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SpyHunter 2 (GCN/PS2/Xbox)
Angel Studios crafts one last racer for Midway.
By Bryn "hardcore_pawn" Williams | July 24, 2003

Game Stats
Platform: GameCube
PlayStation 2
Xbox
Game Type: Sports / Racing
Developer: Angel Studios
Publisher: Midway
Release Date: Q4 2003
ESRB: Rating Pending
Full Game Information (GCN)
Full Game Information (PS2)
Full Game Information (Xbox)

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SpyHunter 2 PS2
Lowest current price: $44.99Everyone remembers Bally Midway's SpyHunter from 1983. It was one of coolest, most-loved scrolling racers ever. Players were able to cruise the highways and waterways in both a car and a speedboat, blasting everything to hell that stood in the way. Midway subsequently had a huge hit on its hands in 2001 when the first next-gen SpyHunter hit the console scene. Updating the game in every conceivable way, drivers were now thrown into a sweet 3D third-person racer with even more cool morphing vehicles and gadgets at their disposal.

It's with much anticipation then that I await the new sequel -- imaginatively named SpyHunter 2. At the recent Midway Gamer's Day held in Las Vegas, I was able to get some play time with the latest build of SpyHunter 2, and I walked away begging for more. The game is being developed by Angel Studios (officially now known as Rockstar San Diego) with a few members of the Midnight Club II team also working on the project. This is to be the very last game that Angel Studios will develop for a third-party publisher (other than Rockstar itself, of course), and so far SpyHunter 2 appears as though it will take out Angel Studios in style.

The premise sees the player piloting their shiny new G-8155 Interceptor as the ongoing battle against the global terrorist organization -- Nostra -- continues. Luckily, SpyHunter 2's latest vehicle has been tricked-out even further than its predecessor, and now has the ability to morph into an off-road four-wheel drive motor and bike as well as a slick snowmobile. You take on the role of super-cool spy Alec Sects who must pilot the G-8155 Interceptor across 16 hardcore levels spread out over four different locations. The G-8155 is equipped with upgradeable offensive and defensive weaponry as well as a new iteration of computer AI known as Leonie 2.0. The onboard computer system is dedicated to bringing you mission-critical information about your enemies, environments, and the bosses.

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Visually speaking, SpyHunter 2 looks very sharp indeed. The roads and tracks are super fast and well detailed, and there's a decent amount of interactive environmental objects littered throughout each stage. Enemies come in many different shapes and sizes, ranging from single-driver attack bikes and heavily armored trucks and tanks, to assault choppers circling above in the skies. Thanks to some sweet auto-cannon/laser-guided missile weaponry, you'll easily be fend off the viscous advances of the Nostra agents. Still not enough? Try dropping a few well-placed landmines in your rear view to take out vehicles that prefer to take potshots from behind.

A key addition to SpyHunter 2 is the top-secret sexy female secret agent who pops up from time to time. It's your job to work as a team and bring down Nostra's plans for world domination. But it ain't gonna be easy.

Controlling the G-8155 is a snap. SpyHunter 2 plays like a solid racing title and the weapon/attacking aspect of the game has been implemented well. There are now eight brand-new Nostra bosses to overcome, including a runaway train -- where each individual carriage must be destroyed before gaining access to the locomotive at the front. All of bosses will have special attack patterns to master, and although the current build of SpyHunter 2 suffered from some difficult balance issues (i.e. it was as hard as nails), Midway assures us that gamers are in for a challenge that will reward, not frustrate.


Just another drive-by shooting, nothing to see here. Also, there's some cool bonus DVD content packed onto the disc that'll offer up more history about the SpyHunter series along with its current evolution onto the next-generation console systems. Getting a previewable build of SpyHunter 2 is something that I'm looking forward to greatly. Only then will I be able to check out the multiplayer game in detail and wage war against Nostra in style. SpyHunter 2 is set to hit the streets in November, but GameSpy will be bringing you more hands-on impressions before then. Stay tuned!