27 years later, I wish Tom Cruise would embrace Mission: Impossible games
Outside of games, my love for cinema knows no bounds. From Jim Jarmusch indies to Michael Mann epics, I devour it all. I also crave big, unapologetically outlandish blockbuster thrills. Few deliver better than the Mission: Impossible movies, and I’ll gladly pay to watch Tom Cruise hurl himself into danger for the glory of filmmaking. So why does the series squander its gaming potential? With its Nintendo 64 debut now 27 years old, it’s time to reflect.
The Nintendo 64’s library stands among the heaviest hitters in gaming history. Sure, the PlayStation 2 gives it a run for its money, but with Super Mario 64 and GoldenEye 007, N64 owners ruled the 1990s. Into that roster came Mission: Impossible in July 1998. Based on Brian De Palma’s 1996 movie rather than the original TV show, Ethan Hunt and his IMF squad race to recover the NOC list from dangerous hands.
Holding the names of every undercover spy in the field, the NOC list forces Hunt to go rogue in true MI fashion. Many compare it to GoldenEye 007, but I find that unfair. Rare’s stunning FPS game excels at what it does, yet Infogrames aimed for something different. In May 1996, Mission: Impossible topped Nintendo’s list of upcoming titles for the platform, though it wouldn’t launch for almost two more years. Without knowing the N64’s limitations, the studio set out to craft something special for the genre.
The Russian Embassy level experiments with open objectives, using a Hitman-style approach to encourage exploration and problem-solving. Gadgets like the face scanner push you to get inventive, while other objectives require talking to NPCs to gather intel on your surroundings. All the while, an enemy assassin lurks somewhere in the level. The execution isn’t flawless, but the illusion of freedom impresses. Sadly, the rest of the game rarely takes advantage of this approach.
Infogrames’ ambition triggered multiple delays. In 1997, IGN reported that a launch date change was crucial to deliver the game’s “unusually intelligent gameplay.” Oddly, Tom Cruise neither voiced nor lent his likeness to the game. The Collateral star remains tight-lipped about it even now, with some reports claiming his contracts forbid merchandise from using his face.
Does Cruise dislike gaming? Not at all. On the set of the first Mission: Impossible, former Bungie employee Matt Soell recalls Cruise phoning the studio for help because he was stuck in Marathon. Yes, the man who dangles from planes for fun once found himself stumped by Bungie’s 1994 shooter. Nearly 30 years later, only four games based on the series exist. So what’s the deal?
The run from Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol to Mission: Impossible Fallout is a generational high. I adore Dead Reckoning and this year’s Final Reckoning. All of them are ripe for game adaptations, or at least standalone titles inspired by them. In the same 30 years, the world’s most famous spy, James Bond, has dominated movie tie-ins. Activision may have sunk the brand with 007 Legends, but the outcry for a new Bond game never faded. I thank the gaming gods nightly that 007: First Light exists, and I can’t wait to play it.
After dominating the movie industry since the 1980s, Cruise could make gaming his next great chapter. More prestige-level actors are entering the medium, such as Keanu Reeves in Cyberpunk 2077 and Charlie Cox in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Like Reeves’ John Wick, Cruise embodies focus and sheer will. If he partnered with studios and applied the same boundary-pushing dedication he brings to film, the results could be extraordinary.
Bond’s next outing is coming to PS5 and Xbox, as well as handheld PCs and the Nintendo Switch 2. It still feels surreal to know that First Light will be coming with me on my travels on Nintendo’s console. Ethan Hunt doing death-defying acts of carnage on the move? I can only imagine.
Movie games are an art form, I believe. Some of them can be life-changing. Treyarch’s Spider-Man 2 warped my childhood brain in the best way possible. Quantum of Solace’s multiplayer consumed me for hours. Wanted: Weapons of Fate had me curling bullets endlessly. Of course, there are plenty of stinkers in this niche genre, but there are equally as many gems.
I wish Mission: Impossible could be part of that conversation, and in the same league as James Bond on the gaming front. After 27 years, Ethan Hunt’s digital outings deserve better.
