Spyhunter was one of those
arcade games that got a lot of attention not only because it was original, but
also because it was a lot of fun. High-speed car chases on a never-ending road
with awesome weapons like oil spills, smoke screens, and missiles were addictive
and would gobble up your quarters like nothing else. The music was great – the
Peter Gunn theme is easily one of the most recognizable in gaming history.
This remake originally
appeared on the Playstation 2, and shortly afterwards appeared on the Xbox.
Strangely enough, the PS2 version was actually a bit better. Despite some extra
content, the Xbox version had some peculiar graphical problems. The framerate
wasn’t as solid as the other version’s, and the game’s brightness level was
noticeably darker. Now the game is available on PC, so just about anyone can
enjoy it.
The game doesn’t require
hefty equipment to run, so just about anyone with a computer from the past few
years should have no trouble running it. The weird though, is that even with
hardware well over the recommended specs, the game – much like the Xbox version
– stumbles along with a not-so-great framerate. It’s more than bearable, but a
rock-solid framerate would have made the game feel that much nicer. It also
suffers from a few other common PC-port symptoms; the menus require keyboard
input and are generally simple, and of course, steering is not nearly as much
fun with a keyboard as it is with a controller.
These problems aside,
Spyhunter for PC is a nearly identical port of the PS2 remake, which isn’t a bad
game. The game consists of a number of missions – fourteen in all – where you
must drive the Interceptor in its various forms through a variety of
environments. Each mission has a checklist of objectives to complete, much like
in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series. At first, I was a bit disappointed,
especially in the first training level; you have to complete quite a number of
objectives to pass on to the next stage, and if you didn’t complete certain
objectives then none at all were counted. Thankfully, in most of the levels the
objectives are actually fun to complete. You’ll chase down trucks, attach
tracking sensors to boats, blow up helicopters, activate satellite units, avoid
obstacles, and keep civilian casualties low – and that’s just the tip of the
iceberg. There are dozens of challenges spread throughout all of the stages.
The Interceptor is quite the
capable car. It maneuvers fairly well, with sharp steering and the ability to
easily powerslide. With a quick double-tap of the gas, it can use up some turbo
for a speed boost. It’s got a heavy-duty machine gun, some powerful missiles,
and tracking beacons – not to mention the abilities of oil spills, smoke
screens, and more. One neat thing about the game is how your car kind of
"levels up" as you progress, earning some new abilities or upgrades. This baby
can also transform into a water-traversing vehicle, or when it’s taken enough
damage, it’ll drop its armor plating and reduce its size to that of a small
motorcycle-esque form.
The level designs are quite
good and give you a lot of room to experiment with your car. Sometimes the
solution to figuring out a tricky problem is a subtle hint right in front of
you. For example, in the first level, one of the objectives is to avoid all of
the barrels. Some of them require some slick maneuvering to get around, but for
the most part, it’s reasonably easy to get around all of them in the level –
except for one small area, where there’s one straight line, like a road-block,
right in front of you. I tried going in between them, tried shooting them…
then I finally figured out that I needed to use a turbo just off to the left of
the barrels, which will allow you to ride up the side of the course and just
narrowly miss the closest barrel. Of course, then you have to quickly readjust
yourself so you don’t miss out on one of the other objectives – but that’s half
the fun in this game. Finishing a stage with every single challenge completed
is truly a satisfying task.
The graphics in the game are
not awful, but they do look dated. Considering the game is more than a year
old, it’s not exactly a showcase title. The graphics are more than adequate
though, with lots of detailed models, intricate level designs, and some cool
effects – water looks nice, as do some of the weather effects. The framerate
could be better, as I said before, but overall you shouldn’t be too worried
about the graphical quality of the game.
The sound is decent, too.
There’s a lot of the Peter Gunn theme going on here in various remixes, and it
works really well. The band Saliva also contributes some songs to the game’s
soundtrack -a great addition if you’re a fan, although it probably won’t make a
difference either way if you don’t care about the band. Sound effects are
pretty good, with nice engine noise, gunfire, explosions, and even the
occasional voice-acting isn’t too shabby.
Overall, this is a game that
shouldn’t be taken too seriously, but can be quite a bit of fun. It’s hardly
innovative – it really doesn’t bring much new to the genre. But what it does do
here is reasonably solid, and is definitely a worthy remake of a classic arcade
title – and that’s a lot more than other "revival" titles have going for them.
If you were a fan of the old game, or just want to see what it’s about, don’t
hesitate to give it a go. It’s no "must-have", but if you’re in need of a game
and haven’t tried it yet, it’s worth a look.
Gameplay: 8.0
Not terribly innovative, but
quite solid, Spyhunter can give you a fairly fun time. The level design,
controls, and mission objectives all work well together.
Graphics: 6.8
The game doesn’t look really
bad by any means, but you can’t deny that it looks a tad bit dated. The
graphics are fine for the most part – they just aren’t really impressive. The
framerate isn’t quite as great as one might like, but it’s bearable.
Sound: 7.5
With remixes of the classic
Peter Gunn theme, as well as some contributions from Saliva, the game’s
soundtrack is pretty good. Sound effects and voice-acting isn’t that bad,
either.
Concept: 7.5
You have to give the team
some credit. So many of these "3D remakes of 2D games" turn out horrible, and
Spyhunter is actually a lot of fun. There’s nothing really here that hasn’t
been done somewhere by someone before, but the whole package is quite solid and
works well.
Difficulty: Medium
Multiplayer: 7.0
There are a couple of
multiplayer modes available in the game. None of them are really worth writing
home about, but they may keep you and a buddy busy for a little while.
Overall: 7.6
It suffers a bit from
Console-to-PC port problems, and generally lacks the polish the Playstation 2
version seemed to have, but this is still a good game that will keep you
entertained until you finish it. It’s a worthy remake of an acclaimed arcade
game, and that alone is something worth bragging about.
