Mission: Impossible 64

Mission: Impossible is a single-player action-adventure game loosely based on the 1996 film of the same name, where the player controls Ethan Hunt from a third-person perspective through 20 levels. In each level, the player must complete a number of objectives that include collecting items, interacting with computers, setting explosives on targets, and neutralizing specific enemies. The game generally requires the player to exercise caution and restraint in carrying out these objectives. Outright use of violence is generally discouraged and it is easy to fail a level by accidentally shooting the wrong non-player character.

Many levels can be completed in a nonlinear order and require players to use numerous high-tech gadgets. For example, the Facemaker gadget disguises Hunt as another character, allowing the player to infiltrate restricted areas. Other notable gadgets like night vision glasses, smoke generators, and a fingerprint scanner are also featured. To neutralize enemies, the player can use a variety of weapons, including a silenced pistol, an Uzi submachine gun, a dartgun, an electroshock weapon, and a mini-rocket launcher.

Jim Phelps, leader of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF), receives a message about a terrorist plot at an abandoned World War II submarine base in the 70th parallel north, where they plan to send missiles to a rival country. Phelps deploys IMF agents Ethan Hunt, John Clutter and Andrew Dowey to stop the terrorists' plans by infiltrating the base and destroying the submarine holding the missiles. While this is happening, Alexander Golystine, a worker at the Embassy of Russia in Prague, kidnaps IMF agent Candice Parker and steals one half of the CIA non-official cover (NOC) list, which holds the real and false names of all IMF agents. Although it is useless without the other half, the embassy possesses a powerful super-computer that may be capable of breaking the code to open the document.

When IMF agent Robert Barnes goes missing after an attempted rescue mission, Phelps sends in Hunt to find and assemble the NOC list, rescue Candice Parker, and discover the fate of Barnes. After making his way through an underground warehouse and the KGB headquarters, Hunt finds Barnes dead in an office and saves Parker. Together, they recover the NOC list and escape using the cover of a fake fire.

Mission: Impossible was announced in May 1996 as one of the first Nintendo 64 games, half a year before the console's launch. It was originally in development under a team from Ocean that was based in San Jose, California. Ocean, which was famous for creating numerous licensed video games, including successful games such as Batman and Jurassic Park, decided to create "a spy simulation" game that would be worthy of the Mission: Impossible film. Because the yet unreleased Nintendo 64 was a relatively unknown platform when production started, Mission: Impossible was initially envisioned as an ambitious PC game.

Versions for the 32X, Mega Drive, Sega Saturn, and SNES were also planned. The 16-bit versions were reportedly similar to the 2D Flashback. Developer David Dixon, who previously worked on the Amiga version of the 1989 hit RoboCop, created the game's engine. An early version of the game featured character models that were assembled using up to 350 polygons.

13 million copies had been sold as of February 1999. In the US market, 550,000 copies had been sold as of October 1998. Mission: Impossible received generally mixed reviews from critics and was unfavorably compared to GoldenEye 007. Although some levels were praised for their variety and interesting objectives, the game was generally criticized for its inconsistent gameplay and slow controls.

Next Generation explained that Mission: Impossible is not as polished as GoldenEye 007 because the game suffered from a difficult development cycle. Reviews of the PlayStation version noted minor improvements towards the graphics from the Nintendo 64 version, but was critical of the voice acting and its "poorly written" lines. Only Game Informer praised its inclusion for giving the game a more cinematic feel. In France, reviews were more positive, highlighting the game's blend of action with subtle gameplay.