It's Christmas Day, which means that billions of people all around the world are unwrapping presents, hanging out with their family and, most importantly, arguing whether or not Die Hard is a real Christmas movie. Just add a little fuel to the fire, I thought it might be fun to take a look back at three of John McClane's biggest games – Die Hard Arcade, Die Hard Trilogy and Die Hard Trilogy 2: Viva Las Vegas. Those are definitely Die Hard games, but are any of them actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Computer & Video Games, Game Fan and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when these games first came out. Yippee-ki-yay, Mr. Falcon, because this is another heart-pounding episode of Die Hard Review Crew.


Despite being one of the top-grossing and most influential action movies of the 1980s, you didn't see a lot of video games based on Die Hard. Sure, there was that Die Hard game on the Nintendo Entertainment System, a PC Engine game that never came to the States and a version of Die Hard 2 on a bunch of micro-computers, but the franchise never was never the hot ticket when it came to video games. In 1996, Fox Interactive aimed to change that. Just one year earlier, Die Hard with a Vengeance cleaned up at the box office, becoming the top-grossing movie worldwide in 1995. Clearly, this was a movie series just waiting to become a video game hit, but where do you start? Do they adapt the newest film, since it's fresh on everybody's mind? Or maybe they go back to the beginning and give us a really good game set in Nakatomi Plaza? Or they could have surprised everybody and adapted Die Hard 2, since that never came to home consoles?

As it turns out, Fox decided to do all of the above. That's right, they chose to adapt all three movies at once, giving us Die Hard Trilogy. The gimmick was that each movie was represented by a different style of game – Die Hard was a third-person shooter, Die Hard 2 was an on-rails shooter that used a light gun and Die Hard with a Vengeance was a driving game set in New York City. This was a novel approach, giving us three completely different types of games to enjoy in one package. None of them felt like fully fleshed-out experiences, but that didn't matter, because there were two more games on the disc just waiting to be enjoyed. Let's see if the critics were charmed by this unique idea.

Kicking things off with Electronic Gaming Monthly; they liked the game, giving it a strong average of 8.75 out of 10. Resident fake ninja Sushi-X sums it up perfectly: “Any gamer with a passion for death and destruction will fall instantly in love with Die Hard Trilogy: Three games for the price of one with engines as diverse as they possibly can be while still keeping the integrity of the title intact. Title one has great graphics and the control of our hero offers little resistance to make play fail. The second title is also unique, as far as shooting games go, by allowing players to damage or destroy everything in the level. The third disc allows you to smash mindless pedestrians as you race to clear out the bombs in a cityscape. The worst part of Die Hard Trilogy is choosing the game you like best.” Believe it or not, Crispin liked the set even more, giving it a 9 out of 10: “Any one of the games included in Die Hard Trilogy would be great on its own, but the three together make a fantastic package. This collection has something for everybody, but the third game, a driving title based on the third film, is my favorite. It has you driving through New York City searching for bombs, and the city is richly detailed. My only complaint is the sometimes frustrating control; aiming and gunsight in the 3D shooting game isn't easy.”

Although a strong score, EGM's 8.75 is actually on the lower end of the scale. The Official Australian PlayStation Magazine didn't like it as much as Sushi-X, giving the game an 8 out of 10, which is basically the same as Next Generation giving Die Hard Trilogy a 4 out of 5. However, the lowest score came from Computer & Video Games, which went all the way down to a 3 out of 5. “The fact that Die Hard Trilogy is three distinct game types, and doesn't just follow the already-proven Alien Trilogy formula, shows that some consideration has gone into capturing the flavor of the films. Although none of the games would actually stand alone as a quality title (they're just too simple), together they make a highly entertaining package. For PlayStation games, I don't think they look THAT great. But on face value, this is just a highly entertaining action game. If that's what you want, you won't be disappointed.”

Moving back up the scale, we see the always consistent GamePro give a predictably high score of 4.5 out of 5. Sega Power liked it even more, giving the Trilogy a 91%, the same score as Game Fan, a magazine that used to have Die Hard in its title. Mean Machines Sega went one tick higher, with a 92%, but that wasn't enough to catch the boastful Video Games: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine, which gave Die Hard Trilogy a perfect 10 out of 10. “The game gets a 10 not so much for any revolutionary developments in gaming, but for its revolutionary idea about giving consumers three completely separate adventures onto one disc. Each of the three parts could easily stand on its own, but have instead been packed into this one outstanding game. Let's just hope all the blood and carnage I saw makes it into the final cut.”

With an overall score of 86%, the critics were impressed with Die Hard Trilogy. I mean, not enough for even one of them to consider it a Christmas game, but they loved the idea of turning each film into its own separate genre. That's both innovative and the type of thing that would have been a lot harder to pull off with a cartridge. Die Hard Trilogy was easily one of the best movie games of 1996.

Have you ever played a game based on a popular movie and wondered if the developers even sat through the whole thing? That's how I would describe Die Hard Arcade, the classic Sega beat ‘em up that hit the Saturn in early 1997. That's nearly a decade after the big screen release of the movie, which should have been plenty of time for Sega AM1 to memorize that film inside and out. Instead, it feels more like the developers watched a trailer for the movie, saw John McClane in a skyscraper and just filled in the rest. What I'm saying is that this is not a faithful movie adaptation, to the point where the plot revolves around John trying to save the President's daughter from terrorists. But just because it takes some serious liberties doesn't make it bad, and this game has managed to amass a nice cult following thanks to its goofy sense of humor and 3D brawling. But what did the critics say? Were they ready to accept this as a Die Hard game?

Once again, we start with Electronic Gaming Month, who is smack dab in the middle of the scale. Giving this arcade port a 7.4 out of 10, EGM liked the game, but the scores were all over the place, ranging from a 6.5 all the way up to an 8. Dan was right in the middle, giving it a 7: “Die Hard Arcade has many similarities with Virtua Cop – they both brought polygons to a formerly two-dimensional genre, they both are excellent arcade to home translations and they both have extremely limited replay value. Die Hard Arcade is a lot of fun to play, but you may find yourself wishing that you rented it instead of buying it when you beat it in an hour.” Crispin liked it a bit more, arguing that Die Hard Arcade is the slickest rip-off of Final Fight he's ever seen. “You get loads of moves, cool bonus rounds, screen-shaking weapons – and the ultra-sharp polygon graphics certainly don't hurt. The game is kinda easy, though – especially once you rack up a few dozen credits on the Deep Scan mini-game. The quirky enemies add personality to Die Hard Arcade, too.”

If you're looking for the lowest scores, then we're going to need to take a quick trip to the UK, as Computer & Video Games went all the way down to a 3 out of 5. That's right there with Edge, who couldn't muster up anything better than a 6 out of 10. “As accomplished an arcade game as Die Hard Arcade might be, serious questions have to be asked of it as a Saturn release. With plenty of continues, the game can be completed by a total novice in under 20 minutes. Although the idea then is to finish in quicker and more life-economic times, that kind of replay play is never as satisfying as the exploration of new areas. True, the excellent two player game adds a lot, but again, not as much as 20 more levels and a range of alternative routes would have done. Die Hard Arcade is another fine Sega coin-op, well converted to the Saturn. Unlike such arcade/Saturn hits as Virtua Fighter and Sega Rally, though, it doesn't look fully at home. For this type of game, Guardian Heroes still holds the honors.”

In a twist I certainly didn't see coming, Edge's sister magazine Next Generation actually liked the game more, giving it a 4 out of 5. Game Fan went one tick higher with an 81%, while Sega Power was extra generous when they gave Die Hard Arcade an 88%. However, when it comes to the highest score, look no further than the always consistent GamePro, who went with a 4.5 out of 5. “Although the game is short, fans of titles like Streets of Rage will love Die Hard Arcade's familiar beat ‘em up style. Rent it first to see if it will keep your attention for more than just a weekend. You're sure to find the action hard to beat.”

This is one of those games where your enjoyment almost entirely hinges on how you view the length. With even the high scores suggesting you rent the game, it's clear that this was an issue across the board. Some critics were able to overlook this issue, while others couldn't. It's a fun game, but I certainly wouldn't spend a lot of money on it.

You have to hand it to Fox Interactive for not taking the easy way out. They could have easily adapted one of the Die Hard games as a simple third-person shooter or driving game, but they went the other direction, adapting all three movies in one game and turning each installment into a different style of game. That gamble worked out for them and Die Hard Trilogy was a huge hit. People still loved Die Hard and getting three styles of game on a single disc felt like you were getting a lot of content. The problem is that Fox wrote themselves into a corner. They had already adapted all three of John McClane's adventures, and the fourth movie wouldn't come out until seven years later. What are they going to do now? As it turns out, the solution was to write a brand-new story set in Las Vegas, all while confusingly slapping a 2 at the end of the name Die Hard Trilogy. Aside from John McClane, it really doesn't have anything to do with the movie trilogy, but in this case they are using it to remind players that you're getting three games in one. Kind of. Unlike the first game, where each movie played out as either a third-person shooter, an on-rails light gun game or a reckless driving simulator, here there's only one story and the three genres are incorporated throughout. Does that work? I can't wait to see what the critics said.

When it comes to Electronic Gaming Monthly, they were not as impressed with the three genre gimmick this time around. Shoe gave it a 6.5 out of 10 and summed it up this way: “The original Die Hard Trilogy was quite ... original for the time. Now that the “thrill” of three-games-in-one is old news, the arrival of Die Hard Trilogy 2 is no big deal. It's a bigger “no big deal” when you actually play it. Some parts are frustrating, because of poor level designs. Some parts are plain no fun, because of repetitive gameplay. Die Hart Trilogy 2 is a nice distraction, but nothing to yell ‘yippee-ki-yay' over.” Dean liked it even less, giving it a 5.5 and arguing that while it can't touch Syphon Filter, Die Hard Trilogy 2 is not the worst he's played. “If anything, it tries to do a bit too much. I could've lived without the clunky, almost laughable driving portion. It's not needed and it's not fun. The light gun stuff is OK, but again, why? Sadly, much of the game is given to you. You can see through the walls and enemies line up to get shot. Still, I like Die Hard Trilogy 2 to a point, but I can't recommend it unless you're really into these genres.” EGM gave Die Hard Trilogy 2 an average score of 6.1 out of 10.

Once again, EGM was right in the middle of the scores. Going down the scale, we see Incite giving the sequel a very middle-of-the-road score of 3 out of 5. Next Generation went even lower, going with a 2 out of 5. “The action sequences are plagued by sorting errors so bad as to be almost comical. Every single wall becomes semi-transparent when approached, making the levels impossible to negotiate. The driving mode is simply forgettable, with outdated graphics and no physics engine to speak of. The overall result is a game that amuses for an hour or two, but for all the wrong reasons. Bottom line: Three bad games don't add up to one good one.”

For what it's worth, there were magazines that liked Die Hard Trilogy 2 ... for the most part. For example, PSM gave the sequel a so-so 3.5 out of 5, which is the same score GamePro gave the game. As it turns out, the magazine formerly known as Die Hard Game Fan ended up giving this Die Hard game the highest score, but don't immediately accuse them of bias, because the “high” score is nothing more than a 72%. Not exactly a glowing endorsement. Eggo gave the game a 66%, explaining that they loved Die Hard as a movie, but not as a game. “The three game engine doesn't really work since none of them is much fun to play or pretty to look at. In fact, the jerky movements of the camera had my head spinning. With Syphon Filter 2 available this month also, it's best to overlook the tempting Die Hard license and go with Gabriel Logan if you want a fix of gunslingin' action. Everything's better in Syphon Filter 2 – graphics, gameplay, control.” ECM agreed, giving this Vegas-themed sequel a 70%: “Not one for the first Die Hard Trilogy, I approached the second with much hesitation ... and wasn't surprised to find that this one didn't really rock my world either. Sure, it's a great series of movies and the three engine gameplay is more varied and integrated this time around, but I'm just not into any single one of its modes. I think this one might just fall into the ‘milking it' category ... and we all know how I hate strawberry milk.”

With an overall score of just 62%, Die Hard Trilogy 2 is down from the 86% we saw from the first game. This is a good example of how quickly trends were changing in the late 1990s. What was innovative in 1996 is now passe only a few years later. You know who I blame for that? Santa Claus! Merry Christmas.