Taking of Beverly Hills, The Download (1991 Adventure Game)

Adaptation of the action movie with the same name released in October 11, 1991 by Columbia Pictures.

The main events of the game are set in Beverly Hills famous of its rich residents. The truck with toxic ingredients crashed on one of the crossroads with Rodeo Dr., and all citizens were evacuated to the Hotel until the National Guard arrives. All except two - football player Boomer Hayes and his girlfriend Laura Sage. Robbers lead by head of L.A. football team, Robert Masterson, want to steal the priceless Botticelli Fresco and to kill Boomer, but Boomer wants to stop the robbery and bring Masterson to justice, while evading ex-cops and the hired thug Benitez, who has commandeered a SWAT tank and is gunning for Boomer.

Switching between Laura and Boomer, you have to repeat the main events of the movie, carefully walking on Beverly Hills, collecting the inventory items, and using them with 'USE' and 'HIDE' commands. Point of view changes between top-down to side-scrolling or first-person when you entering important places. Boomer's inventory includes the diskette, which allows to Save or Load game. Every death of any character means the end of the game and exit to operating system.

In the beginning, as Boomer you'll go to Police Station to acquire the empty gun, the vest protecting you from bullets of ex-cops and the radio transmitter to have a window to outer world and as Laura you'll explore the Hotel to take a useful key. The next actions of main characters include three main goals to win the game: 1) Free the real cops from the fire station. 2) Rescue the Botticelli fresco. 3) Save Laura from Masterson after she is captured. Action elements of the game include the fast evading the screens, where enemies with machine-guns are set, and moving fast on the streets to do not to be killed.

An utterly pointless formula action-adventure movie. The Capstone name (in case you didn't know, this is the company that is unmatched in its ability to ruin any popular license). Sounds like a recipe for disaster? Sure enough, a disaster it is. But if you are REALLY desparate to know what this game is about or why it is so horrible, well then-- read on...

If you've never seen the film (and if that's the case, count yourself among the fortunate ones), The Taking of Beverly Hills is an offbeat, thoroughly predictable action flick that puts TV heartthrob Ken Wahl in the role of Boomer Hayes, (American) football star who must defend Los Angeles against terrorists who have kidnapped the city's richest, most influential citizens. Along the way, he will stop the thief of a priceless Botticelli Fresco; free obvious love interest Laura from the ruthless billionaire, Robert Masterson; and of course, stay alive amidst the mayhem in Rodeo Drive. While Wahl obviously tries his best, the plot is so overdone and everyone else overacted so badly that the movie is sure to grate on most people's nerves before long. And yet its wacky plot could make a great game.... if....

... unless it's licensed to Capstone, that is. Long a company infamous for terrible PC game conversions of blockbluster licenses, The Taking of Beverly Hills is no exception to Capstone's norm. Although it purports to be an action adventure, neither element will hold anyone's interest for long: the action sequences are limited to you equipping the right gun at the right time, while the adventure portion involves picking up anything that isn't nailed down while avoiding the terrorists in police uniforms. The existence of inventory is somewhat moot, since you don't have much control over how the items are used: some will mysteriously work when you acquire a second item, and in certain locations automatically. This means that you can easily (although tediously) finish the game by just clicking on every item in every scene without using any thought.

The bottom line (if I didn't say it clearly enough): avoid this game at all costs. I wouldn't even see the movie, and this Real Dog isn't going to change anyone's mind, either.

How to run this game on modern Windows PC?

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