''M.I.A.: Missing in Action'' is an

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...

released by

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

in 1989. The game is a spiritual successor to ''

Green Beret The green beret was the official headdress of the British Commandos of the Second World War. It is still worn by members of the Royal Marines after passing the Commando Course, and personnel from other units of the Royal Navy, Army and RAF wh ...

'' (also known as ''Rush'n Attack''). The game is influenced by popular action films of the time such as ''

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'', '' Rambo: First Blood Part II'', and ''

Missing in Action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, ex ...

''.

Gameplay

The player takes on the role of a US Army special operations Green beret and player 2 takes the role of a soldier of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

in cooperative mode. Players must infiltrate enemy

POW A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

camps in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

to find prisoners of wars and lead them to freedom. Like its predecessor, there are a total of six

levels Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights *Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical *Canal pound or level *Regr ...

in the game: war-torn field, jungle, airstrip, railyard, POW camp, and escaping POW camp. ''M.I.A.'' can be played by up to two players, with player 1 in green and player 2 in blue. Throughout most of the game, the player's main weapon is a knife, which is capable of destroying any enemy in the game. By killing the red enemy soldiers, the player can acquire additional weapons. The available weapons consist of an assault rifle (12 rounds), a

flamethrower A flamethrower is a ranged incendiary device designed to project a controllable jet of fire. First deployed by the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century AD, flamethrowers saw use in modern times during World War I, and more widely in World ...

(2 rounds), a

bazooka Bazooka () is the common name for a Man-portable anti-tank systems, man-portable recoilless Anti-tank warfare, anti-tank rocket launcher weapon, widely deployed by the United States Army, especially during World War II. Also referred to as the ...

(3 rounds), and

grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...

s (3 rounds). Unlike ''Green Beret'', the player can carry more than one weapon and switch between them at will. If the player loses a life, then only their currently equipped weapon will be lost. At the end of each level, an assorted number of troops appears on fixed machine gun positions (usually four) that must be eliminated. On the last mission of the game, the freed hostages are susceptible to being slain by enemies; if all the POWs get killed then "MISSION FAILED" flashes on the screen and the game is permanently over.

Versions

There were three versions of ''M.I.A.'': versions S and T, which were produced for the American and international markets, and a Japanese version. In some versions, the order of the first four stages is randomized. In the Japanese version, every second stage scrolls from left-to-right instead of right-to-left as in the international versions. ''Missing in Action'' was made available on

Microsoft's Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washingt ...

Game Room Game Room was a social gaming service for the Xbox 360 video game system, Microsoft Windows PCs, and Windows Phone 7. Launched on March 24, 2010, Game Room let players download classic video games and compete against each other for high scores. ...

'' service for its

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

console and for Windows-based PCs in December 2010.

Reception

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Missing in Action'' on their March 15, 1989 issue as being the twentieth most-successful table arcade unit of the month.

References

External links

* {{KLOV game, id=8472, name=Missing in Action 1989 video games Arcade video games Cold War video games Konami games Platformers Run and gun games Vietnam War video games Video games set in Vietnam Konami arcade games Video games developed in Japan