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Spy Hunter

2004

It's like the original Midway classic "Spy Hunter", except that...well, it's not.

What we do have here is a solid action game, one that features some of the things that made the original "Spy Hunter" so good--a great title song (the "Peter Gunn" theme), lots of baddies to blow up and almost no plotline.  And, of course, the Weapons Van, which supplies you with upgrades over the course of the game.

But, in its normal mode the game is normally quite easy, and the action gets repetitive VERY fast.  The weapons from the rear of the car--maybe the best aspects of the original game--are essentially useless here, but worse, they aren't very much fun to deploy thanks to the game's perspective.  So, having Oil Slick and Smoke Screen options is not nearly as cool as before, when you could shift it into high gear and drop a smoke screen on three bad guys, and of course, enjoy that awesome sound effect of smoke deployment.

In other words, buy this used, play it through, and feel good about yourself.  You could do worse, but wouldn't you rather do better?

Rating:  eBay

 

Feedback?  Comments?  Hot doughnut tip?  justin@bellviewmovies.com

 

Bellview Rating System:

"Opening Weekend":  Buy this game right away, and don't ask me any questions as to why that's a good move.  A game experience that will almost guarantee repeated controller abuse, lots of ManScreaming and high resale value, you will assuredly play this bad boy for months on end. 

"$40":  Usually after games have been out for a while, they drop in price slightly, or can be bought for slightly cheaper in combination with other new games.  Usually, that's about $40.  You'll feel good getting the game for this price, since it isn't quite run-out-and-get-it-right-now good, but it has enough game in the box for a few weeks' worth of enjoyment.

"eBay":  This game is not too bad, but you'd be better off buying it used from either half.com or eBay.  You also might let a friend buy this game, let s/he beat it, and then try to buy it from them to make them feel better.  Yes, this does tend to feel like "Sloppy Seconds."

"Rental":  Like my cousin Ron, you should always rent games that you aren't sure about first, to make sure that your $50 is going towards something worthwhile.  For games in this category, this is the maximum amount of money ($5) and/or time (3-5 days) you'll need to either gain satisfaction from the game, or beat the game in its entirety.  Rental-rated games are also sometimes perfect for a weekend when you are going to be at home on your ass, with some time to kill.

"Dogshit":  Games like this should have never been released.  If you play this game for any reason, you will regret every second of the experience.  Further, if you can get this game for free, don't do it, because even for FREE, it will still be a negative experience for you!