Sound:  
If you like the Peter Gunn theme song, then you’re in for a treat because you’ll be hearing a lot of it. The rock group Saliva (yeah Josie, their lead singer, is in on Chad Kroeger’s “Hero” song from the Spiderman soundtrack) has remade the Peter Gunn theme song in two different variations – of which you’ll hear the first remake plenty (the second one is only heard in the final stage). Weapon and vehicle sound effects are very standard and fit the bill.

Gameplay:  
For short periods of time, a lot of fun can be had with Spy Hunter. As a special agent, you are thick into trying to stop “Nostra” from taking control of the world by knocking out all of the electricity in the world. At its core, are 14 missions in real life locations such as Venice or England with one primary objective and several additional ones for you to overcome, as well. Typical objectives generally involve destroying and collecting things, or disarming bombs.

Spy Hunter has a feel all of its own because not only is it car combat, but it’s a race against the clock as well. In early missions, the clock never really becomes a factor – however, in later missions, every second you’re given counts as you zoom around corners, changing lanes and busting caps on some foes. It does get intense as your ride accumulates damage and the timer nears its end.

Your vehicle is called the G-6155 Interceptor, and it’s coolness shines in that it can transform into two other forms – a boat and a motorcycle (typically when the car itself is about to be destroyed). After each successfully completed mission you will receive an upgrade to your vehicle – upgrades such as triple heat-seeking missiles, smoke screens, better machine guns, and lots of other things that would make the mafia proud.

Mission progression is entirely based on how many objectives you’ve completed, total. This means you don’t need to pass all objectives in each mission before moving on; however, by later missions, you may very well find yourself returning to redo early missions and objectives because you haven’t completed enough objectives to progress to the next mission.

The game controls reasonably well. The only major gripe is reversing directions is very difficult. Also, because the game sometimes gets a little skippy, control gets affected negatively. Otherwise, the controls are smart and intuitive.

Multiplayer:
It exists, but it could have been so much more than it is. Since Spy Hunter was apparently a rush port job, Paradigm didn’t even bother utilizing the four controller ports on the GameCube, and we instead get a two-player game. This mode enables you to compete against a friend only within the levels that you’ve totally completed successfully: this means any level that EVERY objective has been beaten, and only these levels. Can’t fully beat a certain level with every objective completed? Sorry, no multiplayer for you on that level. Multiplayer is fun for a while but you’re best off returning to your old mainstays.

OVERALL:
Spy Hunter is a fun game for a short, quick burst of play. It doesn’t contain a heck of a lot of depth, but its speed and immediate action are nice draws for some quick 30-minute fun. I really cannot recommend purchasing it – however, it fits the bill as a great one-time rental. It is disappointing that more time wasn’t put into making this more than a second-tier port job.

 

The Lowdown on  SpyHunter Aesthetics: Below Average Control: Above Average Gameplay: Above Average Multiplayer: Average Sound: Average Innovation: 3/6 Lasting Appeal: 2/6 Overall: Average! "An Average Game"