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Preview  SpyHunter
- By Joe Mackie [Associate Editor]


I have a confession to make. I never played the original Spy Hunter until just before I wrote this preview. It’s a pretty good “car with a gun” shooter, but I don’t see what all the hubbub is about. Check it out at Midway’s website; they have a fun shock wave version to play. The general idea, for those unfamiliar with it, is that you drive real fast and shoot stuff. Sounds great, right? Well, Midway is planning to take this concept and “modernize” it for the Gamecube.

Here’s your mission: The evil corporation Nostra wants to rule the world. Go stop them.

In order to make your job a little easier, you will be given the Interceptor G-6155. This sleek sports car is fully equipped with machine guns, rocket launchers, oil slicks and smoke screens, but the coolest feature of the Interceptor is its transformation abilities. There’s nothing worse than nearly catching the bad guy when all of a sudden he leaps out of the car, steals a boat, and sails away. I know; I have that problem almost everyday. Thankfully, it's all taken care of with the G-6155. Just drive right into the water after him; the car will change into a speedboat. But that’s not all the Interceptor G-6155 can do; it can also transform into a motorcycle when heavily damaged.

In addition to just shooting things, each level features specific mission goals. These include objectives such as shooting enemy cars while not shooting civilian cars, collecting certain items, and shooting certain buildings. It does get a bit more complex than that with goals like escorting another vehicle and placing tracking devices. Successfully completing missions rewards the player with weapon upgrades and eventually an even better car.

The Playstation 2 version of Spy Hunter was generally well received by the gaming press. It featured 14 levels and 2-player support. Expect the GCN version to have enhanced visuals, and possibly some extra missions. Maybe they’ll even throw in a 4-player mode, but don’t count on it.

- 10.30.2001