Metacritic Games

Spy Hunter (Playstation 2)

Based on the arcade classic, Spy Hunter combines explosive combat, action-racing, and mission-based game play as you drive the G-6155 Interceptor, capable of morphing on-the-fly into a jet-powered speed boat, jet watercraft, or motorcycle to escape and evade enemy fire. [Midway]

Midway
Car Combat, Racing
Players: 2
T (Teen)
Developer: Paradigm Entertainment
Released September 25, 2001

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

84 / 100

Critic Reviews

100 Cinescape
Midway has perfectly translated SPY HUNTER into the 3D world and everything feels just right.
100 Hot Games
It’s a well-crafted and loving tribute to the original, but it definitely spices up the action with a new millennium look and feel.
94 Gamezilla!
With the exception of "Ico," this is the most fun I’ve had playing a PS2 game ever.
94 TotalGames.net
From chasing down a hijacked Interceptor to protecting friendly forces or shutting down an enemy base, Spy Hunter rarely leaves you with less than four things to think about with each of the fourteen levels boasting some of the most exhilarating set-pieces your likely to have witnessed for some time.
90 Cloudchaser
With its awesome gameplay, its slick presentation, and the classic theme of the '83 coin-op respected in full, Spy Hunter for the PlayStation 2 is one of the biggest surprises of the year.
90 Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
It engrosses you in the way that only a great video game can. [Nov 2001, p.163]
89 IGN
One of Midway's best arcade games in years because it provides an incredible level of racing thrills with a respectable quantity of blasting and action, but more to the point, it's not been messed up.
88 GameSpy
The two player action is decent, and the levels are packed with shortcuts and secret pathways to the finish line, and finding them all only adds to the replay value of the game.
85 TotalPlayStation
I can't find a single gripe with the game. The control is absolutely perfect (wait till you feel the transition from road to water, it's awesome), the sound is great, the interface is clean and gorgeous.
85 Game Informer
One of the best remakes I've played in recent memory. [Nov 2001, p.106]
83 GameZone
Pros might be disappointed in only 14 missions to tackle. There are hidden fields and surprises to unlock though, so Midway has not forgotten the most devoted and persnickety of game fans.
82 Electric Playground
It's a slick, stylish, fun game either way, perhaps worth a little more if you've played the original. Bond minus the boobs, baby, shaken and stirred.
82 Electronic Gaming Monthly
Outside of the somewhat annoying need to replay missions over and over in order to move on in the game, Spy Hunter is totally solid. [Nov 2001, p.210]
80 Adrenaline Vault
The addition of mid-level transitions between land and water also makes for exciting differences in the controls while simultaneously provisioning for some simply amazing environments.
80 Next Generation Magazine
The only problem is there just isn’t enough of it. [Nov 2001, p.108]
80 GamePro
Great pick-up-and-play, arcade-style fun.
80 GamerWeb Sony
Reborn into a new era of gaming, SpyHunter maintains its great name for being a hardcore action racing title.
80 GamePen
Driving the Interceptor is really easy so even those who aren’t into driving games can pick this up easily. The graphics are nicely done and it runs pretty smoothly.
80 PSX Nation
What Midway has done so well is to clearly give the gamer arrows and clear circles to help define each goal. Although you can really fly through the levels at top speeds, these help indicators really keep the game moving at a fun pace without making things frustrating.
80 Maxim Online
All of the carnage is quite satisfying (you get all the old favorites, like oil slick, smoke screen, and missles, not to mention a beefed-up “Peter Gunn” theme).
80 G4 TV
Paradigm has managed to give the series a true upgrade while retaining the excitement of the original right down to some pretty snazzy remakes of the Peter Gunn theme.
80 GameShark
Spy Hunter has left me stunned, proving itself to be one of the most fun and addictive games to hit the PS2.
78 GameSpot
It manages to bring this classic drive-and-shoot arcade game into the next-generation of polygonal gaming without losing the core appeal of the original.
75 Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)
Fun. It's not technically impressive in a look-at-that-sun-glare kinda way, and it won't take hours to master its subtle nuances.
75 Game Revolution
It brings a legendary game into the next-generation with good graphics, tight control and solid if redundant gameplay. It might not be "Goldfinger," but it's a far cry from "Moonraker."
70 All Game Guide
An exciting ride that successfully expands on the aspects that made the original so popular.
70 Yahoo! Games
Fast and frantic gameplay.
67 Core Magazine
There's so much to like about Spy Hunter that it's a shame a few of the developers' design choices make it a chore to play through at times.

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