| Introduction
Spy Hunter is almost twenty years old now and although
it did make an appearance on the GBC, this is its first
outing on the GBA. It may have been worth the wait though
as this is the new revamped version and even though
the gameplay is exactly the same as the original, this
release is based on the recent Playstation 2 game. Gone
are the overhead views and in comes the new and improved
3D style engine - at least that's the case on all the
other consoles except for the GBA which has to settle
instead for the slightly less inspiring 'Mode 7' visuals.
This has been successful in the past and Mario Kart
is still a big seller as a racing title. The difference
here is that this is a mission based spy game. Will
it work? Let's see...
GamePlay
Before you attack any of the missions in Spy Hunter
you're greeted by a briefing screen which details both
the primary and secondary objectives required for its
success although only the primary must be completed
in order to progress to the next level. Primary objectives
will normally involve destroying things or disarming
bombs whilst the secondary could be as simple as not
hurting civilians. All this is against the clock and
while the earlier missions are quite simple they get
rapidly, and progressively, more difficult as the game
develops.
Obviously the most important piece of kit here is
your car, which is armed to the teeth with the latest
high tech gadgets. You do, however, only get a limited
amount of everything so keeping an eye out for pick-ups
is very important. The car is ingenious and also incredibly
intelligent and will automatically transform into a
speedboat on hitting water and then back to a car again
once you reach dry land. Too much damage though and
you'll be transformed into less powerful versions of
the two and then it becomes essential that you find
your equipment truck. On discovering this you will automatically
drive inside and so replenish all your health and ammo.
This should be used with caution though as it can only
be used once so choosing the right moment could be the
difference between success and failure.
One aspect of any title that elevates the gameplay
to above average is the introduction of bonus items
and secrets. Spy Hunter has a fair few of these which
can be collected in various ways. Firstly every level
has a gold star somewhere and, although in the earlier
levels these are reasonably easy to find, the later
levels will find you searching not only behind objects
but also inside of them simply to locate these valuable
items. Once collected they unlock cheats, extra weapons
and cars so they're well worth rooting out. Next is
the Arcade Mode which is only unlocked once you've completed
all the primary objectives in the game whilst the Super
Agent Mode requires both primary and secondary. All
these extras are possible because of the games handy
battery backup system and like all quality titles it
does it automatically as soon as you've completed a
mission.
Controls
This can be very confusing at first as all the GBA's
controls are used for various actions. The basic driving
is very responsive, you'll find that mastering the handbrake
turns will get you out of a lot of dangerous situations
quickly and efficiently. What may challenge you initially
though is the fact that some of the driving controls
are the same as those used by the weapons system. It
will all come together eventually because it's been
well designed but only after you've trashed a few cars
practicing it.
Graphics
The 'Mode 7' representation of the new style Spy
Hunter works surprisingly well and the terrain has been
solidly designed with most of the objects staying rooted
to their original position. In addition you'll be treated
to some wonderful rendered cut screens, which have been
directly lifted from the Playstation 2 version. These
appear at the beginning and between levels so although
some FMV would have been a lot more impressive they
seem to do an adequate job in forwarding the story.
Sound & Music
The audio department is well taken care of and as
soon as the game starts up you're treated to a reworking
of The Theme from Peter Gunn which was the original
theme to the game back in the early 1980s. The incidental
music is also well above average but the real highlights
are the sound effects. It starts with your operative
back at headquarters who'll continually brief you regarding
the current mission status. This is accompanied by the
usual engine whirring, turbo boosts and most impressive
of all - the explosions. I'd urge you to sample all
this through a decent set of headphones for the full
effect. You wont be disappointed.
Final Comments
The market is flooded with 'Mode 7' racers at the
moment and although this utilises the same technology
the objectives are far more varied than simply coming
first. Updating a classic such as Spy Hunter was a risk
but fortunately for the developers it's all paid off
and what's more the original playability has remained
intact. There's also the possibility of extended gameplay
and even if you fly through the game you'll still need
to go back to collect all the gold stars and complete
every objective, and this is before you even approach
the two player mode. The GBA appears to have stalled
at the moment quality gaming wise and, as a result,
original releases are a rare and welcome addition to
its increasing catalogue. If you enjoy shooting things,
collecting others and mission based driving games then
you should definitely give Spy Hunter a look.
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