Die Hard Arcade,known asDynamite Deka(ダイナマイト hình sự,Dainamaito Deka,lit.Dynamite Detective)in Japan, is an arcadebeat 'em upvideo game released bySega.It was the first beat 'em up to usetexture-mapped3Dpolygon graphics,[5]and used a sophisticated move set by contemporary beat 'em up standards, often being likened to afighting gamein this respect.[6]It also featuresquick time events,the ability to combine items to make more powerful weapons, and in two-player mode the ability to perform combined special moves and combos.
| Die Hard Arcade | |
|---|---|
 North American Saturn cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Sega AM1 Sega Technical Institute |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Director(s) | Makoto Uchida |
| Producer(s) | Roger Hector Rikiya Nakagawa Makoto Uchida |
| Designer(s) | Makoto Uchida |
| Programmer(s) | Hiroshi Ando |
| Artist(s) | Kunitake Aoki Tatsuto Kumada |
| Composer(s) | Howard Drossin |
| Platform(s) | Arcade,Sega Saturn,PlayStation 2,PlayStation Network |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Beat 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
| Arcade system | ST-V[5] |
The game was published in cooperation withFox Interactiveand was a licensed product based on theDie Hardmoviefranchise.Because Sega did not hold the Japanese video game rights forDie Hard,in Japan the game was stripped of theDie Hardlicense and published as an original property.
Similarly to hitaction filmsof the time,Die Hard Arcadeis dominated by over-the-top, largely gore-free violence which is played for comedic effect.[6]Released in 1996 for arcades, the game was ported to theSega Saturnin 1997 and thePlayStation 2(Japan only) in theSega Agesline in 2006. A sequel,Dynamite Cop,was released for arcades andDreamcastin 1998 without theDie Hardlicense.
Gameplay
editDie Hard Arcadeis a beat 'em up for one or two players, who play as eitherJohn McClaneor Kris Thompsen (Bruno Delinger and Cindy Holiday in the Japanese version). Players fight their way through waves of enemies, using their fists, feet, and a variety of weapons that can be collected from enemies or the environment, from household items such as brooms and pepper shakers to high-damage missile launchers, submachine guns and anti-tank rifles.[7]Items can be combined to make more powerful weapons, such as combining a spray and a lighter to make a flamethrower.[3]Most weapons are automatically lost at the end of each action scene, but hand guns can be retained so long as they have ammunition remaining. The typical level structure is a number of minions the player must defeat in many rooms, followed by a boss.Quick Time Eventsare interspersed between many of the scenes. Failing a Quick Time Event results in either a loss of health, as is usual for QTEs, or an additional action scene which the players otherwise would not have to complete.[7]Cut scenesare interspersed into the action.[8]
In two-playercooperative mode,both players can work together with combined special moves and combos.[3]The Saturn version also includes a port of Sega's 1979 arcade gameDeep Scan,which can be used to gain extra credits.[8]Unlike most arcade ports, no additional credits are provided forDeep Scan;losing a single life results in a game over.
Plot
editIn the English version, John McClane and Kris Thompsen (Bruno Delinger and Cindy Holiday) try to save thePresident'sdaughter, Caroline Powell, from terrorists. There are a number of bosses in the game, including abikercalled Hog, aMexican wrestlernamed Jocko, the twin team of Mr. Oishi (asumo wrestler) and Mr. Tubbs (an army general), a nameless muscle-bound fire chief armed with tiny grenades, and two pairs of laser-shooting Spiderbots. The final boss, of which all the others are henchmen, is known as Wolf "White Fang" Hongo. At the end of the game, if both players are still alive, the two players will fight each other on the rooftop of the skyscraper to gain the sole appreciation of the President's daughter[7](similar to the ending ofDouble Dragon).
Development
editDie Hard Arcadeoriginated as a means for Sega to use existing resources: Sega had produced an excess inventory ofST-Varcade boards, and had acquired theDie Hardlicense but as yet had noDie Hardgames in development.[9]The game was created bySega AM1and the US-basedSega Technical Institute(STI), with all work on the game taking place at STI's facilities.[9]Sega AM1 provided the engineering, design, and art, while STI provided art, design and animation.Die Hard Arcadewas the final game developed by STI before the studio was dissolved.[9]Previews reveal that up until shortly before the game's arcade release, the gameplay was strictly two dimensional, with characters only able to move along a single plane.[10]The game was developed simultaneously for the ST-V Titanarcadesystem andSega Saturn,but the home version was released later.
The Japanese version ofDie Hard Arcade,Dynamite Deka,was followed by a sequel titledDynamite Deka 2for the arcade andDreamcast.The sequel was released internationally asDynamite Cop.In 2007, a remake of the second game was released in arcades (onNAOMI) under the nameDynamite Deka EXin Japan andAsian Dynamitein Europe and the USA. Bruno, from the original Japanese version, later appeared as a solo unit in the 2012 crossover role-playing game,Project X Zone,recolored to match hisDynamite Copappearance in the Western releases. Because the character is based on John McClane, Bruno's likeness is modeled afterBruce Willis.
Reception
edit| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer and Video Games | Positive (ARC)[3] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 7.375/10 (SAT)[11] |
| GameSpot | 7.1/10 (SAT)[12] |
| Next Generation |   (ARC)[13](SAT)[14] |
| Sega Saturn Magazine | 80% (SAT)[15] |
Die Hard Arcadeachieved a certain degree of success upon release.[16]In Japan,Game MachinelistedDie Hard Arcadeon their August 15, 1996 issue as being the second most-successful arcade game of the month.[17]Computer and Video Gamesmagazine gave the arcade game a positive review, comparing it favorably with theStreets of Rageseries and comparing the moves and combos to the fighting gameVirtua Fighter 2(1994).[3]Reviewing the arcade version, aNext Generationcritic saidDie Hard Arcade"breathes life into a dead-end genre", as the fighting moves are effective and far more abundant than in previous beat 'em ups, even discounting the acquirable weapons. He also found the graphics "lively", but criticized that it is often difficult to line up attacks with opponents, and the action is sometimes glitchy or sluggish.[13]It was Sega's most successful US-produced arcade game up to that time.[9]
Reviews for the Saturn port applauded its flawless conversion of the arcade version,[11][14][15][18]variety of moves and combos,[11][14][15][18]and selection of satisfying-to-use weapons,[11][12][14][15]while criticizing the low longevity stemming from its short length, low difficulty, and limited replay value.[11][14][15][18]Most critics asserted that even mildly-skilled players would beat the game within an hour, even without using the extra credits that can be earned by playingDeep Scan.[11][14][15]Glenn RubensteinofGameSpotdisputed this, saying that most players would need credits fromDeep Scanto have a reasonable chance of beating the game.[12]Paul Glancey ofSega Saturn Magazinewas particularly enthusiastic about the weapons, commenting that "there's not much to beat the thrill of smacking a terrorist right in his low brow with an antique grandfather clock." However, he stated that the game overall was "a fun fighting game that's especially suited for novice players, but it's too short lived for more experienced beat 'em up fans."[15]Sushi-X ofElectronic Gaming Monthlywas also less than impressed, concluding, "Take away the humor, decent graphics and simple control, and you've got a bust." His three co-reviewers were more positive, with Crispin Boyer in particular calling the game "the slickest rip-off ofFinal FightI've ever seen. "[11]GamePro's The Rookie made little ofDie Hard Arcade's low longevity, deeming the game a welcome offering to enthusiasts of back-to-basics beat 'em up gameplay.[18]ANext Generationcritic noted the longevity as a major issue but likewise gave a firmly positive assessment: "Die Hard Arcadeis designed for pure and simple action, and it delivers. "[14]Rubenstein similarly described it as "simple, violent, and easy. Basically, it's a blast."[12]
GamesRadarranked it number 25 on the list of the best Sega Saturn games, claiming that the "wide array of firearms and melee weapons helped amp up the arcade-style action."[19]
References
edit- ^abAkagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006).アーケードTVゲームリスト quốc nội • hải ngoại biên (1971-2005)[Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. pp. 38, 132.ISBN978-4990251215.
- ^Sega Arcade History.Famitsu DC(in Japanese).Enterbrain.2002. p. 137.
- ^abcde"New Games: Die Hard Arcade".Computer and Video Games.No. 179 (October 1996). 9 September 1996. p. 96.
- ^"SEGA SATURN BRINGS HOME DIE HARD ARCADE FOR THE ULTIMATE LIVING ROOM BRAWL".Sega Central.Sega of America. March 18, 1997. Archived fromthe originalon February 2, 1998.RetrievedDecember 14,2020.
- ^abWebb, Marcus (August 1996). "Up and Coming Coin-Ops".Next Generation.No. 20.Imagine Media.p. 18.
- ^abLeadbetter, Rich (March 1997). "Rage Hard!".Sega Saturn Magazine.No. 17.Emap International Limited.pp. 46–49.
- ^abc"Return of the McClane".Sega Saturn Magazine.No. 12.Emap International Limited.October 1996. pp. 86–89.
- ^ab"Preview: Die Hard Arcade".Sega Saturn Magazine.No. 16.Emap International Limited.February 1997. pp. 24–27.
- ^abcdHorowitz, Ken (June 11, 2007)."Developer's Den: Sega Technical Institute".Sega-16.Retrieved2 March2018.
- ^"Diehard".Next Generation.No. 21.Imagine Media.September 1996. p. 92.
- ^abcdefg"Review Crew: Die Hard Arcade".Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 93.Ziff Davis.April 1997. p. 53.
- ^abcdRubenstein, Glenn(April 8, 1997)."Die Hard Arcade Review".GameSpot.RetrievedMarch 2,2018.
- ^ab"Die Hard Arcade".Next Generation.No. 22.Imagine Media.October 1996. pp. 189–190.
- ^abcdefg"Die Hard Arcade".Next Generation.No. 28.Imagine Media.April 1997. p. 124.
- ^abcdefgGlancey, Paul (March 1997). "Review: Die Hard Arcade".Sega Saturn Magazine.No. 17.Emap International Limited.pp. 62–63.
- ^Williams, Andrew (16 March 2017).History of Digital Games: Developments in Art, Design and Interaction.CRC Press.pp. 143–6.ISBN978-1-317-50381-1.
- ^"Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム cơ ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)".Game Machine(in Japanese). No. 524.Amusement Press, Inc.15 August 1996. p. 21.
- ^abcd"Saturn ProReview: Die Hard Arcade".GamePro.No. 103.IDG.April 1997. p. 86.
- ^"Best Sega Saturn Games of All Time".GamesRadar.June 21, 2017. p. 2.Retrieved2 March2018.