Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza

"Dead on arrival"

I had high expectations for the new die hard game, since previous attempts to capture the excitement of the die hard movies have been successes. Die Hard Aracade and Die Hard Trilogy were both amazing while their sequels were lackluster. However, this new attempt to combine the movie die hard and a fps sounds great on paper and thats the problem.

Graphics - 6
The game is pretty sloppy in this department, with few death animations, a lagging framerate and an extremely simple look to every environment. Even the movie sequences aren't that nice looking, using the same simple textures and yawn inspiring look which populates the game. There are some nice touches like floating papers and broken glass but these are lost in a sea of glitches, jagged edges and a repetition of areas.

Audio - 7
The music is fairly decent with some songs from the movie done with new musical tones. Easy on the ears and not too annoying. The game recreates scenes from the movie so sound alikes were brought in and most are pretty good at sounding like their targeted celebrity voice(mainly the Hans, Maclean and Powell). However, the terrorists voices are really bad Arnold Schwarzenneggar impressions with the same ''it's him'' or ''get him'' repeated over and over. You'll shoot them just to shut them up.

Gameplay - 7
The control scheme is a standard affair, nothing new and easy to use. The load times are pretty quick too. However,
DHNP loses point by getting pretty boring too quickly. I can't see playing through this game more than once. Some things like stopping bad guys from shooting Argyl's limo or the end sequence are intriguing but the rest is just monotonous filler. Also, the game claims there are 30 levels but certain areas repeat themselves ad nauseum. I saw the same hallway 8 different times. Certain levels are confusing and the whole makeup reeks of an unfinished product.

Lastability - 5
Close to none, since one time playing through this was enough for me. There is nothing different or new the second time, no multiplayer mode and it will get boring very quick. A very expensive coaster.

Bottom Line: Even with the $30 U.S. price tag and a mail in offer for die hard VHS, this game is too middle of the road. FPS fans would be better off to pick up any FPS from the last two years instead of this cash in. Die Hard fans will be amused and will pick up on the lines and scenes from Die Hard in the game but would be better off just watching the movie again. A major dissapointment only useful to save money until GTA3 gets here.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/01/02, Updated 05/01/02