GameCube

SpyHunter

After making appearances on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, Spy Hunter is finally touching down on the GameCube. As in the other two versions, you are behind the wheel of the G-6155 Interceptor, the coolest transformable car/speedboat in the entire world. There are 14 missions to blast through, each with a set of objectives that must be completed to unlock newer stages. These missions rarely take more than five minutes to finish, but they’re not officially done until every objective is completed in one run. This can take lots of retries, especially in the later missions, but the game fortunately never graduates to sheer frustration.

Spyhunter is a must for fans of the original arcade/Sinclair Spectrum version. The missions all feel true to the original game and for this the developers must be commended. They have even thrown in a few multiplayer games which are decent affairs and will keep you and a friend entertained for a while. Spyhunter does have a few niggles for the deaf game but nothing that spoils the experience of the game, if vehicular combat/car chase games are your thing then Spyhunter is your only real choice on GameCube.

Spyhunter may be a throwback to that original arcade game, but this old friend never looked so good, or was as welcomed. Perhaps there is a bias toward the game because of fond memories, but this game is a joy to play.

In each of the 14 missions there are primary and secondary objectives. Players earn points for each objective cleared, eventually earning enough to open the next mission. To open multiplayer levels the game struggles because it feels as though one is playing the later levels of a driving game, where a "perfect" run is necessary to proceed. Even in the first test level players are required to avoid every single obstacle while keeping civilian casualties to a minimum, and collecting the satcoms and running through every single gate. Imperfection means no multiplayer.

SpyHunter is satisfyingly challenging vehicular racer and combat game. Developer Paradigm Entertainment did a fine job of recreating the franchise in 3D complete with tight controls, lots of mission variety, difficult objectives, lots of weapons and the ability to morph into different vehicles in different situations, and more. There's even a two-player mode thrown in for added benefit, albeit hard to access if one's unwilling to devote some serious time and energy to the single-player mode first.

The PlayStation 2 remake of Spy Hunter was a pleasant surprise, as it capably delivered in all the categories that a Spy Hunter fan would expect it to. While it's almost identical to the PlayStation 2 version, the GameCube version is made slightly less desirable by the choppy, somewhat pixilated graphics.

Take a twenty-year-old arcade game, a very bad “espionage” storyline, and a shoddy 3D racing engine, questionable mid-mission objectives, mix them together, and the result would resemble Midway’s SpyHunter for the GameCube. To add insult to injury, SpyHunter is a botched port of the dated Playstation 2 original, also an underwhelming game, but at least not as technically flawed as this incarnation. SpyHunter has you once again taking control of the multi-purpose G-6155 Interceptor in an attempt to stop the evil Nostra organization from… yawn, blah blah blah.

Sorry to tell you Midway, but you botched both an excellent idea and a classic game series when you tried to revive Spy Hunter. Maybe if there was a little more time spent on the actual physics of a car rather than its shimmering beauty, then maybe things could have turned out differently. As far as driving games go, this is a must-skip. Even all of you driving game fans out there should avoid this. Don’t be fooled by the glitz and glamour of the famous spies that continue to blow our minds with their cool gadgets and fancy driving stunts. But if you want some quality spy driving action, go watch some movies. This game is utterly devoid of it.

All in all, Spy Hunter should be avoided at all costs. It's not worth even a $5 rental, let alone a $50 purchase. Spy Hunter mangles a beloved classic arcade game beyond belief, and doesn't even take advantage of the capability of the GameCube in the process. Show Midway that you're not going to tolerate poor quality work at top dollar by staying far, far away from this travesty.