Die Hard: Vendetta

An enjoyable, challenging, and generally good FPS game. The lack of multiplayer obviously lets it down, but this is still a great shooter.

A pleasant surprise. But the stand-out moments are marred by irritating flaws and often unbearable levels of frustration. [NGC]

One problem with this game is the targeting system. The auto aim is far too generous, thus removing any kind of skill factor. You can switch it off but then it becomes absolutely impossible to hit anything.

The sad fact though is that this game could have been so much better, as it is just discouraging to see so much potential in a game, and then to not have it pull through like you would have hoped it would.

There are some fantastic moments and some really great ideas that action fans will love, however the flaws and the insistence on trial-and-error approach will infuriate everyone who plays it.

The audio track, control setbacks, and average physical graphics combine to make this an average first-person shooter.

The dynamic cinema cam uses fast cuts for a movielike feel. [Jan 2003, p.173]

From the hostage-taking dynamics to the controls, the experience just feels unpolished.

Pretty lame in almost every way, shape, and form. [Jan 2003, p.100]

The completely implausible story, the variety of situations McClane finds himself in and some genuinely funny dialog help elevate it out of the junk heap.

By far the worst part of Vendetta is the controls. Bad graphics and sound can be forgiven if the game itself is worth playing. Unfortunately, it's hard to enjoy a game with controls as bad as this.

There are some great bits of level design to be found here, but it's a shame that the stealth elements are used almost entirely as linear puzzles.

No multiplayer support, poor controls (although it is with a GC controller, which is a losing battle in and of itself), a storyline that puts you to sleep, and puzzles that will make you give your TV the finger.

For all its problems, Vendetta is a laugh and offers some fun moments, although has little or no value once placed against some of the better console FPSs.

The idea of taking hostages in a first person shooter is novel, and stealth also can be interesting. None of that negates the impact the auto-aim has on the game, or how frustrating the controls can be. Throw in the terrible graphics, the linear missions, and the lack of any sort of multiplayer and Die Hard Vendetta is one of the worse Gamecube FPS’s.

The execution is sloppy, and in the end, the game simply feels unfinished.

The embodiment of third-rate gameplay.

If you want a game that does the franchise justice, you can probably pick up the fantastically entertaining Die Hard Trilogy on PSone for about one eighth of the cost of this.

Playing DHV makes me feel like Hans Gruber at the end of the first "Die Hard" film: falling backward toward the pavement, flailing and screaming. [Dec 2002, p.228]

Its bargain-basement visuals, vapid enemy A.I., and flaccid controls ensure that the game could stand accused of lameness in a court of law.

Uneventful level desigin and poor AI. [Feb 2003, p.91]