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Die Hard: Vendetta Review
Chris Leyton
21/11/2002
Some really good ideas and great moments are let down by crucial gameplay flaws.
If nothing else, Die Hard: Vendetta impresses, purely because itās nice to see a game designed specifically for the GameCube. At present too many games are being lazily ported to the machine, resulting in gamers getting a wrong impression about the power of the machine.
Die Hard: Vendetta plot and storyline follows faithfully in the formula set out by the previous three films; players assume the role of John McClane who has recently retired from his position in the LAPD, however retirement doesnāt bring countless holidays for John. Within no time at all a heist at an Art Gallery is broadcast on TV (courtesy of Dick Thornberg, Die Hard buffs will recognise the name), and John notices that his daughter, who has followed his footsteps and joined the Police Forces, has become embroiled in the situation. So begins Die Hard: Vendetta, a game that sees you taking on terrorists, bucking regulations and once again becoming the unlucky hero. The games authenticity to the nature of the previous films is the strongest part of the game, if no other Die Hard films emerge, then Die Hard: Vendetta can proudly hold its head up high as āthe movie that never wasā.
Although action is the primary focus in a game like this, Bits Studios have done a commendable job of trying to add some depth to the gameplay. Virtually every character in the game has something to say (and usually quite a lot), rather surprisingly the voice-acting is up to a good standard, even the frequent swearing helps to recreate that Die Hard experience and doesnāt wane or grate. However itās not just in the presentation that Die Hard: Vendetta impresses; because one of the games main features is to rescue hostages, youāll find that youāll need to interrogate a number of crooks to uncover vital information. The game features a neat stealth element, whereby John can sneak behind the enemy and grab hold of them; this gives you a number of options, including the ability to interrogate them and eventually arrest them or using them as human shields to help your progress. Thereās even a very impressive bullet-time/max payne slow-mo effect, by shooting enemies youāll build up your hero time, when you activate this the action all slows down and Beethovenās Symphony No.9 cuts in; Iām not quite sure why, but like Clockwork Orange, violence works very well when overlaid on to the classical piece!
The structure of the game sees John undertaking a series of missions, each of which have a number of objectives, which change through the progression of the level as you slowly uncover more details and exactly what terrorists what with an art dealer. Each mission has a number of set pieces that do a wonderful job of enhancing the cinematic nature of the title, for example to gain entry to the higher levels in the Chinese Theatre quietly you can shoot the canopy and climb up it. The game also allows you to complete the objectives in a number of possible ways, from disguising yourself as gang-member to the tried and trusted guns blaring classic Die Hard approach.
Unfortunately Die Hard: Vendetta suffers from a number of critical flaws, which stop this being the must-have title that is so nearly became. For starters, Die Hard: Vendetta is bad for your stress levels, too many times youāll become infuriated with the controls that stick in place and refuse to move, whilst having to start a level right from the start when youāve been killed without a chance in hell of doing anything about it, is not my idea of fun. Die Hard: Vendetta takes the trial-and-error approach to level design, but unfortunately the levels are too big and thereās a severe lack of checkpoints; the result is a game thatās likely to infuriate as much as it will entertain you.
