I loved the original Spy Hunter cabinet back in the 80s. I played a 3D rendition of the game that came out in 2001 for Xbox and PS2.
I think the game controls pretty well, but I never did figure out what button activates turbo. I couldn't even find a control layout in the menus. I just figured out everything else by trial and error.
The game gives you missions with various primary and secondary objectives. You gain points for completing them which unlock new missions. Your car transforms into a boat and a motorcycle and can acquire different weapons by sliding up into a tractor-trailer just like in the original game.
I liked it alright but it doesn't seem like you can bump any of the attacking cars off the road; you have to shoot them. Those cars with the bladed wheels just come alongside you and grind your health away. I'd like to be able to bump 'em good. This is why I kept wishing this game was Burnout. There aren't any guns in Burnout but your car is basically a weapon that can wreck anything that comes alongside you. I remember doing that in the original Spy Hunter. If you timed it right you could knock an enemy car right off the road where it exploded - very satisfying. So shooting stuff is okay, but big bumpin' is where it's at in car combat games for me.
Onward to Blood Omen 2, a Legacy of Kain game.
Like I said eariler, my brother Jeff LOVED classic arcade Spy Hunter when he was little, so we had to get this one. We liked the 3-D one pretty well, but I remember it getting too hard later on. There was a sequel to this game, and did you know at one point they were planning on making a Spy Hunter movie? Can't believe they went with a Rampage movie instead.
Did you know that back when I was writing for The Dallas Morning News, I reviewed the original Legacy of Kain game? I didn't like it because vampires are gross. I was more willing to review any type of game back then, though, because I was getting paid for every article I wrote.
Wow, for some reason I thought that Duane The Rock Johnson Spy Hunter movie actually came out. It's kind of weird it has remained in production hell because it's a natural for an action film. Maybe the Fast and Furious movies sort of stole its thunder by now.
I'm only playing it because I heard that Uncharted series writer Amy Hennig wrote the Legacy of Kain stories.
Spy Hunter was one of my favorite 80s games. I knew about the 2001 reboot on PS2, but I didn't know about a lot of these other games.
Me neither. I didn't even know about Spy Hunter II until I saw it on a Midway collection.