Is Code Name: Viper [NES] Worth Playing Today? - SNESdrunk

[@dkwh1986]

I always laugh at the "No, not THAT [obscure sports reference]" gags

[@BeyondTigerMilk]

the guy who currently hosts the most popular NBA show and was a two time NBA champion with a decade-long career is obscure?

[@Froge0]

@@BeyondTigerMilk It's obscure to anyone who isn't American or doesn't follow sports.

[@4Legacy]

@@BeyondTigerMilk I've never heard of him. It was funny and obscure to me

[@64-Bit-Gamer]

Would be funny if it was that Kenny Smith

[@billcook4768]

Though I’m surprised went with somebody not from Minnesota

[@RadsnRems]

Looks like he isn’t wearing any pants 😂

[@SDinOZ85]

That's how he can jump so well. No pants, no restrictions.

[@SNESdrunk]

I think he's sporting some Dockers, I mean this is Code Name Viper, not Commando

[@funsimpledrawings8233]

@@SNESdrunk To be honest, he looks better than Comando on NES

[@LouisWritingSomethingCrazy]

Hey! Don't kinkshame him!

[@JordanVickers21]

Solomon Grundy wants pants too!

[@starlightwitch12]

This game is known in Japan as Ningen Heiki: Dead Fox, and I remember the password for stage 4 in this game, apparently, as well as the soundtrack, specifically the themes for stages 1 and 4. Also, the copyright date on the US version says 1988, when the Japanese version had a copyright date of 1990, in fact the US version was developed first before the Japanese version, despite being released in 1990.

[@sebastian_manuells]

040471. It's one of the codes I remember, not sure which level's is it. I used to have the FamiCom version, never understood the text but loved the gameplay & music.

[@danjaruss2001]

My neighbor as a kid had this game. We'd play it at sleepovers. I remember it being SO HARD>

[@gsquaredfam4385]

"A massive drug syndicate in south america" so south america. He was sent to investigate the entire continent.

[@yuzucrypt]

0:05 skip intro.

[@leonardticsay8046]

This Viper took “going commando” to an unhealthy extreme. You’re supposed to wear pants, soldier.

[@alphawoolf5981]

"My eyes! The googles, they do nothing!"

[@bildo1977]

He’s not wearing any pants in Rolling Thunder as well!

[@AB0BA_69]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed. A very unfortunate choice of color 😂

[@AB0BA_69]

Also the way the player character falls over with his butt in the air when he dies... Hmmm

[@judsongaiden9878]

How did they not think of that?! 🤣 Khakis are fine, but they could have either given him, say, blue pants (or green pants and a blue jacket, there ARE options), or they could have changed the character's skin color. Kinda cool how he wears the same colors as Arnie in 'Commando'. Talk about "going commando!"

[@JReed7560]

Way back in 1994 I stayed the night at a friend's house and we stayed up playing this game and Rush 'N' Attack. We beat both of them. It was great lol.

[@mr.pavone9719]

Are you my long lost friend, Joe?

[@Gatorade69]

You my friend ? We beat Codename viper but we could never beat Rush N Attack (or Bayou Billy).

[@jimcarlson3303]

cool story bro 👍

[@dorpth]

@@Gatorade69 Jesus christ, fucking Bayou Billy. Tedious and impossible brawler with racing levels. It was like Battletoads a year before Battletoads. Except Battletoads had at least 2 fun levels before all the bullshit.

[@Gatorade69]

@@dorpth KZbin removed your comment. Probably cause of the really bad F word, lol. Yeah, the Japanese version of the game called Mad City is actually decent. It was a case of them somehow making the American version much harder.

[@jonathanlampkin6673]

Pantless man talks to ghost general to get sent on mission.

[@funsimpledrawings8233]

Hahaha nice

[@thenostalgiafactor5023]

Total length of video: 360 secs. Total length of "SNES Drunk": 3.5 secs. .58% of the video was spent listening to "SNES Drunk".

[@SNESdrunk]

Man, I really gotta get those numbers up, weak stuff the last few months

[@fabiofabiobio]

My first impression of this game is that this dude's pants are the same color as his skin, and now I can't unsee him as running around with no pants on gunning people down. 10/10, best indecent exposure simulator ever made

[@arfarfarf256]

Another quality SNES Drunk video. He gets to the point and doesn't spend the first 15 minutes going over the history of the NES as if people don't know.

[@4Legacy]

That's the experience I had watching a Guru Larry video yesterday. I don't watch much of his stuff, but decided to check out his newest one as it popped up. I ended up shutting it off after I realized I was over 5 mins into a 20 min video and he still hadn't gotten to the first thing on his list.

[@Nicomartz52]

Sinthesis

[@joshoshea3194]

And he doesn't constantly repeat himself like a lot of other channels do just to simply pad out the runtime.

[@OneTato]

He should use that times for the sssssssssssss

[@lldjslim]

This game was a rolling thunder rip off

[@beaublanchard1357]

One of my grandfathers was a Marine vet. He and I used to play this together and he would tell me about WWII. I'm glad you put this up. Now I can remember the game's name.

[@EnigmaticGentleman]

Gotta say, very brave of capcom to make a game about a dude who wears no pants. Really taking advantage of the lack of the ESRB back then.

[@StagFabulous]

I always get a kick out of the kinds of guns you see in these box arts, where the artist clearly has no understanding of guns, but by God he's trying to make something cool. EDIT: 1:25 Holy smokes, it's Pinochet.

[@platinum5gaming]

😂😂 so true!

[@funsimpledrawings8233]

His arms while he jumps down are cool looking

[@whosaidthat84]

Just found out that Yoko Shimomura (Mario RPG, Street Fighter, Kingdom hearts, Final Fight, etc) did the soundtrack. It must be awesome then!

[@EpicLebaneseNerd]

i swear, as kids, when we got this game, the way they say ''BOMB OBTAINED'' without any digitized speach was just awesome, and i loved the music and the fact it felt like rolling thunder on famicom (yes, i had the famicom version), it was a nice game, loved it.

[@TonyGearSolid]

I remember looking through an inventory catalog for some random store and picking out a bunch of NES games to put on my Christmas list based on title alone, one of those games was Code Name: Viper on the list because what kid could resits such an awesome sounding name. Anyway, it ended up being one of the games I got that Christmas and it has been one of my favorite NES games ever since. I'm surprised you kind of glossed over how mature the game was for that era of Nintendo, I mean it had drugs, cartels and the implication of the kidnapped woman and children being murdered if you didn't save them. Which makes it all the more funny that the game was featured in Nintendo Power, considering how insanely censor crazy (and inconsistent) they were during the time.

[@an3582]

That was eay more common back then.remember freaking NARC?

[@Fluoride_Jones]

@@an3582 NARC is one of my favorite arcade games of all time, and truth be told, I feel the NES port is a pretty decent game, and worth playing!

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

NARC is one of those games where they actually used the excuse of "drugs bad" perfectly as an excuse to make an incredibly violent yet incredibly entertaining game riddled with a drug references. It's like the textbook how to use their own BS against them sort of thing. People that were able to get things passed stupid Nintendo at the time I really tip my hat to them.

[@osurpless]

"Ah Nintendo, you dead fox..." - Master Xehanort (paraphrase)

[@Fluoride_Jones]

@@JohnDoe-wq5eu Those sly foxes! I remember Acclaim released it for the NES, but wasn't it Midway that released the arcade original? If so, that makes sense, because they later went on to release the "Mortal Kombat" series (which, LITERALLY, everyone already knows). lol

[@konstantinkoverchenko9587]

I wanted this and Vice: Project Doom back in the day.

[@nnickplays9713]

Thank you for the review! May you have a great rest of your day too!

[@judsongaiden9878]

If Rolling Thunder is more like James Bond, then Codename Viper is more like a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie. 3:21 Vaguely similar to Blackthorne where you're able to hide in cover if the scenery allows it. 3:30 You like all the same stuff I like! 5:17 "Agent Smith" (heh) kinda looks like Michael Biehn or Robert Patrick and he wears the same colors as Arnie in 'Commando'. That green jacket with the collar popped and the sleeves pushed up is so perfectly fitting for late '80s/early '90s. Those khakis, though. And those green boots!

[@edpinkus8688]

Top 3 NES game for me however jumping sucks. And so easy to spoil the ending, someone did it to me. Thanks for covering this one! Now back to Soulblazer!

[@WhispyWoods.]

This is making me think of James and Rex Viper. Great vid, Drunk 👍

[@davidhahn4854]

I like the new suggestion of using Nintendo Power to enhance your gameplay experience. Thats a fresh tip. Maybe do a video demoing using Nintendo Power for a playthrough could be interesting.

[@reeyees50]

Criminally underrated

[@MisticStyles]

Why did the devs have him push his ass up in the air whenever he dies 🤔

[@SNESdrunk]

Spikes down, ass up, that's the way etc etc

[@MisticStyles]

@@SNESdrunk 😆

[@puwexil]

All I can think about whenever I see someone playing this game: "Did Capcom really reuse the Mega Man 2 dragon's roar as the sound effect for enemy soldiers dying?"

[@shinkiro403]

2:56 oh, and you can also defeat enemies by jumping on em apparently. That plumber sure taught a lot of people...

[@zubintrivedi7105]

no, you can't

[@shinkiro403]

@@zubintrivedi7105 when hopped on, the enemy recoiled as if hit by a bullet, it's a totally reasonable assumption even if you take damage while doing so.

[@jpdunphy1]

I am really enjoying all of the "no, not that [obscure reference]" bits of late.

[@andreworillion5970]

"Goodbye Mr. Smith. And put on some pants for God's sake!"

[@ByGeorge846]

Love this one, along with the Rolling Thunder games on Genesis. Reminds me a lot of Shinobi. Rolling Thunder 3 is akin to Shinobi 3, as it opens up the control and gameplay significantly.

[@arcadianlhadattshirotsughW33Z]

dont worry.. Arc System Works gets even better... so many great games from many genres, rpg's like battle fantasia and hoshigami, fighting games like guilty gear, blazblue, and kill la kill if, and even (in my opinion) the very BEST Contra game ever in Hard Corp: Uprising... they are just damn good...

[@thecunninlynguist]

Fun theme intro today

[@evanmuehlbauer3769]

This was a FuncoLand purchase for me, which means I probably got it for a couple of dollars in the early-mid 90s. I wanted to love it, but this game kicked my ass. I doubt I ever got past the third level.

[@jdiluigi]

A friend had this when I was 10. Comming from Contra it was hard as F. Emulation later in life I got waaay further.

[@Martynde]

Capcom should make a modern sequel - "Codename: Crimson Viper" featuring the Street Fighter IV character in her own action game.

[@Sly88Frye]

Holy crap I love the intro on this one! It was like music to my ears I swear I thought you were about to come out in song after the long SNEEEESSSSSSS this time

[@Sly88Frye]

I kid you not I actually thought this guy was not wearing pants. I mean his pants are like the same color as his face so I actually thought it wasn't wearing any. 😂

[@chasonlapointe]

Great game, I love this and the Rolling thunder games. I always like the style of Rolling Thunder a bit more but either was a good game to play for a couple lives.

[@melchior2678]

The fact that he compares a 8bit NES game Genesis and arcade titles shows just how inept this SNESDRUNK guy is.

[@bombfog1]

Arc System Works created the very best Contra game: “Hard Corps: Uprising”. If you haven’t played it you are missing out on an incredible game.

[@assanchop1574]

As a fan of Rolling Thunder I loved this game. Great soundtrack as well.

[@ravagingwolverine]

I didn't know about Rolling Thunder back in the day, but I ended up really liking the series. Code Name Viper is like a Rolling Thunder 1.5 with it being like a pseudo sequel or enhanced version. I was recently looking up Arc System Works for something else and the Wikipedia page attributes both Rolling Thunder on the NES and Code Name Viper to them. I'm not sure if that's accurate, but if it's true, it would explain why the two games are as similar as they are, beyond just the basic structure.

[@LanEXHikari]

Thanks for the video, SDrunk, it got me thinking why Arc System Works would develop a game so similar to Namco's

[@joshoshea3194]

We didn't get Nintendo Power over here in England, which was a bit of a shame because I've heard it referenced a lot on AVGN. I mean we had equivalents but just not that particular magazine.

[@Memememe-is1yn]

Wow. Never knew this game was out there and loved Rolling Thunder. Literally had another tab left open on my browser with another review of this game and was deciding if I should buy a copy off of ebay when I saw your review. Thanks, man!

[@RDHardy79]

My brothers and I actually beat this game. I can't remember if we used Game Genie or not. I don't think so. We loved it and got pretty good at it.

[@TimBitten]

I straight up hated the Rolling Thunder games and LOVED Code Name: Viper!! The gameplay, the story, the levels…it made me really want to finish it!

[@Astromyxin]

Does anybody hear the melody for that new paramore song in the beginning of the video? It’s that part where she goes, “This, is why, I don’t leave the house…”

[@kelvynacosta]

i saw the cover and that bring me back to where i start playing this game LONG TIME AGO

[@demacdatrucker7528]

This was one of my first game on the NES as a kid I always died early on lol

[@theironfox2756]

How many games for NES have one end boss and no others? You have this, Gauntlet, and Die Hard.

[@goatlll]

I got tricked into getting this game and I'm still upset about it 30 years later. I traded games with a schoolmate over Christmas break in 6th grade, something I had done a thousand times before. I traded Mario 2 and Mario 3 for Amagon and Code Named Viper. The plan was to trade back when school started again, but the kid moved over Christmas break. I liked both of those games fair enough, but I wanted my Marios back dammit.

[@bigl1249]

No not that KENNY SMITH 🤣👍🔥

[@apollolux]

If you had said this was a ROM hack of Rolling Thunder instead of its own game, I would’ve easily believed you. XD

[@bigedwerd]

Rolling Thunder? More like Rolling Dice! amirite?

[@danielmccormick700]

When I watch these Rolling Thunder-style games, I can't help but feel inspired to think of ways they could change a few things and make it even more challenging or creative.

[@carn9507]

Oh I dunno, I always enjoyed this game far more than any Rolling Thunder.

[@jonathanlampkin6673]

The rotating door mechanic reminds me of the scene from last crusaders with the Nazi chick screaming lol

[@PrestonJWoods]

This stays in my retro rotation. A underrated classic

[@themydnighthour]

There was a DQ down at the beach that had the arcade cab....it looks really similar to the NES.

[@batmanwins5701]

I just got a crazy new gaming computer and I’m wasting its power by playing snes games only at this point😂. Your channel has helped me plot out the list of games I’m going to play! Starting with concurrently playing Chrono Trigger, Link, Mario Kart, Mario World and Ogre Battle... that should keep me busy while I figure out what to play next.

[@thelostgoonie]

I always like this game. Music especially was pretty catchy. This and Cobra triangle are those criminally underrated games that are still pretty cheap for the Nintendo entertainment system

[@platinum5gaming]

You just stirred up some memories! I remember the day my dad came home with that game for me. I loved it

[@MixMasterLar]

Glad to see so many people loving this game, but it didn't really grab me the same way. It was a fun playthrough, though

[@lokimotive6959]

Ha this was the second game I bought for my Nintendo back in the day......the first was MegaMan 2 My twitch reflex was forged from those 2 games......Ghouls and Ghost on Genesis helped as well

[@TheShoe1990]

The main character's flesh-colored pants are unsettling

[@ItsGroundhogDay]

I vaguely remember this and liking it. I probably wouldn't like it today.

[@Wolfburns]

Never knew Rolling Thunder had a sequel of sorts. I will definitely have to check that out.

[@HEROplastic]

I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes

[@sterling7]

On Genesis, at least, I think there are three "Rolling Thunder" games.

[@the_hiroman]

As a kid thought the guy was not wearing any pants or underwear, only a shirt and some boots.

[@opaljk4835]

I’m gonna give this one a go. Rolling Thunder 3 rules though. Genesis exclusive and you can aim your shots to some extent. It has kind of a bad reputation for the pcb crapping out unfortunately, like Grind Stormer and other late sega genesis eta Tengen games

[@naturestuf9148]

I used to play the game just to hear the soundtrack. (by Yoko Shimomura of Street Fighter 2 & Kingdom Hearts fame)

[@TheOneTrueMaNicXs]

It's not that hard, I managed to beat it as a kid without cheating. While the power ups and hostages are randomized I this the guy you have to recue is easier to find. He only has like 2 spots he can appear I would beat stage only opening one door sometimes.

[@kindertroy1987]

love the channel ❤️😘💕😍🤩💗💟😊

[@ebradshaw8921]

I got this for Christmas in the 5th grade

[@lhfirex]

They were gonna make a sequel to this starring Charles Barkley, but the NES couldn't handle all the sprites of those big ol San Antonio women chasing after him.

[@SNESdrunk]

There was a level where they go through Phoenix with dirty seats, cold nachos with pickles and ugly cheerleaders

[@johngavin1175]

Cant remember,did Rolling Thunder have bosses? I played it,but cant remember. Never got the chance to play Viper though. He kinda looks like Billy Idol.

[@TR9O]

OMG, Code Name: Viper is absolutely worth playing today. Not even a question. This game is way better than most of the wannabe "retro styled" Indie games that come out today.

[@Blayne06]

I had this one as a kid. Tough as nails, but I managed to beat it.

[@AverageDrafter]

Kenny "Nobody called me 'The Jet' when I played... what's up with that?!' Smith

[@SNESdrunk]

The real Jet is Jason Terry

[@danielrecommends]

I loved Code Name Viper as a kid. The graphics and sound were awesome to me. I do agree the difficulty was cranked up on this. It was an enjoyable title for me anyways.

[@ValkyrieTiara]

The music in this game sounds a LOT like Duck Tales to me. Since it's by Capcom, I'm betting it has the same composer.

[@bryanandrews648]

NO PANTS!!!

[@musashielmaldito6848]

Such a great game already finished it kinda pre contra but not quite

[@Bae_Cop2027]

This game lost me when I found out you can't play as Kenny "The Jet" Smith.

[@thetjhproject]

I appreciate how you wish me a good day. You have a good day, sir

[@drgribb]

Nice plug there near the end for Rolling Thunder 2 and 3 on Genesis. :) Pretty fun games, and imho pretty underrated (I never hear anyone talk about them), although they tend to go for a crap-ton amount of money now.

[@thewingedavenger1007]

Great game! We never got a good version of Shinobi for the NES, but this game compensates for that. And nowadays the Nintendo Switch has the excellent Shadow Gangs, which is yet another Rolling Thunder clone.

[@merman1974]

Very cool, not a game I was familiar with.

[@FretzlemaniaPod]

I had this game growing up and played it a lot, it was hard but with my trusty Game Genie, it became more manageable.

[@aquamarine7599]

Ok so apparently I mistaken this game with Rolling Thunder as a kid...

[@NickEnlowe]

This game looks great. I enjoyed Rolling Thunder 2, but the levels were mostly boring scroll from left-to-right affairs, and the Fatal Fury-style foreground/background jumping is an annoying gimmick to me. Looks like this game replaced that with vertical platforming and exploration, something I definitely prefer.

[@corben80]

I loved this game as a kid!

[@fylosofyk5220]

Making Tuesdays Thursdays and rescue missions great again

[@markgreen7738]

I remember playing this when I was little always thought it was funny he'd die with his ass in the air

[@ethanyoder9953]

If my name was Kenny, I'd probably go by Viper too.

[@khatharrmalkavian3306]

Someone should make a Kenny Smith patch.

[@TheRealJPhillips]

This game alone made me realize how much better shinobi should have been in the nes. It kinda frustrates me. 😫

[@DocFunky]

I always loved Code Name: Viper, and have really fond memories of playing it at my friend’s house when I was a kid. It was hard, and kind of unfair, but something about it really appealed to me..maybe it was the big sprites, or the intensity of the gameplay. Either way, this one’s a classic in my book.

[@WhitePointerGaming]

Most of those doors look like they blend into the environment way too well and would be very easy to miss (unlike Rolling Thunder where the doors are easily distinguishable). That kinda sucks.