Spy Hunter Review, 10.0 out of 10 based on 2 ratings

Has any franchise been rebooted as many times as Spy Hunter? This is the third title to bear that simple name, but you’d be forgiven for any confusion over the timeline–for a series with so little canon, it has managed to create quite the continuity traffic jam. Despite all of this, the premise remains essentially unchanged: You are a spy. You drive the G-6155 Interceptor. Go fast and shoot anything that tries to stop you.

The first word that comes to mind to describe the new Spy Hunter is “simple.” That may seem dismissive at first, but it’s probably to the game’s credit. The concept–the very framework of the title–is so silly, so devoid of any real stakes, that playing it straight would probably have been a huge mistake. Instead, Warner Bros. apparently commissioned a simple “arcade style” handheld version of the classic experience, only bothering to touch up the graphics and integrate some basic touchscreen functionality.

Vroom vroom, bitches.

The core gameplay is about as accessible as humanly possible. The right trigger accelerates, the left trigger reverses, and the face buttons are your weapons. There are very brief instances in which you must tap the screen of your 3DS or Vita, but they don’t present any challenge or interesting gameplay mechanics. Of course, it wouldn’t be Spy Hunter if your car didn’t occasionally turn into a boat, which it does, but it does so infrequently and with little effect on the way the vehicle handles. By the way, your car handles more like an Arwing than a Lamborghini, so feel free to play through the entire thing without braking once.

There are some other systems in play. Over the course of the campaign–which comprises about 20 missions of 4-6 minute length–you will unlock different guns and gadgets for the Interceptor, including landmines, missiles, and door-mounted shotguns. Although their acquisition is fixed and linear, they can be upgraded and equipped at your leisure. It’s a simple accoutrement, but it does allow you to tailor your ride to your play-style, while giving a tangible reward for high scores.

This is the touchscreen mini-game. Tap to bomb.

There is also a third-person shooting min-game which pops up several times over the course of the plot. While I appreciate the attempt to add variety to the experience, the execution here is lacking. Instead of controlling the crosshairs of a mounted turret, you are given free reign over the red tracking laser mounted to it, which is slow to maneuver and prohibitively narrow. I wouldn’t say that these segments are difficult, they are short and you can also launch grenades, but they are certainly disappointing. Honestly, I would preferred a more challenging sequence with more precise aim or even a first-person view.

If this is all sounding a bit like something that probably could have been released for much cheaper digitally (or even on mobile devices) then you’ve got a good grasp on the situation. The full retail release is only really justified by the sheer camp value of the attempted plot and some minor visual touches. First and foremost, the villain is patently ridiculous. I won’t spoil too much, but I will say that Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget should probably get in touch with his lawyers. The other great source of cheesy humor is the wide range of things that the Interceptor is forced to do, including plant bombs, pick items up off the road by driving over them, and hit aircraft in mid-flight. This game is goofy.

Ugh, now I want to play wave race 64.

To be fair, some of the art is surprisingly nice for a title which received little to no promotion. The backgrounds and environment in particular got more care than they probably deserved, although most of the vehicles look and behave as they they were miniaturized Hot Wheels. On a related note, the game seems to be in love with its explosion animation, despite it not being overly impressive for a portable offering. In fact, there were quite a few times that the camera went off on an adventure to point out something “cool” that was happening, completely taking me out of the action and throwing off my driving line.

I would say that the best thing about the title is that it is a throwback to a simpler time. I would say that, but that would be a lie. The best thing about Spy Hunter is the fact that it uses the Peter Gunn theme song as menu music. The 2012 arrangement is a little different, as it feels more modern and less jazzy, but it still gets you in the mood for some old-school car combat.

These spinner rims are getting out of control.

There is a multiplayer component of the game, but unfortunately I was unable to find anyone to play with. I delayed this review for as long as I could, but it just doesn’t look like it’s going to be able to support any kind of player-base, as I’m sure you could guess. There is only one MP mode, which pits up to 4 players against each other in an ad hoc race. It sounds like the bare minimum amount of effort was put into it, which was probably a shrew business decision given the fact that this game will likely be lost to obscurity.

The reason that Spy Hunter has endured as a brand for almost 30 years is because it is fundamentally sound. High speed car combat is inherently entertaining. Unfortunately, there’s just not much you can add to that formula to make it compelling without going into outright self-parody. There is arcade fun to be had with the newest version of the venerable G-6155 Interceptor, but for the price you are better off picking up Twisted Metal, Full Auto, or Carmageddon.

A copy of the game was purchased for review purposes and played to completion in about 4 hours. The title was played on PS Vita, but is also available for 3DS.

Also, follow me on Twitter @austinyorski (please).

Spy Hunter Review

By Austin Yorski

The most rebooted franchise in gaming races to handhelds.