Die Hard Arcade

The Good
Die Hard Arcade, is a game I originally played in the arcade years ago. I knew of the Saturn port but with out the console I was SOL. Anyhow years later, I bought a Sega Saturn, and this was one of the first games I got for it.

Based loosely on the film Die Hard, the game was actually called Dynamite Cop in Japan, Die Hard Arcade has John McClane out to save 30 hostages taken by terrorists whom have seized control of Nakatomi Plaza, to make things worse, the President’s daughter is among the hostages.(What she is doing there in the first place is never explained.)

The game plays just like a beat em up of days gone by, such as Streets Of Rage. And packs enough action to be a Die Hard film. There are tons of moves at your disposal, from basic punches and kicks, to multi button combos, and grapple moves that range from basic throws to combo body slams, these are among some of the most interesting moves to watch. You can even handcuff enemies to dispose of them quickly.

As most games of this genre there are many weapons that can be used. From your basic handgun, which is the only weapon that can be taken with you from scene to scene. As well as submachine guns, an anti tank gun, pipes, knives, and some unusual items such as a grandfather clock. Some items can even be combined to make special weapons, a lighter combined with mace make a mini-flamethrower!

During the various scenes you will always have to face a boss to proceed to the next area. Each boss has their own strategy and learning them will help you take down the boss that much easier.

Between the scenes there are often segments in which you must push the correct button in time. These simple segments add to the game, if you succeed you will earn a scene of the baddie getting there arse kicked. If you fail you will have to face the brigand one on one. While no where near as complex as the QTE’s of Shenmue, they are still a nice diversion.

The graphics in the game are pretty good. Very faitful to the arcade game, this is likely due to the arcade chip having simular power to that of the Saturn.

The sound department is soild. With good sound effects, music. And passable voiceovers.

To earn more credits you have to play the arcade game Deep Scan, which is an interesting feature. This old skool arcade game is actually sort of fun. It just seems a little odd.

Speaking of credits, this game can easily be beaten with 20-30 Credits.(You only get 1 life per credit.) If you are a connoisseur of the genre like myself you can likely finish the game with many less credits say 5-10.

The Bad
The game could have been better. There could have been a Saturn mode, with special things not seen in the arcade. Or multiple paths, and unlockables.

This game is short even for a beat em up. It can be cleared in 15 minutes!

Fortunately this is one Sega Saturn game that is easy to find and inexpensive. It usually goes for about 20 dollars(US). Which is cheap considering when it was new it retailed for $50!

The Bottom Line
Overall fans of the genre should check this game out. Especially seeing as there are very few good 3D brawlers like this. The only other one that comes close is probably Gekido. So if you have a Saturn and you have 20 bucks you could do worse than to check out Die Hard Arcade.