":"David Kelly","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: David Kelly\r\nDeputy Editor: Graham Taylor\r\nStaff Writer: Jim Douglas\r\nStaff Writer: Tamara Howard\r\nArt Editor: Gareth Jones\r\nAdventure Help: Gordo Greatbelly\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nHelpline: Andrew Hewson\r\nContributors: Richard Price, Andy Moss, Gary Rook\r\nHardware Correspondent: Rupert Goodwins\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Louise Fanthorpe\r\nDeputy Advertisement Manager: Mike Corr\r\nProduction Assistant: Alison Morton\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Linda Everest\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\nTelephone [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscription Enquiries [redacted]\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Lee Sullivan, Jerry Paris, James MacDonald\r\n\r\nSinclair User\r\nEMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nTypeset by PRS Ltd, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1986 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\nABC 84,699 July-Dec 1986"},"MainText":"Label: US Gold\r\nAuthor: Probe\r\nPrice: £8.99\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nJoystick: various\r\nReviewer: Graham Taylor\r\n\r\nIt's absolutely astonishing how many times the free peoples of the galactic empire have to put all their trust in me to save them.\r\n\r\nIt's pretty mistaken, too, I can tell you. The invading evil hoards had completely wiped out my people half a dozen times before I even figured out what was going on in Last Mission, let alone put up a credible defence.\r\n\r\nLast Mission is actually a pretty good conversion of a classic coin-op gory kill blast. It's fairly conventional but made marginally novel by a wrap-around screen and 360° movement. OK so this is about as original as Asteroids but anyway ...\r\n\r\nThe aim is to conquer an enemy starbase - which looks curiously enough like many other alien starbases, ie kind of like Milton Keynes (industrial and squarish with cycle paths). Both must've had the same architect.\r\n\r\nThe industrial complex is defended by small aliens who fire small, easy-to-miss bullets at you and gigantic aliens which fire awfully fast laser bolts at you.\r\n\r\nTo begin with, as with all the best games, you keep getting wiped out in seconds.\r\n\r\nThe secret to the game is to locate the more sophisticated weapons which start to make your ship more of a match for the alien hoards. Extra weapons are dotted around the area. Bumping into them picks them up, the keyboard selects between them. Should you do really well (or be very very lucky) you could find yourself with multi-directional photon bolts, a defensive force shield and extra lives.\r\n\r\nAt this point the game actually becomes too easy - you can blitz everything with no danger. There is a drawback however - things run out and pretty soon you're back to one pathetic laser going farp, farp.\r\n\r\nLast Mission looks OK, though not astounding and the graphics are quite detailed both in background and sprites. I found it a bit 'cluttered' looking but perhaps that's just me. US Gold has even (gasp) managed to make the ship a distinct colour from the two background ones. Mr Attribute where are you now?\r\n\r\nSound is not bad either - clever stuff in the title page sounds like several (very wobbly) tracks at once - and the blurps and boings in the game are satisfactory.\r\n\r\nLast Mission isn't quite 'just another space shoot-em-up' but it comes near. The 360° playing field works well as a change and I guess the game is about as good a way of saving the world as any other.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Yet another shoot 'em up? Not quite. An excellent coin-op becomes an OK game. The 360° scroll makes it a little different.","Page":"79","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Graham Taylor","Score":"7","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"PROGRAMMERS\r\n\r\nProbe is one of the hottest software development teams around at the moment. So far the team has worked on Arkanoid and Slapfight from Ocean and Enduro Racer for Activision along with Metrocross from US Gold. Probe deals with fifty programmers all over the UK (whose identities are kept largely secret) and is currently working on Trantor, the Last Stormtrooper and Outrun, both for US Gold."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"7/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 72, Oct 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-09-16","Editor":"Tim Metcalfe","TotalPages":164,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"C+VG TEAM\r\n\r\nEditor: Tim Metcalfe\r\nDeputy Editor: Paul Boughton\r\nEditorial Assistant: Lesly Walker\r\nSub-Editor: Seamus St. John\r\nArt Editor: Craig Kennedy\r\nAdventure Writers: Keith Campbell, Steve Donoghue, Matthew Woodley\r\nAmerican Correspondent: Marshall M. Rosenthal\r\nArcades: Clare Edgeley\r\nSoftware Consultant: Tony Takoushi\r\nPublicity: Clive Pembridge\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Garry Williams\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Katherine Lee\r\nAd Production: Debbie Pearson\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\nCover: Glen Fabry\r\n\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nJuly-December 106,571"},"MainText":"MACHINES: C64/Spectrum\r\nSUPPLIER: US Gold\r\nPRICE: £9.99 C64 (tape), £14.99 Spectrum (disk)\r\nVERSION TESTED: Spectrum\r\n\r\nIt may be the last mission, and a classic arcade game, but this game still has some addictive power to it.\r\n\r\nYou've been driven from your home planet and the only way to get back from your exile is to defeat the invading forces that hover and spin across the planet surface. Your ship is equipped with a standard laser attack system but, as the game progresses, you can collect more defences and attack modules from the planet's surface.\r\n\r\nFirst, though, you've got to get a grip on the control of your ship. It moves forward at a constant, fairly slow speed. To change course move the joystick left to right and the nose of the ship turns clockwise or anti-clockwise - just like that other oldie Asteroids. It takes a bit of getting used to because you expect to speed up and slow down when you push or pull the joystick up and down, but the only way you can avoid oncoming enemy craft is to quickly turn the nose of your ship.\r\n\r\nThat's not so easy when you're caught between three of four fighters.\r\n\r\nWhen you hit some of the enemy craft they explode and let off pieces of debris which drift in a straight line. If any of those pieces hit you you'll lose one of your lives. In the latter stages of the game these debris bombs gang up and often protect mother ships which you need to shoot repeatedly to destroy.\r\n\r\nThere are compensations for all this death and despondency - no, really. The planet's surface is studded with strange, flower shaped pods. When you shoot them the casing falls apart and a small square, embossed with a letter of the alphabet, beams out at you. Fly through the square and you add to your weapons or defences.\r\n\r\nWhen you take on a new weapon you lose the benefit of the previous one. For instance, you may have picked up a fast firing, continuous stream laser then hit another square and it changes to a blast gun which sends energy bolts out at the four corners of your ship. That may change to a wall of energy blasts which comes out of your ship's nose and get bigger as you pass through other squares, or a force field bubble which allows you to float through obstructions without damage. There's just so much in the game that's not documented in the instructions!\r\n\r\nOkay, I've told that it's old, bit it's also one kill after another and enough skill techniques to master to keep you going well into the autumn months.\r\n\r\nIt's addictive, compulsive and real lasting appeal stuff. If you liked Uridium then this is the next game for you!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"24,25","Denied":false,"Award":"C+VG Hit","Reviewers":[{"Name":"John Gilbert","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"9/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"The Games Machine Issue 1, Oct 1987","Price":"£1.25","ReleaseDate":"1987-09-17","Editor":"Graeme Kidd","TotalPages":132,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Graeme Kidd\r\nCo-Editor: Gary Penn\r\nContributors: John Minson, Jon Bates, Ciaran Brennan, Martin Coxhead, Mel Croucher, Sue Dando, Simon Goodwin, Martyn Lester, Barnaby Page, Jeremy Spencer, Nik Wild, John Woods\r\nEditorial Assistant: Fran Mable\r\nArt Director: Oliver Frey\r\nProduction: David Western, Gordon Druce, Mark Kendrick, Matthew Uffindell, Jonathan Rignall, Nick Orchard\r\n\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nSales Executive: Andrew Smales\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nMail Order\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nTypeset by the Tortoise Shell Press, Ludlow with colour origination taken care of by Scan Studios [redacted], and printing achieved by the Artisan Press [redacted]. Distribution effected by COMAG, of [redacted].\r\n\r\nQuite simple, really. The Editor's decision is final in all matters relating to competition adjudication and while we offer prizes in good faith, believing them to be available, if something untoward happens (like a game that has been offered as a prize being scrapped) we reserve the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. We'll do our very best to despatch prizes as soon as possible after the published closing date, and promise to publish the names of winners in the magazine. No correspondence can be entered into regarding the competitions (unless we've written to you stating that you have won a prize and it doesn't arrive, in which case drop Fran Mable a line at the PO Box 10 address). Naturally, no-one who has any relationship, no matter how remote, to a person living or dead, who works for Newsfield or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions. Well they can enter, but they stand no chance of winning anything.\r\n\r\nEveryone's gone to a lot of trouble and effort to produce the material that appears in this issue of the magazine, and as the copyright holders, we're going to be very annoyed if we find it turning up elsewhere. Like the SUN says when they get a juicy exclusive, 'Our lawyers are watching'. So don't be tempted...\r\n\r\nWe can't promise to return anything you send us, unless it's accompanied by a suitable postal receptacle and the requisite amount of stamps - and should you provide any unsolicited words or photographs that we use, we'll pay for them at our usual rates. That just about wraps up any letters...\r\n\r\n©1987\r\n\r\nPhotography by Cameron Pound\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey\r\n\r\nNEWSFIELD\r\n\r\nA NEWSFIELD PUBLICATION"},"MainText":"Spectrum 48/128 Cassette: £8.99\r\nCommodore 64 Cassette: £9.99, Diskette: £14.99\r\n\r\nMISSION UNINSPIRING\r\n\r\nWith so many arcade conversions in the pipeline, US Gold have certainly got a busy time ahead of them. But not half as busy as Probe Software, who appear to have ceased publishing games in their own right to concentrate on converting arcade games for other companies - amongst them Sega's Out Run. An original game, Trantor: The Last Stormtrooper, is also being produced by Probe for US Gold's new software label GO!.\r\n\r\nData East's Last Mission is one of Probes more recent arcade conversions, and is a straightforward multi-directional scrolling shoot 'em up in which you fly around killing aliens in between destroying ground installations. Firepower is initially limited to a simple laser, but can be improved by collecting the letters revealed when a ground installation is destroyed. While some letters simply increase firepower, others allow one of a trio of weapons to be selected, and ultimately, upgraded. Extra weaponry is merely temporary however, and firepower reverts to the laser when the supply is exhausted.\r\n\r\nSCANNER\r\n\r\nA grid of four by four boxes at the bottom of the screen acts as a scanner, revealing the number of installations that remain in each sector. A Mothership makes itself known when all the installations have been destroyed, and once that has been killed off a large square alien construction mysteriously appears, suspended in midair. Destroying the eight links which appear to hold it in place changes the scenery and the next level is accessed.\r\n\r\nLast Mission offers nothing significantly new, and isn't particularly exciting to play - but then, the original arcade game isn't up to much either. It isn't overly taxing to get to grips with. but even so the minimal instructions are unhelpful and only explain movement and option keys. Quite simply, an unremarkable addition to the overflowing range of shoot 'em ups.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"In complete contrast to the Commodore 64 version, this is ridiculously easy and tedious as opposed to frustrating. To make matters worse ( or better, depending on how you look at it) there are six lives to play and extra lives are awarded frequently. The scenery shimmers badly as the screen scrolls horizontally which proves quite off-putting.","Page":"73","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"SPECTRUM: patrolling over the blue scrolling landscape, the scanner points out that one sector still contains three ground installations."}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"\"...offers nothing significantly new, and isn't particularly exciting to play...\""},{"Text":"COMMODORE 64\r\n\r\nOverall: 45%\r\n\r\nConsidering what the 64 is capable of, this is the worst of the two versions. Presentation is poor in many ways - too many annoying delays interfere with play, while the keyboard has to be used to activate weapons and smart bombs. This is all very well when using keys to control the ship, but a pain when using a joystick. Last Mission lacks stimulating action, and the bland, undetailed aliens and uninspired backdrops do little to impress."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"55%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]