If you've ever played the classic game Spyhunter then you'll know exactly what to expect from today's review. Higway Pursuit is a 3D driving/shooting/spy game in the same style as Spyhunter. In a way it's like a graphically superior 3D upgrade of the original. For obvious legal reasons it can't be exactly the same game, even with a new exterior, but Highway Pursuit is as close as you can get to a remake, and it does the original Spyhunter proud.
The gameplay is exactly the same as the original. You control a superspy car that's sporty, fast and equipped with an arsenal of weapons including: the standard machine guns - an ever present on any experienced spy's transport of choice; oil slicks - for sending enemies behind you out of control (and hopefully into a tree or other car!); and rocket launcher - for when all else fails!
Handling of the car is perfect and you never feel out of control at any moment in time. Taking sudden junctions is smooth and swift, and weaving in and out of traffic feels natural while barely ever hitting other vehicles (except at high speeds!). Shooting at enemies remains the same as the original Spyhunter with you having to place your car either behind or in front of the enemy you are taking down, depending on your weapon of choice. Keeping the feel of the first Spyhunter game, there are weapons trucks around that you can board in order to upgrade your car or equip new weapons. Getting on to these trucks is just as much of an art as it has always been and I often found myself mis-timing my manouvere and driving passed the truck, or worse still, destroying it!
The levels progress from bottom to top of the screen, with your car mainly occupying the centre of the screen whilst the level unfolds around you. The game maintains a mainly top-down view but incorporates an impressive (if slighlty cartoony - think early GTA games) style 3D graphics. This style doesn't detract at all from your ability to enjoy the game. In fact the graphical style gives the game a much more traditional arcade look that the original game revelled in itself. Even though I'm used to playing HD quality games I found the graphics in Highway Pursuit perfectly matched with the style of game and of a really high quality for the style.
Highway Pursuit is a really challenging game and the inclusision of an online high scores table gives plenty of replay time as you constantly want to go back and get a higher score and prove yourself the ultimate superspy. With just 3 lives and a limited damage gauge on your car you have to be really careful when racing around at top speed. Scenary in the game and bumps with other cars will damage your car, whilst being sent spinning out of control will inevitably result in death. Also beware of bridges; get too close to the edge and you're treated to a wonderful animation of your car spinning and tipping as it heads into the icy waters below!
Overall I have to say that Highway Pursuit is definitely a keeper for me. It's fun to play, looks great and is incredibly addictive. Great to fill in time between longer games or other activities, but you could easily while away an entire evening trying to set a high score. It's completely free and is a small download, so there's nothing to lose getting your hands on this one. Well worth it!
You can download the game for free from download-free-games.com
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