Elevator Action (Wii)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 2.5 stars OK
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 5.2 (2.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Frank Provo
• Reviewed on: 03/19/2007
• Released on: 03/05/2007
• Originally published on GameSpot: Elevator Action (Wii) Review

While it was groundbreaking for its time and is considered a classic arcade game, Elevator Action has always been one of those games that either hooks you or leaves you confused as to why anyone would waste more than a single quarter to play it. The game had you making your way to the bottom of a skyscraper while shooting and kicking gangsters in black suits. The mature premise and then-innovative gunplay enticed many people to slide a quarter into the arcade cabinet or to purchase a cartridge for play at home. Unfortunately, the honeymoon was short-lived for some players. The act of descending the same building over and over and repeatedly shooting the same bad guys could sap a person's attention span in about five minutes. Now that the NES version of Elevator Action is available for the Wii's Virtual Console, a whole new generation can experience this game that people either love or hate.

In the game, you play the part of a secret agent named Otto. Otto's job is to infiltrate a tall building from the roof and descend its 30 floors looking for documents located behind randomly placed red doors. The game gets its name from the many elevators you have to ride on as you make your way down to the ground floor. As you move from floor to floor, mobsters in black suits will appear out of ordinary doors and try to shoot you. You can duck under or jump over their shots, but the best way to deal with the bad guys is to shoot back or hit them in the face with Otto's feet as you jump toward them. You'll also quickly discover that you can crush the bad guys by luring them underneath elevators or shooting the light fixtures above their heads.

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