Spy Hunter Preview
I remember the heady days of 8 bit arcade games and console games like the grand Atari games Console, and the games like Jet Pac on the Spectrum and Attic Attack. I loved them, and loved them to death. Course I'd go on my holidays with my nan to the Jersey Islands and spend hours in Fort Regent playing on one particular game. It was simple. Drive down the road in a top down view and shoot the crud out of the cars, helicopters and bad guys to the tune of the Peter Gunn - Spyhunter Theme.
Yeah, 8 bit bad graphics but I loved it!
Why, cause the car could go from car to boat and back again and it had the elusive ingredient that makes a good game, game play.
Those were the days. So I was a little concerned when I heard they were remaking the game. I remembered the game play and I've seen some dodgy remakes of old favourites so I started to worry a little. Fear not Spyhunter fans you do not need to worry. I'm a jaded old hack, but this new Spyhunter so rocks!
Gone are the 8 bit graphics of old, replaced with a high speed and high tech nice shiny new game-engine. It supports all the bells and whistles that make up a lot of the new PS2 releases and a brand new look G-6115 Interceptor with some of the coolest morphing techniques seen in a game to date. The car smoothly transforms from Car to High-powered speedboat and back again with nary a glitch. And the new car/boat looks stunning enough to make James Bond himself cry. My jaw hit the floor when I saw the whole thing running on my PS2, a tear and a catch in my throat. I feel that they have taken an old classic and they made it better. If the Interceptor takes too much damage you get one more chance as the whole thing rips apart and you roar off in a weakly armoured but bloody fast motor bike, and yes this bike also can go on the water transforming to a cool looking jet-ski with the same smooth graphics.
When you go off road and you hit the water you can't help but stare as the car changes partly mid air, then the water reacts to your impact and you're off cause the game is fast and it's nice and smooth frame rate wise too. You tear down the water in the boat leaping off big waterfalls and the sense of the Bond genre is preserved, you are the man in the wicked car and it feels so good. All you need are the chicks and you're home free. And to cap it all the DVD comes with a host of features including many different remixes of the Spyhunter theme, including the rocking Saliva vocal and instrumental, which has to be heard, it just rules. That's right I'm drooling because this is one sweet package and deserves to be met with much love when it's released. If you're in the UK run to GAME or EB and spend a fiver on the demo like I did and you will not be disappointed. With games like this and Devil May Cry at last the PS2 is worth getting for sure I can tell you.
Weapons are pretty much old Spyhunter fare with rockets and guns making up the Interceptors prime armoury, add to this a turbo and an emp launcher and you're set to go. Defensive measures are smoke and oil; they've stuck to the old ideas and just beefed up the action and style. I'm not going to say too much more here because we're planning a totally bitching review when we get our review copy and you can rest assured that I'll give it a good look and tell you the whole truth.
But for now things are looking good for Midway and I for one give them a huge round of applause!