- Release Date: 1983
- Publisher - Bally Midway
- Original Models: Coin-Op Arcade Game in both Upright and Sit-Down models
- Genre: Top Down Vertical Scrolling Driving Game
- Controls: X Yoke Style Steering Wheel with Five Buttons: 2 x Machine Guns, 2 x Specialty Weapons, and a Weapons Van button.
- Stick Shift with two gears - low and high.
- Foot Pedal - controls speed.
At its core, Spy Hunter is a top-down, vertically scrolling arcade driving game, but it is also an action packed adventure shooter. You play a super spy driving the top secret G-6155 Interceptor Auto as enemy agent vehicles try to destroy you. In addition to staying alive, you must also maneuver around innocent cars, transform your car into a speedboat and keep from losing control on icy roads.
Enemies come at you with specially equipped cars containing deadly hardware, but G-6155 Interceptor is not without its own weaponry, primarily you'll use your double barreled machine guns. To gain limited use weapons the Interceptor must saddle up behind a Weapons Van. Once the van's platform comes out you press the Weapons Van button again and enter it. When you've pulled out of the van you are now equipped with a special limited use weapon. Of course when all else fails you can always ram your enemies off the road, but be careful, it's also really easy to ram innocent cars.
- Double Barreled Machine Gun: Each barrel fires from the front of your car. You can shoot both barrels simultaneously or individually.
- Oil Slick: A black stripe of oil pouring out the back of your car, causing any enemy or civilian vehicle to slide and crash.
- Smoke Screen: Basically the same effect as the oil slick, only instead of sliding, the vehicles are blinded, lose control and crash.
- Missiles: Used to destroy the airborne enemy helicopter.
The Interceptor can also transform into a speedboat by driving through boathouses when a road or bridge is out. You are now equipped with the same machine guns as before, plus limited use flaming oil slicks. If you're destroyed a tugboat tows out a replacement craft.
Enemies:
- The Enforcer: A limo with a shotgun firing agent hanging out the side.
- Road Lord: Bulletproof
- Switchblade: Hubcaps become deadly blades that poke out and destroy your tires.
- Mad Bomber: A bomb dropping helicopter.
- Barrel Dumper: A speedboat that fires off barrels you must navigate around.
- Doctor Torpedo: Speedboat that fires torpedo at you.
The longer you drive without getting killed, the higher you score. While the initial countdown clock is ticking away you have an unlimited number of cars. Once the timer has run out you are left with one additional vehicle, which can be increased with bonuses.
In addition to getting through the game intact and destroying enemies, you must do everything possible to keep civilian cars safe from destruction by your hand or the baddies, plus avoid accidentally destroying your weapons van. If an innocent bystander crashes, you're scoring momentarily freezes.
- The Spy Hunter car G-6155 Interceptor is based on the 1983 Chevy Camaro Z28.
- A big budget Spy Hunter movie was planned in 2003, but due to delays has yet to be developed.
Ports:
The arcade version of Spy Hunter has been ported to several home and handheld systems including…
- Atari 2600 – 1983
- Commodore 64 – 1983
- ColecoVision – 1984
- Atari 400 & 800 8-Bit Computers – 1984
- Amstrad CPC (Europe Only) – 1986
- Nintendo Entertainment System – 1987
- Mobile Phones – 2005
- Spy Hunter/Super Sprint Double Pack – Game Boy Advance – 2005
- Moon Patrol/Spy Hunter Double Pack – Game Boy Color – 1999
- Midway Arcade Treasures Vol. 1 – PlayStation 2 – 2003
- Midway Arcade Treasures Vol. 1 – Xbox – 2003
- Midway Arcade Treasures Vol. 1 – GameCube – 2003
- Midway Arcade Treasures Vol. 1 – PC – 2004
- Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play – PSP – 2005
- Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition – 2006
- PlayStation 2 – 2001
- Xbox – 2002
- GameCube – 2002
- Game Boy Advance – 2002
- PC – 2003
- Apple Macintosh – 2003
- Tapwave Zodiac – 2004
Sequels:
- Spy Hunter Pinball (non-video game) – 1984
- Spy Hunter II – Coin-Op Arcade Game – 1987
- Super Spy Hunter – Nintendo Entertainment System – 1992
- Spy Hunter 2 – PlayStation 2 – 2003
- Spy Hunter 2 – Xbox – 2003
- Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run – PlayStation 2 – 2006
- Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run – Xbox – 2006
- Spy Hunter II – Coin-Op Arcade Game – 1987
