| Spy Hunter They could have waited until the 20th anniversary but no, at the old age (for a game) of 18, Spyhunter makes a welcome return, and this is no crappy retro port, oh no, this is all new folks, but can it make a huge impression after all this time? The original was nothing more than a driving-come-shooting-action-game, get from A-B was the simple mission, but anyone who played the original in the early 80s and are still playing games today will obviously have noticed the huge leap in technology and more importantly game-design. So what's changed? All you purists really want to know: Well obviously the first change that will hit you will be the graphics, the original was fast for the time, but not quite this fast, scenery zooms by at an incredible speed, now in full-scale-3D rather then the top-down view of old, everything looks so smooth, explosions look furious and amazing, while the car (yes The car) you get to drive, has no visible jagged edges, built up of more polygons than a really rich families annual income (ok maybe I'm going a little far) So with the graphics out of the way, how does this remake play? Well with the 18 year gap of the Spyhunter name you would expect some changes and like I said earlier in this review the original was a simple get from A-B driving game with evil vehicles trying to ram you in to a tree, and that is where the guns came in, anyway with this rebirth having such a big gap, it has obviously dropped the simplicity of most titles in that day (for more information, Sky Digital owners pick your remote up and visit the games, -no dont, they are addictive, be warned- The game is now mission based: in which missions include the escorting of a large lorry to destroy another car etc, most missions (if not all) also require you to pick up satcoms, having to do some good manoeuvres to reach them, especially on the later levels, this is fun and adds to the challenge. The weapons on offer are what you would expect but are also brilliant, with the machine guns being the main weapon with supporting fire such as missiles etc etc. So......there isn't much more I can really say apart from what an achievement: Fans of the original may argue over the fact that the new game has got the same title as the original, and I more a less agree with that, but Spyhunter was destined to get a remake sometime or another and it was overdue, it had the perfect potential for today�s technology and it ends up being a great game!! Chris Wigham 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Opinions round-up "My ideal idea of an excellent remake with a next gen makeover and great gameplay which allows you to pull off missions in a James Bond like vehicle. May be too simplistic for some but for the people who spend their lives in the arcades or who just like fun and simple games, its perfect for you!" Simon Wigham |