Visually the series did not get the typical Xbox treatment here, these are true direct ports of the actual machines. The idea to keep it “old school” was novel, but a technical boost in the effects department would have been nice to see. The graphics do get better, obviously, from the original to the third installment, but the leap isn’t mind-blowing. The character models are blocky; low detailed and well, could have been done on a lesser system with ease. The explosions are flared pixels that never really make you go WOW! Everything from the models, environments, and menu screens, are done simply, if not more like 1999. What the game does capture is the feeling of sitting behind a wall or obstacle and picking off foes one by one.

Audio has the campy B movie/Resident Evil quality to it. The game tries to tell a serious story, but the laughable voice acting makes you quickly realize it’s only a game. Other sound effects are done adequately and are straight sound bites from the original arcade machines. A midi rock score attempts to get the old blood pumping, but lets face it, I’d rather hear just the sweet silence until I hear the grunt of my fallen foe.

The presentation of the sniper rifle is the real draw and makes you forget about the so-so visuals, and passable audio. Silent Scope Complete uses the scope technology to really put you in the game. You peer over a piece of scenery, but the enemies are usually too far in the distance to get a good shot at. Once you bring your target marker over your enemy and center your scope with the left trigger, you get a closer visual of your foe and it’s up to you to shoot as accurately and quickly as possible. The transition without the gun was done quite well, and the analog stick can be adjusted to move as slow or as quick as you like. You are awarded points for accuracy, and like most arcade games, achieving the highest score is the goal. It’s as simple as that. The action holds your hand in the early levels, bringing out a couple of enemies at a time, and then later unleashing a horde of foes. To say the least, the action can become very frantic and that’s when the fun begins. The use of the Pelican gun is meant to really bring the arcade experience home, but unfortunately the $50 rifle was not at this reviewer’s disposal to determine if the extra cash was worth it. The idea, make, and design of the rifle sure seems like it would do the trick, and it would be the closest thing to true arcade at home experience. Without it, you still have plenty of game to indulge into for the mere forty-dollar price tag.

What you do get is the original arcade classic, Silent Scope 2, Silent Scope 3, which can be still seen in a few arcade digs, and Silent Scope EX. The latter being the best looking of course. If you total all 4 games together you get over 50 missions worth of sniping goodness. Throw in some fun training missions and unlockables, and fans of the series will be professional hit men in no time. The lasting appeal really all depends on how much you got out of the old arcade machines. Just don’t expect 100 hours of game play here, unless you are just a die-hard Silent Scope veteran.