- Release Date: 1997
- Genre: Action
- Style: Third-Person 3D Action
- Similar Games: Die Hard Trilogy (Sega Saturn), Loaded (Sega Saturn), The Crow: City of Angels (Sega Saturn)
Game Description
Die Hard Arcade takes place after the second Die Hard movie, Die Hard with a Vengeance. Single or multiple players may take the role of John McClane and his female partner as they stand against a horde of terrorists to save John's wife and the president's daughter.Gamers must traverse the rooftops, galleries, and restrooms of the Nakatomi Corporation's building, while fighting punks, martial arts experts, sumo wrestlers, and SWAT team members. Die Hard Arcade features multiple endings as well as the Sega Arcade classic Deep Scan. Completing Deep Scan in one try unlocks extra credits for Die Hard Arcade.
~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Let's get the graphics out of the way first. The character models consist of very few polygons and look even blockier than they did in the Arcade version. Backgrounds are solid but they have that overall bland Saturn feel with texture maps that could've been a little more hi-res. Overall, they're not bad but they are definitely not what you would call groundbreaking.So, if you're still with me you must care more about a game than just its graphics. To its advantage, however, the game features some high quality animation and character design that still looks good, even with the low polygon models. There also is always a number of enemies on screen at once (human or robotic) that would normally result in slowdown. Thanks to the low polygon models the system isn't pushed as hard and can keep the game nearly 100% slowdown free!
Then there's the gameplay. You'll find numerous ways to defeat your enemies, be it using one of the many weapons that you will find laying around, by throwing them into other enemies, or by busting out a Virtua Fighter style combo! Of course, the enemies can also pick up the same weapons that are laying about which really makes the game more versatile as you will quickly have to adjust to the way they will start fighting.
Aside from its mediocre graphics, the only flaw that really hampers Die Hard Arcade is its length. The game is astoundingly short as it was originally an arcade quarter cruncher. Of course it's loads of fun and you'll find yourself returning numerous times but as far as secrets or rewards you can forget about it.
Die Hard Arcade will forever be an underrated game as it doesn't come off as being anything more than an action game with weak graphics and the Die Hard movie title attached to it. Beneath the license and the graphics lies a game that is more fun, initially challenging, and diverse than most other 32-bit beat-'em-ups. If you're a fan of the genre, definitely check this one out!
~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
Grab a friend and you'll have a blast! Loads of fast paced fighting action~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
Blocky characters and shoddy texture mapped backgrounds. Very nice animation however.~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
Decent tunes with lots of sound effects for all of the weapons and attacks.~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
While it is fun to return to the game over and over, there's really no incentive to keep playing after you beat the game once.~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
An average manual with the usual information on storyline, options, and controls.~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
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