SpyHunter
Believe it or not, this is only the second American game to be written about in this thread. It is much much better than Oni. In fact, SpyHunter rules.
This is one of those games that I owned back when it was something new, something to be amazed by. I remember being so transfixed by the way this car can transform into a boat or eject into a motorcycle. There is a beautiful jank to it. There are so many explosions. It has so much arcade spirit that I cannot say an ill word against it.
My car wants to go forward and never in reverse. However, I can bend the car to my will. And I often did, because there are baubles delicately hanging above ramps that I cannot afford to overlook. Before every mission, I’m given a task list where each task gives me points so I can move on. In my current, real-life job, I’m given a task list as well, and the more I do gives me money so I can move on. Were the developers of this game inspired by productivity strategies or was my manager inspired by SpyHunter? It’s indeterminable.
There are a lot of great touches to the streets I drive. In one mission, I’m in pursuit of a clone of my supercar. We race through the mountains the same time that cyclists are racing. The first time I tried this mission, my car veered around a ridge and took out maybe 10 Lance Armstrongs. I lost a point, but if I really wanted to, I could have let that be the reality. After all, I still destroyed my rival, demolished the enemy radio towers, and collected the shiny blue baubles. What’s one point lost after all that?
I’m going to be honest, there’s no way I’m beating this game. The task list design demands perfect mastery a track. Granted, it’s not that hard. I could grind the levels, learn their bumps and grooves, but my brain is itching for something new.