Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions (Double S.T.E.A.L in Japan) is a Driving Game released for the Xbox in 2002 and ported later that year to the Nintendo GameCube and Playstation 2.
The Yakuza have set up their illegal activities all over Hong Kong. As either Madoka and Mei, a duo of feisty but damage-prone Hong Kong cops or as bumbling spies Ho and Chang, it is your job to dismantle the Yakuza's operation and apprehend their leader, the ruthless Tiger Takagi.
Made by former developers of the Runabout series, Wreckless's missions will have players do things like wrecking Yakuza cars, smashing Dim Sun stands posted all along the district or performing dangerous stunts to catch photos of a boat meeting. The game gleefully embraces Car Fu, encouraging players to rampage through the Hong Kong streets with little regard to property damage. Wreckless was also notable for its visuals, leveraging the Xbox's power for advanced lightning and reflections that had to be heavily downgraded or removed when the game was ported to other consoles.
A sequel titled Double S.T.E.A.L: The Second Clash was released in 2005, this time exclusively for the Xbox. Madoka and Mei travel to Chicago to testify in Takagi's trial, only to witness him being freed by his associates as soon as they land. As the pair help the Chicago Police deal with the Yakuzas, they learn more about Takagi's bizarre theft of moon rocks from a local museum. The Second Clash massively expands on the formula of the first game with an expanded array of vehicles to drive, a "Dash" metter that lets drivers stock up energy to initiate a boost that lets you plow through the traffic, and a free roam mode letting players explore Chicago to collect hidden vehicle parts and play driving challenges unlocked as the story progresses. Though unreleased outside Japan, the game is fully voiced and translated into English.
Describe the tropes! Ooh yeah~!
- Adaptation Expansion: The PS2/GC ports of the original expand the selection of drivable vehicles and add 20 bonus missions.
- Car Fu: Many missions involve ramming cars with your own vehicle. The Second Clash adds missions where you run over Yakuza agents.
- Cool Car: The car selection alternates between these and more unassuming vehicles. Of note are Madoka and Mei's Dragon SPL (a slick Maserati-esque sports car) and Ho and Chang's Super-Car (a cross between the DeLorean and a Lotus Esprit with jet engines strapped to its back).
- Demoted to Extra: Ho and Chang go from being the co-protagonists of the original game to having a voiceless cameo in The Second Clash as the drivers of the monster truck that needs to be rescued in a mission.
- Extended Gameplay: In the first game, each character's side has 10 missions but the storyline is concluded on mission 8. The next two missions are purely "for fun" and unlock new camera filters when beaten.
- Gameplay Grading:
- The PS2 and Gamecube ports of the original adds a three-tier Bronze/Silver/Gold ranking system, tied to how well you perform at the bonus sub-mission.
- The Second Clash grades players Bronze, Silver or Gold starts for the time taken to complete a mission. Getting a Gold Star unlock a new vehicle.
- Good Is Not Soft: One mission in Madoka and Mei's story involves a Yakuza offering a race challenge to the Hong Kong PD. Your superiors have other ideas and the mission involves wrecking the poor guy so that he can be captured for interrogation.
- Lethal Joke Character: A traffic bus is an unlockable vehicle in The Second Clash. While obviously not well-suited to stunts-heavy missions, it is tremendously effective in missions that involve destroy other cars, being the best vehicle to get a Gold Star in many of them.
- Made of Iron: Your own car is impervious to damage and failing into water will merely respawn you to a pre-determined spot. Your biggest obstacle in most missions is the timer.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Any visual similarity Ho has to Elton John is completely intentional.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Madoka is headstrong and impulsive while Mei is meek and cautious.
- This Is Unforgivable!: In the A-scenario cutscene of the original game, Madoka is quite eager to enjoy her day off until a Yakuza car chasing an armored van smashes into the restaurant she was eating at and messes up her pudding.
- Trial-and-Error Gameplay: Many missions will require multiple tries to learn the routing and the proper approach to tricky jumps. This is best exemplified by the B4 mission in the original: it's a gauntlet where you have to take photos by making jumps throughout an insanely-designed pier. It'll take a lot of experimentation to figure out the best approach and throttle, lest your overshoot or undershoot your landings.
- Weaponized Car: The Gamecube and PS2 port of the original add the ability to shoot rockets from your car.
