Vice came out in the US in Novemeber 1991, a couple months after the Super Nintendo and right before the holidays. Nintendo Power put the game on the cover of Volume #24 in May 1991, which seems a bit too early for sales in the West. The Japanese title Gun-Dec probably means gun detective or something. It's a mish-mash of a story that attempts to connect 3 different gameplay models, colliqually known as Ninja Gaiden, Spy Hunter, and Operation Wolf.

Thanks to smooth controls, killer graphics, and a compelling soundtrack, Vice: Project Doom gets all the elements right for what appears to be a hodgepodge of an action title. It also comes with a modest difficulty curve and infinite continues, making it easy to absorb for non-retro gamers. You can even run while ducking, which you might haven't discovered until stage 9-1, or even cared about until now.

The entire experience would have benefitted from a bit more Spy Hunter and an extra Operation Wolf battle. These levels are great, but are too fleeting and easy. So yeah, if any indie devs wanna mod Vice: Project Doom, thanks in advance.

Was Vice: Project Doom the start of a franchise that promised fast-paced, multi-genre action across multiple platforms for decades to come? Unfortunately not. We never got Vice: Fast & Furious or Vice: Project Pharma-- but we should have. They should resurrect the Vice series now that people know the truth about aliens taking over mega corporations and selling us narcotics.