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If you're aching for more Arcade action, look no further then Sega's Die Hard Arcade. Known as "Dynamite Deka" in Japan, Die hard arcade thrusts you into the role of either vetran detective John McClane, or rookie, Kris Thompsen. When a ruthless terrorist by the monkier of "White Fang" stages a takeover of the Nakatomi building, taking 30 people hostage (including the President's daughter), it's up to you and your partener to recapture the building, rescue the hostages, and put an end to White Fang's evil tyranny. But it won't be a walk in the park. The terrorists have already taken out a elite S.W.A.T. unit and their helocopter. Thompson and McClane will be left high and dry when it comes to backup. And worst still, they aren't even armed!

Obviously, Die Hard Arcade is "loosely" based on the first Die Hard Movie. But with some major Character and Plot changes. You start on the roof of the Nakatomi Building, and work your way down to the lobby, and then back up again. All along, dispatching multiple, heavily armed terrorists in numerous rooms, and floors. You start off unarmed, but are able to pick up various weapons along the way. Some of the more noteworthy of these include: HandGuns, Sub Machine Guns, Fire Axes, and HairSpray (Which can also be used in conjunction with a cigarette lighter, in order to form a makeshift flamethrower.) There are some particular nasty thugs (Bosses) you'll have to face. Including a biker, Robotic droids armed with laser cannons, and even a sumo wrestler! The Game principle follows a Final Fight/Streets of Rage style, but without the constant side scrolling. After defeating the enemies in one particular room, you automaticly move on to the next. While is transit from room-to-room you may meet up with a terrorist and have to take him/her out quickly. If you press the right button within the alloted amount of time, this will be done successfully. If not, You'll miss the terrorist, and have to face him/her (plus any backup that might be called), in mortal combat.

The game difficulty is really quite high. It will take a lot of practice before you become comfortable with the control, and develop tactics that will prove essential for your survival. If there is one problem I have with this game, it's the length. With enough continues you could easily beat it in well under an hour. But the trick is to only use the minimal amount of continues that is possible based on your skill. Continues can be readily obtained by playing a classic Sega arcade game "Deep Scan", and in my opinion is a really original way of earning them. There is no adjustable skill level in the options screen, but there is just about everything else. Including a "violence" option (When turned on, you'll see blood). The ability to control the volume of the music in proportion to the Sound FX. The abiliity to control whether or not, your partner can accidently hit you. And, last but certainly not least, the ability to customize the controls.

Graphics are Mostly Polygons generated in a 3D enviroment with both 2D and 3D backgrounds. From what I can, tell the game runs in a standard resolution (As opposed to the High-Res mode seen in VF2). The Character movement is alluring. It's like watching several of the VF2 characters in action. They may seem a tad on the "sharp" side, but in all, they are well rendered, and show little to no visible signs of cliping or popup. The characters are also texture mapped, complete with facial features (Not like the ugly ones seen in Die Hard Trilogy though). Just take a look at some of the close up shots of White Fang and you'll see what I mean. Pay close attention to the eye and mouth movement. Furthermore, everything is well colored and shaded.

Sound is just about standard. Everything you hear is probably old news if you've played fighting games of this genre. Yet, the sampled digital effects are clear. Voice samples that play during the intermissions are crystal clear due to the simple fact they're redbook.

Music is cool! It fits the game perfectly. It's like orchestrated action game music. Kinda like something you would hear in the Die Hard movies themselves. You may have the urge to call it "Standard BGM", but I fail to see why you would lower it to such a level if it works so well. For beast effects, play thru a stereo system.

Control is average. With dozens of moves to pull off, and only three buttons to execute them with, you'll need practice before you fully learn your way around. Other then that, expect it to be on par with Streets of Rage, or Final Fight.

Die Hard Arcade has everything an Arcade junkie would want. It would be a sure-fire hit if only it wasn't so short. My advice is to rent it first. Beat it. And if you still enjoy playing it after that. *Then* buy it.

Results
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Features, Funfactor,
and Replayability: 8.0

Graphics: 9.0
Sound: 8.0
Music: 8.5
Control: 8.0

Overall: 8.3