Ludography
70/100
Players9 ratings
Covert Ops: Nuclear Dawn cover

2000 · Sugar and Rockets · Shooter · Adventure

Covert Ops: Nuclear Dawn

PlayStation exclusive

Covert Ops: Nuclear Dawn, otherwise known as Chase the Express, is a video game created by Sugar and Rockets for the PlayStation, and released in 2000. On March 16, 2000 Activision announced that they had acquired the North American publishing rights to Sony Computer Entertainment's Japanese action-adventure game, Chase The Express. The game was then renamed Covert Ops: Nuclear Dawn for the North American market.

Also known as
チェイス・ザ・エクスプレス · Chase the Express · Chase the Express - El Expreso de la Muerte · チェイス・ザ・エクスプレス (Disc 1) · チェイス・ザ・エクスプレス (Disc 2)
Released
27 January 2000
Platforms
PlayStation
Genres
ShooterAdventure
Developers
Sugar and Rockets
Publishers
ActivisionSony Computer Entertainment
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Third person
Themes
ActionSurvivalWarfare
Age ratings
ESRB M
Languages
EnglishFrenchGermanItalianJapaneseSpanish
Time to beat
11hwith extras

About

Chase the Express, known in North America as Covert Ops: Nuclear Dawn, is a 2000 third-person shooter video game developed by TYO Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. The game focuses on players taking on the role of a NATO officer tasked with rescuing hostages aboard an armored train and defeating a terrorist group who threatens to use nuclear weapons to devastate Europe.

The game's design included puzzle elements, action combat, stealth, and level designs, similar to the Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid series, with branching scenario paths and multiple endings. The game received mixed reviews from critics, receiving praise for its graphics, but criticism over its gameplay and design.

›Story

The player controls Lieutenant Jack Morton of NATO, the sole survivor of a terrorist strike on the Blue Harvest, an armored train. He is aided by Christina Wayborn throughout the game, the French ambassador's bodyguard and the NATO council. Traveling around the various carriages of the train, the player must defeat the terrorists, find the French ambassador, and prevent the terrorists from using a nuclear weapon.

The terrorists, under the leadership of Boris Zugoski, detonate some C4 charges in parts of the train, kill all those who resist and take the French ambassador's family hostage. At a certain point in the game Boris is killed by Jack and it appears that the ambassador's assistant, Phillip Mason, is actually a double agent sent to steal a data disk from the Blue Harvest.

The ending depends upon what data disk the player gave Mason.

Good endings consist of Mason attempting to escape in the helicopter but being stopped by Jack who stops the nuclear bombs on board. The Ambassador is saved as is Billy.

Bad endings consist of Mason escaping and remaining at large. Jack then stops the nuclear bombs however the Ambassador dies as does Billy.

Keywords

  • modern warfare
  • military
  • fixed camera
  • train level
  • modern military
  • terrorists
  • nuclear bomb

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Chase the Express is a played from a third person perspective, with fixed cameras that focus on the player camera spread across each explorable area in the game. The main focus is to explore an armoured train, visiting each car, searching for useful objects, while dealing with hostile enemies - with the game borrowing notable elements from both Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid.

Combat focuses mainly on the use of firearms that the player can find during the course of a playthrough, with additional ammo either found in a level or dropped randomly by some enemies, with each weapon featuring parts that can be used to improve them. Alongside weapons, enemies can be engaged in hand-to-hand combat, though players can opt to use stealth to avoid combat and get around enemies; enemies become alarmed if they should spot the player, until they either evade or eliminate pursuers. Any damage from enemies can be treated by finding and using first aid kits.

Story

Following a visit to St. Petersburg, French ambassador Pierre Simon makes his return to Paris aboard a NATO armored train called "The Blue Harvest", accompanied by his wife Catherine, their daughter Jane, and Simon's secretary, Philip Mason, are guarded by a NATO team led by Lieutenant Jack Morton. Shortly after the train nears the borders of Ukraine, a terrorist group known as the "Knights of the Apocalypse," led by ex-KGB agent Boris Zugoski, attacks the NATO team and boards the train. Boris reveals his intentions to ransom Simon and his family for $20 billion from NATO along with safe passage into France. Jack, the only survivor in the NATO team, finds himself placed under the command of a United Nations counter-terrorist agency, who instruct him to rescue the ambassador and his family as well as dealing with the terrorists.

Gaining access to the interior of the train, he manages to rescue Pierre and Mason, with the ambassador asking him to find Catherine and Jane. Searching for them, Morton encounters Christina Wayborn, the only surviving member of the ambassador's protective detail, who works alongside him, and Sgt. Billy MacGuire, a grievously wounded soldier. After rescuing the ambassador's family, a rescue team arrives and recovers them from the train.

Reception

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. IGN criticized its gameplay for bad controls and game design despite praising the graphics and stating that the game had "detailed environments and solid player models". Daniel Erickson of NextGen called it "A good weekend rental with nice graphics but nothing to really sink your teeth into." In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 30 out of 40. Uncle Dust of GamePro concluded, "Twitch-oriented gamers should pass on this rather sluggish thriller."

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

Releases by platform
PlatformReleasedRegions
PlayStation27 January 2000Japan · North America 16 March 2000 · Europe 1 June 2000

Title IDsone per regional release, with its latest update

Title ids and disc serials by release
PlatformTitle IDRegionLatest update
PlayStationSCES-02812Europe—
SCES-02812-0Europe—
SCES-02813Europe—
SCES-02813-0Europe—
SCES-02814Europe—
SCES-02814-0Europe—
SCES-02815Europe—
SCES-02815-0Europe—
SCES-02816Europe—
SCES-02816-0Europe—
SCES-12812Europe—
SCES-12812-1Europe—
SCES-12813Europe—
SCES-12813-1Europe—
SCES-12814Europe—
SCES-12814-1Europe—
SCES-12815Europe—
SCES-12815-1Europe—
SCES-12816Europe—
SCES-12816-1Europe—
PAPX-90106Japan—
PAPX-90107Japan—
PCPX-96189Japan—
SCPS-10109Japan—
SCPS-10110Japan—
SCPS-45478Japan—
SCPS-45479Japan—
SCPS-10109-0Japan / Asia—
SCPS-10110-1Japan / Asia—
SCPS-45478-0Japan / Asia—
SCPS-45479-1Japan / Asia—
SLUS-01151North America—
SLUS-01151-0North America—
SLUS-01157North America—
SLUS-01157-1North America—

Box artone per regional release we hold art for

Games like this

Collections1 collection

Platform libraries

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.