The announced revival of the Spy Hunter franchise in 2001 was met with huge anticipation and nostalgic memories of smokescreens and the unforgettable Peter Gunn theme.  And though the release of the game was only met with slightly-better-than-average review scores, most agreed that Spy Hunter was back in a big way.  For this sequel Midway went the route of commissioning one of the most well known driving game developers on the map; Rockstar San Diego, whose work you may know from games like Smuggler’s Run and Midnight Club.  So how is it then that Spy Hunter 2 is actually a step backward from the original 128-bit game? 

Midway and Rockstar certainly gave a valiant effort to make Spy Hunter 2 a game that does justice to its namesake; beefing up the already-ultra-cool G-6155 Interceptor and rechristening it as the G-8155, adding a new female sidekick who comes equipped with heavy artillery and huge guns, and including cool making-of goodies and interviews.  But the story, which was questionable in the first game, is no better here and it’s told mainly through boring, long-winded text messages that appear during pre-mission loading screens.  Suffice to say that the evil, wannabe world dominators, NOSTRA are at it again and only Alec Sects and his four-wheeled death contraption can put a stop to their sinister plans. 

The Spy Hunter games have never needed much of a cohesive story, because the straightforward and satisfying gameplay has always taken center stage.  That simply is not the case here.  The structure of the game is a melding pot of random sections spliced into winding roads littered with opponents whose firepower seems to inflict random damage on your Interceptor.  There are a few different types of levels, however.  There are the get-from-one-end-to-the-other variety, which are based on the original arcade game, escort missions, defend-the-base style missions, and multi-tiered boss fights.  Of these levels, only the classic style sequences and boss battles are genuinely entertaining.  Why the developers decided to even include escort missions is a mystery.

Luckily, the driving mechanics are quite competent, as they should be considering Rockstar San Diego’s gleaming track record for driving games.  The G-8155 Interceptor is really freaking fast and very responsive.  As in previous games, your supercar has the ability to transform into a few different forms.  Depending on the terrain you’re driving on, hitting the triangle button will change the car into an Off-road 4X4, an Interceptor Boat, and a Snow Ski.  If your vehicle sustains heavy damage then it will automatically shed the majority of its body and transform into the smaller variations, such as an Escape Cycle or Jet Ski.

And what would a top-of-the-line, transforming supercar be without weapons?  The Interceptor comes stocked with machine guns and mines, though plenty more weapons are bestowed upon progressing through the game.  Smokescreens can be used to divert enemies who are on your tail; oil slicks trip up foes from the rear; there are nine types of missiles and rockets, perfect for laying waste to baddies ahead of you; and the six variants of machine and rail guns ensure you’ll be able to cut down scads of ill-equipped rivals in a flash.  Of course, the more powerful your weapons become, the more deadly your enemies become, so you never really feel like you’re the undisputed king of the road, especially during fierce boss battles.

Spy Hunter 2 is short, really short.  Each of the game’s 16 missions are no longer than five minutes apiece.  The developers opted to go with an increased difficulty to leverage the short length of the campaign, and while this strategy may increase the lifespan of the game it does little to make playing it fun.  What’s more, if you get killed right as you are about to complete a mission, you’ll be forced to start over, from the beginning.  There are no checkpoints, no free-roaming areas, nothing; just pure unadulterated, on-rails shooting, of which you will tire of quickly due to having to replay missions over and over again.  Basically, succeeding in Spy Hunter 2 is a matter of memorizing where enemies spawn, road layout, and the location of weapon/health power-ups.

The multiplayer modes in Spy Hunter 2 seem pretty interesting on paper; you and a friend can play through the main campaign, with one player controlling the Interceptor and main guns, and the other player managing the secondary weapons.  This mode does enhance the experience somewhat, but the second player is usually left twiddling their thumbs, waiting for the action to come to them instead of the other way around.  There’s also a decent deathmatch multiplayer mode where each player is in control of their own Interceptor and the goal is simply to blow up the other person.  While by no means original or innovative, the deathmatch style of play does manage to prove an entertaining diversion.

Visually, Spy Hunter 2 is a good looking game, though when compared to 2001’s Spy Hunter it isn’t anything special.  The frame rate runs at a fairly consistent 30 frames per second, and the environments seem a little larger this time around.  But the texture quality is lacking, and none of the locales you visit stand out the way they did in the first game.  Instead it seems the developers went with larger areas but forgot to infuse memorable scenery.  The sound presentation fares a bit better, featuring some techno remixed versions of the famous Peter Gunn theme and some tracks from Vanessa Carlton.  Sound effects haven’t changed much from the last Spy Hunter, though they are by all means adequate. 

Overall, Spy Hunter 2 is a by-the-book driving/shooting game that, while including some new features, can’t muster the same caliber of intensity or action that was found in the arcade original or indeed the first next-gen Spy Hunter, which, for those keeping track, is well over two years old.  Midway seemed to have the right idea when they decided to go with Rockstar for development purposes, but the artists formerly known as Angel Studios completely dropped the ball.  If you were a fan of the last Spy Hunter game, then you may want to rent the sequel, otherwise steer clear.

Gameplay: 6.7

Controlling the Interceptor is easy and satisfying, but the questionable damage done to your car during skirmishes makes completing any given level a complete crap shoot.

Graphics: 7.1
For all intents and purposes, the first Spy Hunter is the better looking game.  Though the larger environments and car transformation animations do look quite good.

Sound: 7.3

The music is slanted towards techno, but if you like that kind of thing you’ll be happy with what can be found here.

Difficulty: Hard

Since the levels are only five minutes each the developers made sure you would have to replay them multiple times before being able to beat them.  Frustrating.

Concept: 7.7
I’m all for a Spy Hunter rebirth, but Midway is going to have to come correct if they want to make any money off this franchise.

Multiplayer: 7.1

The co-op campaign is kind of cool for an hour or two, but the deathmatch mode is where most will go for their multiplayer fix.

Overall: 6.7

Overall, Spy Hunter 2 just isn’t as polished or fun as it could have been.