ONM Remembered – #327
“It’s certainly satisfying blowing a bad guy across the room with a shotgun.”
from Official Nintendo Magazine issue 118 (July 2002)
A very quick preview of Die Hard Vendetta paired up with an interview with the game’s director, Mario Aguera. Some of the info here is different from the final product, unfortunately – the HUD is different, the GameCube version is actually missing the multi-player mode as far as I can tell, and worst of all, shotgunning an enemy just plays the same animation as any other injury. Boo.
This was a game I followed excitedly in ONM and was almost certain I’d pick it up the moment I saw it on shelves… but for whatever reason just let it pass me by. I did pick it up and finished it recently, and I’m almost disappointed I never experienced it years ago, if just to know what my reaction would’ve been. This preview mentions some of the nifty features, like the single-button shift between stealth and guns-a-blazing, and how that and even your path through the level can change the outcome of various scenarios along the way… at least, in the early levels. It’s a great incentive to explore or even replay levels, and there are some great features in there that I think designers could learn a thing or two from. The game’s own behind-the-scenes videos are an entertaining watch if you’re into dorky stuff like this.
That said, hoo boy, does this game feels like a relic nowadays. It takes stacks of cues from Goldeneye and applies some then-modern conventions to it, yet Goldeneye still feels like a fresher game. It’s a little too keen with throwing surprises at you, very much in the spirit of the Die Hard movies… except in the movies John reacts and adapts to such threats. In the games you usually get unceremoniously killed with little warning and have to replay almost the entire stage. It dampens the experience a tad, to put it lightly.
It’s viciously outdated, but I’d almost suggest playing it if just for curiosity’s sake. It’s a game I’d love to discuss more, but I’m trying to refrain from grabbing tangentially related Nintendo magazines and going “and another thing!”
