Yes, I know that's not much of statement given that there are very few console light gun games to make this comparison. But let's not forget how incredible House of the Dead 2 was when it first came out on the Dreamcast; I personally never thought there would be a light gun game better than HOTD2. Of course, Hitmaker, the developers of Confidential Mission, have a policy of proving us all wrong; just when we think there can't be much more done for light gun games, they come out with a phenomenal arcade port of Confidential Mission with a number of delicious extra modes to elongate the replay value and new gameplay mechanics that add a lot of flavor from the usual stale light gun game.
Confidential Mission puts you in the role of two Confidential Mission Force agents - suave Howard Gibson, or sultry Jean Clifford - as they try to recover a satellite operating system stolen from the miscreant Agares Corporation. There's no difference between Howard or Jean in terms of gameplay and since they both work as a team in one player mode, you'll be seeing the action from both perspectives in different sequences. The three missions are of decent length and atypical of most SEGA light gun games; you'll take on a boss at the end of every mission that takes several hundred shots to beat. Basically, if you're a decent shot, you'll definitely be able to beat this game within an hour, especially since you can edit the life options to max out at 8 right from the start. But as short as the game can be, the new gameplay elements, addictive gameplay, and cool production values will keep you coming back for more.
Confidential Mission plays out pretty much like every other SEGA light gun game; in similar style to Virtual Cop, enemies will appear with a cursor around them. While you can shoot them right away, the cursor changes color (from green to red) letting you know when the enemy is about to fire. For more bonus points, you can opt to shoot them repeatedly (up to three times) or go for the "Justice Shot" ¿ shooting their hand to disarm the enemies. I'm not sure if SEGA has something against left-handed people since the "Justice Shot" mechanic only works if you shoot the enemy's right hand, but I digress.
What makes Confidential Mission unique are the special events that will occur in each mission. In these special events, you'll be tested in different light gun skills ¿ accuracy, repeated shooting, etc., - in order to proceed to the next portion of the mission. Depending on the success or failure of your performance, it'll effect the mission by taking your to a different path. For example, in Mission 1, you'll be tested to shoot a hook shot onto a building clock from far away. A successful shot will allow you to take a shortcut through the area while missing the shot takes you to a totally different path. This is just one example, as other events will not only effect what path you take, but make it harder for you to take on enemies, back-tracking a previous path and so on. If you're worried that you don't have the skills to pass these events, that's what the handy Agent Academy mode is for, as it gives you a bunch of different skilled events to practice. The use of different camera angles and visual effects really add to the addictive gameplay that gives Confidential Mission a very fresh feel from the usual tried-n-true light gun games.
Adding to the cool gameplay elements are some very nice graphics. While there's some occasional slowdown and enemies will appear "in" objects, this is one nice looking Dreamcast game. Of special note are the yellow explosive special effects as you shoot enemies and while it's a bit exaggerated, it certainly looks great. Character animation of enemies are great; soldiers will jump to the side, roll, and even slide from different positions to give you a greater challenge when aiming for those "Justice Shots". The boss characters are very fun to watch, whether it's the comical running animation of the Fat Man from Mission 1, to the double-pistol wielding action of the Agares Ringleader in Mission 3.
Naturally, there are a few minor grips I have with Confidential Mission though mostly from a gameplay point of view. Obviously it helps that you have a light gun to play this game; more so than HOTD2, playing Confidential Mission is a serious pain. Unfortunately, if you have the Japanese DC light gun, Confidential Mission will only work with US third party light guns. While the game has more longevity than most light gun games, there's only so much to unlock. There are some questionable issues I have with the collision detection of the game; occasionally, I'll clearly hit the enemy dead center but the hit will not register. Despite these complaints, if Confidential Mission is to be the last Dreamcast light gun game that shouldn't be the main reason why you decide to pick it up. Terrific visuals, excellent gameplay features, and lots of style will have Dreamcast "agents" uncovering the secrets of Confidential Mission and loving every minute of it.
--Anthony Chau, IGNDC