Taito's Operation Wolf was one of the first games of its kind, introducing arcade players to side-scrolling shooter action with an authentic-looking uzi. It was also a smash hit on home consoles and computers and was followed by some excellent (but perhaps not as popular) coin-op sequels before fading into history.
That changes this year, as French publisher Microids has announced that it is bringing Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission to home consoles and VR. Developed by the French studio Virtuallyz Gaming, the game "remains faithful to the original" whilst sporting a "brand new art style." There's a survival mode promised too, as well as a leaderboard for tracking your score against that of other players.
Here's some PR:
In the game campaign, play solo or co-op locally as special agents tasked to fight a criminal organization. In addition to drug and weapon trafficking, the organization lead by the mysterious General Viper seems to have developed a weapon of mass destruction! Following the discovery of several of the group bases, the agents are sent on location to dismantle the consortium, eliminate the weapons and free the hostages from various prisoner camps.
Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission launch this fall in both digital and physical form, with a Day One Edition for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. It will be digital-only on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC. The VR version will arrive on the Meta Quest 2 in 2023.
Comments (3)
Still have the original on my C64 with Lightgun
First lightgun game I every played and loved every minute (when my big brother would let me have a go as it was his computer at the time)
I remember really enjoying the Arcade of Operation Wolf. The Arcade was fun with that mounted gun.
But I have becoming skeptical of the claim, "remains faithful to the original" whilst sporting a "brand new art style." For example, I still enjoy Panzer Dragoon on the Saturn, but it lost something when it was "updated".
I am also skeptical about lightgun games without a CRT. The tech currently use to mimic the lightgun experience on a flat screen is just not as good. This is one area where the older tech give a vastly better experience then what has been common in the near past. No calibration necessary for Duck Hunt on the NES.
I would prefer an Arcade Archives release of Operation Wolf and Operation Thunderbolt.
So many Taito old school arcades begging for a budget re release.
Add New Zealand Story, Rainbow Islands, Chase HQ, SCI to that list
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