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The 1988's Die Hard set a new precedent for adventure films.
It's fitting then,
that this totally underrated game based on the film should bring new
ideas to adventure games. Die Hard is certainly not like anything
you're used to playing, and the focus is not so much on the action
as it is on just surviving.
If you aren't
familiar with the film, here's the basic setup. It's Christmas time
in L.A., and off-duty cop John McClane is visiting his wife in the Nakatomi
Plaza high-rise. Everything is interrupted when elite German bank
robbers ("Who said we were terrorists?") storm the building
and take hostages while they work to disable security locks on the
tower's vault. If successful, they will walk away with 640 million
dollars. The one thing they did not count on is McClane, who is the
only person to evade capture and grab his police-issue pistol. You're
alone and outnumbered, but you're armed and so far undetected. That's
a place to start.
The
first thing you must understand is that this is NOT a simple action
game. If you just run around shooting bad guys, you'll die far
too quickly. You must actually rely on stealth and surprise if
you hope to succeed. Granted, this is the NES version of "stealth
and surprise," but it works pretty well. Like Metal Gear, you can
stay out of an enemy's vision and sneak up from behind. Most
enemies have automatic
weapons that can hit you multiple times in a single burst, taking
a bar of life for each hit. You must actually use cover, accurate
shots with your limited ammo, and surprise to have any
chance of survival. There's no more taking bullets and simply
finding a heath kit in this game, as health powerups are also
extremely rare. The game truly requires you to guard your life
and pick your fights. Though with each enemy you waste, you can
pick up their machine gun, ammo, and any other useful items to
give you an advantage as you press on. Uncommon items include
stun grenades and bricks of C4, which, if you also find the bag
of detonators, can be used as timed explosives. |
With such limited health and so many enemies,
shootouts can get pretty intense.
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There are 40 total
"crooks" spread throughout the floors. Your goal is to survive
for six 4-minute periods as they work to disable each of the vault
locks, taking this time to kill as many of them as you can. When the
locks are broken, you gain access to the 30th floor where the hostages
are held, and where you will fight all the enemies you have not yet
killed, as well as the main boss. You'll start on the 32nd floor of
the tower, with free access to the 31st through the 35th. The game
is totally non-linear in this respect, and you can move between the
floors at will, provided your will leads you to the staircase or elevator.
You can also gain access to the roof and 4th floor. Both of these
involve side quests such as contacting the police or destroying the
main computer. They are obviously optional, but if you complete them
it will make your life a little easier by slowing the criminals down
or thinning their numbers.
Picking
up radios let you listen in on important conversations and know
when terrorists are searching for you. Contacting the police
will give you extra help.
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The
side missions add variety to the game, but the real gems are its
small innovations. The bad guys stay in constant contact, and
you can listen in on their conversations by picking up radios
off the defeated. This allows you to stay one step ahead of their
plans and know when they're on to you. They're pretty smart too.
For example, if you make a lot of noise on a particular floor,
additional enemies will be sent to that floor to investigate and
act as backup. They will also actually search across the level
until they find you. Another innovation is a fog-of-war system
that blacks out parts of the level outside your vision,
so you can only "see"
what's in your line of sight. Also worth mentioning
is the "Feet"
meter, that acts as a sort of stamina limit. As you move around
the levels, this meter gradually depletes and runs out faster
by running or walking on broken glass. As your foot power diminishes,
you move slower and take longer to move between levels. There
are health kits to repair this damage, but like the life powerups,
they are in short supply. |
The
graphics, sound, and controls are pretty standard NES fare. They
get the job done, and there's a bit too much purple and blue used
in place of real shadows. Still, there's an impressive attempt to
recreate the tower floors seen in the movie in NES form, and the
levels certain feel like an office building - you can even hide in
supply closets and bathrooms. But the real reason to give Die Hard a try is
the gameplay. It simply is unlike most other games, and especially
other NES fare. It's also a great interactive version of the film,
choosing to
drop you into the situation of the movie and let you do what you
will, instead of simply playing through one linear level after another. You
are allowed to play the game as you see best. If there is
one fault, it's that it assumes you are already familiar with
the plot. You are dumped immediately into the game without any
explanation of what's going on or what to do. Yet this does fit
with the theme, as it requires exploration and ingenuity - basically
what McClane had to do through the whole film. |
The line
of sight system blacks out areas you can't see, forcing you
to stay on your guard.
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Die Hard is definitely
a game to try out, if just to see a new way of playing the action
genre. Once you pick up on it, you'll find it a rewarding and enjoyable
experience, and it's worth playing through to see all the different
endings and relive key moments from the movie.
-reviewed 7/23/01 - game copyright 1991 Activision
Engaging
adventure game, multiple endings revisit scenes and explore possibilities
from the film.
Never got the respect it deserved.
Die Hard on MobyGames
Gameplay video at NESGuide
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