The History of Spy Hunter - Arcade documentary

[@portopottybreath9375]

I used to play this for hours. Last phase was going into a arena to free hostages guarded by a huge robot. Never made it. Got me everytime.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

It's a classic

[@Raixor]

I remember playing Spy Hunter at 7-11 for the first time. My friends and I went thru $5 playing it the first day. When I got home, the song was stuck in my head, so I started bum-bum-bumming the riff and humming the melody. My Mom overheard me and asked me if they were showing reruns of that or something. I said "reruns of what?" - "That's the Peter Gunn Theme." - "No, that's the Spy Hunter song. It's a new video game at 7-11." Then she just shook her head and got her old record collection and played her Duane Eddy record. I then proceeded to play the hell out of that record all Summer.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

LOL, that's awesome. It's amazing that The song is so ingrained with this game. I will always know it from this game and nothing else :-) thanks for sharing your story

[@mournblade1066]

Duane Eddy is an American Treasure. Of course, his version of the Peter Gunn Theme is a remake of the original, which was done by Henry Mancini (the guy behind the theme to "The Pink Panther" and about a bazillion other movie themes from the 1950s and 1960s that weren't done by Maurice Jarre or Ennio Morricone). Fun Fact: Duane Eddy won a Grammy award along with The Art of Noise circa 1985 (give or take a year) for his "remake" cover of "Peter Gunn."

[@retrogamestudios7649]

In the series Peter Gunn they actually work in an office above a bar called "Mothers" lol

[@fleshanthos]

My brother played it on his tuba for summer vacation 'homework' in 1986. I knew it also from Spy Hunter; but my father IDd it as Peter Gunn

[@tedmelikian8033]

I also played Spyhunter at my 7-11. Mine was in Glendale Ca

[@token4774]

I used to play this at a bowling alley in the 1980s and man, the manager must have loved that music because he would crank up the volume. Deep in the game, when you're playing well, the organ would start to rock out with kick ass riffs! Good times!!

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

LOL that's fantastic

[@Joe-eb8vc]

Oh man did I love Spy Hunter as a kid. Especially the sit down cabinet.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

So did I

[@SovereignKnight74]

This is one of the most iconic arcade games back then. RIP Sean Connery.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Absolutely, he was a legend

[@tarstarkusz]

I think it is the best racing game (by a very wide margin) of the 80s. I've never gotten the lure of pure racing games. They make decent arcade games, but the home ports are never good. The whole racing thing just doesn't translate well to a home console. This is definitely true of Spy Hunter. ALL of the home ports suck. Even mame sucks. Even with a steering wheel controller, the mame version sucks.

[@fredsavage4925]

Tempest, spy hunter and dragon's lair took so many quarters from me and still think it was money well spent. Great video.

[@JEK]

I remember the speakers of the arcade game really sounded awesome as well. This was a fave game to play in the '80s at an arcade on Catalina Island.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

The sound was really good as it was one of the first games to feature stereo sound

[@charlesajones77]

As a kid, I never understood that those were civilian cars. I just mowed everybody down and wondered why I never accumulated points.

[@SonnyGTA]

Charles Jones ha! Really? Those poor people! Ha

[@blackromulan]

Wow, the cyclists too, huh? Never bothered you that they disappeared into a red smear under your car? You might just be cut out to work with the C.I.A., Charles. Please come visit us here in Langley, VA.

[@Sephivoiceactor]

Same

[@mikem4259]

Lol! Me too! I destroyed everything in my path

[@derrbow]

Took me a while to figure that out also

[@1ftsports678]

I remember playing this at Nathan's arcade on Long Island. The cool part was that when you were on a good run in the game, the second high pitched verse of the music would kick in and it would be so loud the whole arcade could hear it. Made me feel like a true badass spy!!

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

LOL, fantastic

[@JosephFrietze]

I loved this game as a kid, but never saw a sit down version. I think I have a new holy grail.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Good luck, you'll need it

[@richardphillips8316]

Yeah I play that game a lot when I was a kid in the arcade. Man I miss the arcade. And I miss the '80s. Oh and thank you for making me feel old.

[@ericstephenson9924]

Thanks for the history! When I was a young computer nerd in 4-5th grade the bowling alley had a spy hunter machine and my friends and I were so obsessed we ported the game for the apple //. We were young and silly and had our own 'software company'. IWe made a port and tried to offer it for sale to Midway and Atari (we heard they were going to release one). We pumped all our allowance into that game laying graph paper over the screen at the alley and mapping the graphics. Putting our tape recorders up to record the sound. The poor performance caused me to learn machine language/ assembler to speed it up. We even added a few features like stealing weapons from other enemies temporarily if you made the right moves. The first few levels we completed were quite good and playable yet needing polish.. We sent it to midway and atari for consideration and they send back nice thank you but no thanks letters. 2 months later the apple // version came out and we were gutted by how bad it was compared to our little fan fic version. Wish i could find the copies we had and the graph paper. We did a similar endless scroll style graph paper for ours that the creators did. The car s all vehicles looked good to great. The foliage not so much and more sparse. getting the music to play and sound ok -ish was a one-or-the-other problem we never really solved. So much fun though. Taught me a lot. Since one of my friends had a ti-994a we tried to apply it to that with terrible results. Anyway.. thanks!

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

That's amazing, I would love to see what your version look like because the official one wasn't that great. That's a great story, thank you for sharing it.Also, thanks for the nice words

[@webster7222]

One of the most iconic theme tunes in arcade history

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

The music is what really makes the game in my opinion

[@Gunwitch666]

Yup! That "Peter Gunn" theme rocks!

[@pferreira1983]

@@Gunwitch666 The Blues Brothers.

[@Gunwitch666]

@@pferreira1983 Theirs was a cover....I was speaking more of Henry Mancini's original version.

[@pferreira1983]

@@Gunwitch666 No I was just pointing out where I remember the theme from.

[@VcArena]

One of the first games I ever played. I loved the music, and the car. Finally got the Nintendo version and played the heck out it.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

It was a good conversion that's for sure

[@colinwatt9387]

It took me a while to get the controls usable for mame; I had built my own arcade stick based on a classic 8 button configuration and ended up using buttons for accelerate and brake. it took a lot of trial and error to the the joystick sensitivity correct. It paid off though, I was able to get far enough to change into the boat. I was so pleased with myself but not as pleased as I was the one time I killed a Sinistar. I'm tempted to buy a flight yoke just to get a more arcade like experience.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

I have never tried that with Mame but I bet that would be pretty awesome

[@BobsBand]

I used to play Spy Hunter on the BBC Micro. It had sampled speech saying "Spy Hunter" which was impressive. During gameplay you could switch between high-resolution and low-resolution full screen.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Very cool, sounds very state-of-the-art back then

[@jamesnoble8205]

I always found it funny that (referring to the arcade version) the car illustrated on the side decals & marquee of the game cabinets looked like a Lotus , the T-topped car used in the advertising flyers is obviously a red 1980s Camaro Z-28 but the actual top down seen car you use in the game resembles a Porsche 944

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Well they did that to change it more than once perhaps they forgot to change the artwork? LOL

[@jaykay4367]

I don't know how many quarters I spent in the arcades on this game. Always played the stand up console. So much fun. Aah the good ole days. Reminds me of river raid looking back at it now.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

It was a classic, especially the music

[@VideoDotGoogleDotCom]

The first PS2 SpyHunter was phenomenally good. It was one of the most entertaining action games I ever played, and I've played probably thousands of them. The level design, the controls... flawless.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

A lot of people mentioned howw much they liked that version

[@midnightkitty8172]

This game was ahead of its time, IMO; having so many weapons at your disposal made it so much fun to play. Sadly, I lacked the hand / eye coordination required to play effectively, and sooner than I'd like to admit, the game would be over. So essentially, I played the beginning of the game and not much further. Years later I picked up the Midway compilation DVD for PS2 and found that I hadn't improved at all LOL.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

To be honest, I wasn't that great at it either but I had fun playing it which is all that mattered. Thanks for sharing your story

[@jasperliu783]

I loved the way the arcade version looked and sounded but like you, I was terrible at it. I just couldn’t control the car well enough to play for very long. Years later, I got it for my ColecoVision. With the SuperAction controllers, I could play that version for hours. What a game!

[@Captain_Sarcastic]

I feel like this game was a bit too hard, as you would immediately die from a single mistake, and driving too fast would cause you to ram into a car that was off screen a second before and die. I think whenever I played it, I would have a couple of accidents right away, causing me to be left with only one car and not a lot of game play time.

[@midnightkitty8172]

@@Captain_Sarcastic You and I play the same way. But since you're interested in retro games, maybe you would like Retro Uprising, a site with thousands of games that are free to play, including the Coin Op classics.

[@TheMathius78]

Pat! One of my all-time favorite memories from childhood involves this arcade game. The year was 1986 (I think), during February, and my dad and I flew down to Florida for our one-and-only trip to Disney World. The night we got off the plane it was incredibly warm compared to the nasty Winter we were having in Indiana. Once we got to our hotel during check-in I heard that unmistakable (these days) sound of an arcade game. From my memories it seems that the small arcade stuffed into an alcove only held a machine or two, but that music kept drawing me towards what I came to know as Spy Hunter. The music and branching paths of this game just fascinated me beyond description, and without fail I always remember my first trip to Florida anytime I hear that iconic tune.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

That is awesome my friend, thanks for sharing your story. It's amazing how music and sound can draw you towards something. After doing so, it leaves a permanent mark in your memory. I had the same experience with dragons lair back in 1983. The music of spy Hunter though is so ingrained in our brains that I can't imagine playing the game without it. Not even the James Bond theme would work as well in my opinion

[@thebeststooge]

Ahhh, this game was the first programming hack I ever released for the Commodore 64 so the joystick mimiced the arcade back in 1984 I believe it was. I never understood why the company didn't make it exactly like the arcade for the controls since I did it and people loved the mod I did. Funny thing is 30 years later I saw my mod mentioned as something that needed to be.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

That's awesome, you're right they should have included that from the very beginning. Excellent use of curly by the way :-)

[@Cyxodus]

@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries That's not Curly, that's Shemp.

[@dsandoval9396]

@@Cyxodus ehhh....so you're a wise guy, are ya?... (bonk) niuk niuk niuk niuk.

[@Cyxodus]

@@dsandoval9396 "Stand aside. Let a guy that can knock, nick knock, n'yuk n'yuk n'yuk!"

[@es-ed5ug]

I remember my mom taking my sister to piano lessons at the mall. I tagged along and went to the arcade. This game got all 4 quarters I got every week.

[@sandal_thong]

Sadly, today an arcade looks like a carnival midway with mechanical games you are unlikely to win for prizes or to earn tickets for dinky prizes.

[@es-ed5ug]

@@sandal_thong true, back then arcade games were way beyond their console ports. Thus the reason for the popularity of arcades.

[@sandal_thong]

@@es-ed5ug This week I've been looking at the first 3 years of Atari VCS/2600 games 1977-1980. I didn't know anything about '70s arcade games, but nearly all the Atari carts were based on arcade games! So they were essentially play-tested by the public ahead of time.

[@es-ed5ug]

@@sandal_thong the games were bad ports. Look at Pac Man

[@sandal_thong]

@@es-ed5ug Pac-Man and Donkey Kong were exceptions to the rule. From Indy 500 (Indy 800 at the arcade), Breakout and Night Driver, through Space Invaders, Missile Command and Asteroids the home games were good adaptations, successful and well-liked.

[@robertbussie9979]

I really enjoyed playing this game at the arcade. I am not very good at it, but it is still a blast to play.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

I couldn't get very far the game either but I still had fun playing it just like you :-)

[@1984Brandon]

@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries I just saw a review from Pam also known as Cannot Be Tamed. There is a "Super Spy Hunter" on the Nintendo's original Home System by SunSoft. I never realized there is so much history in it.

[@redvapez6771]

This game needs a reboot I play this for hours skipped school to just to kill the super truck and literally poured hundreds into those machines I truly love this game

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

You and me both, it's definitely a classic

[@alramone1]

there's a local retro-arcade that has this game and it's super fun; it's held up extremely well

[@taotuhao5969]

Thanks, that was very nostalgic. As I mentioned on another one of your videos, My Dad was a regional manager for Bally Midway and later Namco. Needless to say we spent a lot of time at the arcade and even had a few in our house. I always loved Spy Hunter and your video reminded me just how much. Thanks again, I subscribed of course.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

That is awesome, must've been a great time to be a kid in your house :-) thanks for the nice words

[@blackromulan]

This was one of my Top 3 all-time favorite video games of the 80s (along with "Gauntlet" and "Sinistar") Beware, I live!

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

It is definitely a classic

[@treborironwolfe]

I never even connected the Knight Rider crossovers with Spy Hunter.. A favorite tv show and favorite game of mine. Thanks for the awesome video, keep them coming!

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you

[@nps1016]

Thanks for the review, I used to love to play this game at the arcade, when it was released for Nintendo I was the first one on our block to have it, it was fun, even my Dad played it. I also had the version for PlayStation 2, it was different but fun, but I’ll always live the original.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

The original is always the best in my opinion although the remake wasn't too bad.

[@Paul07791]

I love that you always bring up the ZX Spectrum. The Speccy version of Spy Hunter was played a lot in my house. Good stuff.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

When I first saw the spectrum years ago I thought it was terrible since grown to appreciate the unit. The only reason I thought it was bad because I grew up with the Commodore 64 in its full 16 colors of glory :-)

[@Lauren_Tyler]

The water section was included in the Apple 2 version, my cousin had it.

[@l.marhault]

Loved this game back in the day at the arcade. The Midway Arcade Treasures collection version works pretty well, with my favorite version of that being for the Dreamcast. Keep up the great work, I always learn something new from your videos.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Thank you, I enjoyed the treasures collection as well. If I'm not mistaken this version had stun runner on it which I enjoyed playing my big screen TV back in the day :-)

[@Transfixed]

I used to love this game both on arcade and NES! Despite rarely even making it to the boat section. Very comprehensive video!

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it

[@lobstertk421]

This game will always be an all time classic,you have an excellent channel.I'd love to see a video of Tempest.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Thank you very much, that you enjoy my content

[@johnfosteriii5792]

I used to work at an arcade and always showed up for work early or left well after closing time. Spent many hours on this game and enjoyed it.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

It's one of my all-time favorites

[@rsalek]

Just found your channel and love your videos. They are a great look back at some games that I loved. Even when I don't have a chance to watch them I bookmark them for later

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Thanks so much for the nice words, glad you enjoy my content

[@JoshuaJaeger]

I really did enjoy this video, however I'm kind of shocked there was no mention of the NES game "Super Spy Hunter" as it's a true mega hyped up sequel to the original. It pushes the NES to it's limits and is an incredible game!!

[@BelmontClan]

Joshua Jaeger thank you I nearly forgot about that one too, sadly he didn’t even give credit to spy hunter 2 on ps2 nor spy hunter nowhere to run or the psp reboot the made spy hunter. Really shocking.

[@alucard624]

Love Super Spy Hunter. Furthest I got in that game was when the car transformed into a jet aircraft and you fought this giant ship that you could only damage when it opened up a section to blast away at occasionally. That game is pretty hard but very fun.

[@The52car]

Yeah Super Spy Hunter is the one I remember from childhood

[@StaroxideRaycraft]

I know this is an incredible late reply and I know I'm about to get 🤓👆here but Super Spy Hunter was actually a different game originally called Battle Formula in Japan, but for whatever reason was renamed to Super Spy Hunter outside of it. For the longest time I, just like a lot of people, thought it was the sequel to the original Spy Hunter. As it turned out there was an actual Spy Hunter 2 after all. It's just that... it wasn't that great. So much so that it never got a home console/PC port. Writing that out though, that may have been the reason why Battle Formula became Super Spy Hunter. It certainly feels more like a sequel to the original than the actual sequel, but it's technically NOT a Spy Hunter game, which I presume why this video doesn't cover it. Still a fun game though, and definitely was inspired by the original Spy Hunter so.

[@truthcastt.v.4980]

This and Castlevania was my favorite games on the nes.I spent countless amount of hours playing this game.Still play it till this day..

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

It's definitely a classic

[@RantallionAI]

I was about 7 when I played this, It was in a hotel in Majorca when I was on holiday. Must have spent about 3 weeks playing it none stop. Still one of my fav games.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

It's a definite classic :-)

[@dochoskinsjr9807]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

[@charlieanddadreviewsandcha2243]

I remember going bowling with friends. But I remember really being excited about playing this game. They had the sit down cabinet and it was awesome.

[@daneast]

In the mid 90s I worked at my uncle's small restaurant (a Tastee-Freez that went private owned), and he called the local vending company to set up an arcade game in the lobby to make some side money off of. He asked for a "game with a steering wheel", thinking that a driving game would be more popular here in the south (I think he was hoping for a Daytona USA game or something cutting edge). I wasn't a huge fan of driving games in that era, because they just tended to get boring after a while, and I preferred a good classic arcade game. Fortunately we ended up with Spy Hunter. Sure, it had a steering wheel, but it had a lot more going on than just trying to get around a racetrack as fast as possible. I could usually make it well beyond the water section, and I usually had to forfeit my game when customers started rolling in. Dang customers.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

That's awesome, what a great way to be introduced to the arcade game. Thanks for sharing

[@davelynch4258]

Great channel, PatmanQC. Very thorough. Subscribed right away, looking forward to digging into your other videos. I never knew they made a Spy Hunter 2... looks like a poor man's Roadblasters.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Thank you very much, you're right it does look like an early road blasters game

[@DelDuio]

Just discovered your channel. I grew up with these games and you do a great job!!

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed my content

[@carlos64030]

OH MAN OH MAN OH MAN!!! This used to be my favorite arcade game I used to play at the corner store back in the 80s!

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

It's definitely a classic

[@photonjones5908]

Never played the original, but I loved the PS2 game and every now and then I remember how much fun it was. It was a gem that deserved more attention- one among many at that time.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

The remake was really good, I'm surprised it turned out as well as it did

[@erneststackhouse1133]

How did i not know about the Knight Rider Easter Egg when you get upgrades in that Semi Truck until now? i knew they wanted it to be originally a James Bond game, but didn't put the mash up of Knight Rider with it until this video! Blew my Mind! I've never seen the sit down version but i did put in a lot of quarters into the stand up one! i guess as a kid i never looked at details before & until now just noticed how much the Arcade version looks like the inside of K.i.T.T !! This history of Spy Hunter just blew me my mind!

[@005AGIMA]

Fantastic! Loved this game and remember well the first time I played it in a fish and chip shop in England. Played it mostly at home on my spectrum after that.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

That's very cool, thank you for sharing the story

[@VideoDotGoogleDotCom]

I haven't watched a single second of this yet, but I gave it a thumb up just for making such a video in the first place.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

I sure do appreciate that, Thank you so much

[@earthstick]

I remember playing this in the arcade and on the 64 at home. It was great being a kid in the 80's... And a teenager in the 90s was great as well.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Sounds like my childhood :-)

[@orgenoburt8988]

Thanks for all the work putting the vids together.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Glad you like them!

[@reagandow850]

Your channel is just amazing. I’ve binge watched almost every single video you’ve made so far. I think I only have 3 or 4 to go. I’m so glad I stumbled across your channel recently. I’ve made sure to give each and every video a thumbs up and for sure I subscribed. Great job!!

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Thank you so much for the kind words, I'm glad you stumbled across it too :-) I really appreciate the sentiment, all the best

[@reagandow850]

PatmanQC - History of arcade game documentaries - you’re so very welcome Patman. I’m just getting to this backlog so I apologize for not writing back sooner.

[@sigma20xx]

You forgot about Super Spyhunter on the NES. The car had a myriad of upgrades and transformations for different terrains. It even turned into a plane.

[@rumbleroses-xx]

I honestly think its super cool to get video game history from fans who actually lived it! I'm too young to remember the early 80s, so I look up to fans like you❤

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Thank you my friend, glad I could help :-)

[@indycinema]

My favorite new channel. SPYHUNTER is amazing!

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Thank you very much, welcome aboard

[@tron3entertainment]

I saw this while shopping with my dad (RIP) at a Shop Rite! The hi-rez graphics really made it a new experience over other arcade racers. Spy Hunter is the earliest hi-rez arcade game of which I know.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

I believe you are right, it definitely had that distinct style to it

[@Hologhoul]

Great video, great memories! A slick, polished arcade game which felt satisfying to play. I was pleased when you showed the C64 version and praised it, as I recalled it was a cracking conversion, so I was glad it wasn't a case of nostalgia-tinted spectacles. This vid has inspired me to revisit the arcade and C64 versions so I'll seek them out via Retroarch/emulation. A quality arcade game from a golden era :-)

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Glad you enjoyed it! It's an absolute classic if you love early 1980s arcade games. Thank you

[@FlapJacks7]

"No music, but there is rudimentary machine gun sounds.". Haha, that's rich. Made my day with that one. Your a trip. Keep it up man!!

[@Buck3366]

3:18 I see an uncanny resemblance to Tom Berenger in the artwork. Great video I loved this old classic and I totally forgot about the remake i played that too it was fun. Merry Christmas 🎄

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Hope you had a good Christmas, thank you

[@D-Fens_1632]

Spy Hunter should have been named "JT Lancer."

[@djmips]

I see what you mean. pbs.twimg.com/media/D76EOqBXYAEi4oS.jpg:small

[@mtbevins]

Just found your channel and could not be more happy! Great job on these videos. :)

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Excellent, welcome aboard. Thanks for the nice words

[@brentb5303]

Nice job with this documentary. Thanks for doing this.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyedIt

[@briandavis2474]

There was a prototype of this game under the name James Bond 007. It had the same game play but used the 007 theme music and had different cabinet art and graphics. I played the prototype as a kid at the arcade in the mall in Crystal Lake, IL. I believe that Midway, which was headquartered nearby, tested prototypes there regularly because I played numerous machines that never saw widespread distribution.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Very interesting. Perhaps Brian Colin could shed some light on this?

[@battlenerd8179]

Damn i remember feeling like such a bad ass when i played this

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

You and me both, I love the music

[@Mister80Retro]

Many memories playing and loving the C64 version of this! Great video on a classic game. :D

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Thank you, the Commodore version was one of my favorites

[@JMcMillen]

As I recall there was an exploit in the C64 version. When the road was at it's widest, you could go off road and cross over to the black border on the right side of the screen, which you could drive on as if it was the regular road. The only thing you needed to worry about then were those enemy cars that could shoot out the sides.

[@Mister80Retro]

@@JMcMillen Thanks for jogging my memory! Completely forgot I did that, and remember the game basically going on forever! lol.

[@ColdHighway7]

Very nice job, I remember dumping so many quarters in both types of arcade cabinets. I never new about the NES verison until I started getting into Roms and Emulation long after I played the PS2 game

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

So did I, it was a classic

[@GamingHistorySource]

Another Excellent video ! :) Enjoyed as always ! Merry Christmas !

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas, thank you

[@deltaray3]

One of my favorite games growing up in the 80s. In 1995 while in college band, I transcribed the Peter Gunn theme for pep band and we played it at a football game.

[@imperialjoe8023]

No mention to Super Spy Hunter? That has to be one of the best games in the entire series!

[@cheese26611]

Was a big fan of this game in the arcade when it came out. I'm glad some mention was made of Spy Hunter II. I remember when it first appeared in the arcade. I never had a chance to play it and it seemed like a week after it appeared it was gone, and no mention of it ever since. Now I know why!

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

LOL, it wasn't around very long in my arcade either. I think I played it once or twice and that was it.

[@jamesnoble8205]

It was one of the worst sequels of all time!

[@butchs.4239]

I've always considered Atari's RoadBlasters to be the sequel that Spy Hunter 2 should have been.

[@jamesnoble8205]

@@butchs.4239 Me too. But RB never interested me that much. It's not a very.interesting game

[@butchs.4239]

@@jamesnoble8205 To each their own. I sunk quite a few quarters into a sit-down RoadBlasters at a pizza joint I frequented back in the day. I like Spy Hunter better, though I felt RB was an interesting variation without being a simple clone. It's still way better than SH2, I really tried to like that game and just couldn't. Maybe if Midway would have done a solo version it would have played better, I dunno.

[@ScubaDiverPicker]

The best version is Super Spy Hunter (1991) on the NES. Given it’s not technically Spy Hunter more so the Mario Bros 2 of the franchise but the rights was purchased by Sunsoft and they turned it into Super Spy Hunter. The game is AMAZING!

[@JuiceThe511]

I had this on the C64 and played the HECK out of it. One bug you could exploit is after you are dropped off from the truck, you could drive across the grass and up the black strip on the extreme right of the screen. Only thing you had to watch for was the limo that fired shots at you.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

I didn't know that, thanks for the info

[@tsstevensts]

There was also Super Spy Hunter, a Super FX styled sequel or remake for the NES. Similar premise, music, near future setting, instead of going into trucks you shoot them. High difficulty. Gimmicks like boat and plane, and high speed chase through the wet.

[@IBPOSITIVE5289]

Great documentary! Very informative, entertaining, and engaging!

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Thanks a lot!

[@monsteriusdrums9558]

They had the stand up arcade version at my theater when I was younger. Kids would be lined up to play before, intermission and end of the movies.

[@kiwidiesel5071]

That music brings back memory. This was a great game on my c64 growing up.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

It's a big part of the game in my opinion

[@BoltHardcheese]

I loved this game as a kid. In fact, the reason I wanted a NES was so that I could play it at home. I remember playing that PS2 version of Spy Hunter in college and beating it. That was a fun game that I wish would get re-released.

[@jimmybisk]

I remember this game well in the Arcades. I always envied two of my friends who were so good at it, they would play it for an hour and a half on one credit! I was hopeless at it, I found it so fast paced with sensitive controls that I would lose all my lives within a couple of minutes! Love the modern PS2 remake which also had a sequel.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

I enjoyed playing it but was not very good at it either so don't feel bad :-)

[@jimmybisk]

@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries Not that many people were lol!

[@ThunderFist1978]

A couple of fun facts - the player’s car is meant to resemble a 1983 Z28, according to George Gomez. He said he had just gotten it, and it was featured in promotional artwork. He said it was a challenge to try to get something on screen that looked like a real car, and in the end he decided not to make it look exactly like his car, partly due to it being red, which didn’t show up as well on the screen at the white car they eventually went with. The red and blue stripes may be a nod to George Gomez’s actual car. He also said he planned to have a helicopter sequence after the boat stages, but it was taken out due to a lack of time and memory. By the way, Spy Hunter II did get an at home release on Midway Arcade Treasures 2 for PS2, GameCube and Xbox, and then again on Midway Arcade Origins for PS3 and Xbox 360. Apparently Midway didn’t like the game either, as the trophy/achievement for Spy Hunter 2 in the compilation, called saint, unlocks just for playing the game for 20 minutes. It doesn’t matter how well you do at the game, you just have to play it for 20 minutes.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

That is some excellent info! As far as part two I was referring merely to conversions. Thanks

[@Honorarius]

Played the hell out of the C64 version back in the day... Was very well done...

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

It was really good

[@maestro-zq8gu]

On NES game was hard as nails. Also it was a massive pain trying to get the boat because it came up so fast and took forever to get back to if you messed up.

[@M567dk]

I am surprised that this game series came on the Nintendo Game Boy and Nintendo Game Boy Advance series. Thank you for this amazing video look back.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Absolutely, Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it

[@d.aardent9382]

Oh man, this was the game for PS2 that i keep forgetting about looking for. Its conversion looks fun.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

I was surprised at how good it turned out

[@tsunamirider9895]

Great video. Love how you covered all the different versions. I enjoyed the C64 version back in the day, as well as the updated/rebooted PS2 version. The sit-down arcade version looks great, but unfortunately never got to experience that one (just the stand-up arcade version). There's also another reboot version on the PS Vita which is pretty good.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Thank you very much, glad you enjoyeD the video. Thanks for the info

[@tommyt1971]

My absolute favorite arcade game as a teenager, with Rampage a very close 2nd.

[@jamesmorgan3212]

I loved this game! I used to really like the steering wheel and the music . It was a hard game though. However one very rarely passed up playing at least once at the arcade .

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Once you hear the music it will be stuck in your head for hours :-)

[@spineknife2386]

Merry xmas. I was so young and uncoordinated when this 1st came out one of my friends would have to shift the speed because i couldnt focus on both driving and shifting at age 7 lol

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Merry Christmas as well. I struggled with the gearshift as well because I was probably 10 when I first played it. :-)

[@robertlang4955]

Loved the sit down arcade version. But then came "Cruisin' U.S.A." 😎

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

That was another excellent arcade racer

[@ImpendingJoker]

@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries Aye it was, and so was the original Hydro Thunder.

[@Krystalmyth]

Outrun came next imo :3 Beats both.

[@tomsuzyinfluencerinfj2712]

The Atari 2600 version came packed with a Dual Control Module, to connect both joysticks together.

[@christopherreeves7807]

This was such a fun game. The controller in the arcade was just cool. I thought that the N. E. S. version was pretty faithful but by the time it came out I was all about Mega Man, Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario Bros.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

The arcade game was a definite classic

[@AvengerII]

Heh... It's funny. The Peter Gunn theme is probably known for its association with this videogame than it is for the TV series! To think that the same composer, Henry Mancini, wrote the them to The Pink Panther only a few years later...

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

That's exactly where I First learned of the theme as well

[@unclejustin7267]

That and the 1982 Movie "The Blues Brothers" Which I'm sure helped

[@Quintesson05]

Thanks to this game, I remember the Peter Gunn theme more than I do the show it came from. (Finally saw it... seems so-so compared to later detective TV shows.) It blew my mind when I learned the song was written by Henry "Pink Panther" Mancini!

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Absolutely, the music was a huge part of the game for me as well

[@justinsiemonsma1193]

I remember playing the sit down version one day and found a glitch. At the last minute I cut across and slammed into the boat house. My car never converted to a boat just kept going over the water area. My points accumulated for 10 minutes until I got bored watching. It just kept going.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Wow, very cool

[@tntamusements]

I appear at 13:00....thanks for putting the credit in the corner. Todd

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

I try to credit you whenever possible. You make great informative videos

[@phicun74]

The only game I rolled over the score in the arcade

[@norrinradd3561]

Liar!!!

[@erich8456]

Spy hunter was my first exposure to gaming. First the arcade, then on the Nintendo. I was probably about 4 or 5.

[@talofer99]

Great review, one of my favorite games back in the days of the Sinclair.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Thank you very much glad you enjoyed it

[@wulfazwlkwos9019]

Great work as always! Just a little sidenote. At 2:11 I am not sure if that part is 100% correct. According to MAME, while Spy Hunter was indeed built with the MCR3 board, the games Tron, Journey, Tapper, Satan's Hollow were made using an older board, MCR. Spy Hunter was the first game made with the MCR3, while later games such as Rampage, Sarge, were also made using MCR3

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Thanks for the info, Glad you enjoyed the video

[@vjludovico]

Is that seriously a TNT Amusements commercial clip at 13:40 ? Is this place known outside of the Philly area? Best infomercials ever.

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

It is, I've seen them pop up quite a few times over the years

[@banterforbelievers8491]

i learned that on NES you could skim through much of the game when the truck let you out. You stayed on the dirt. you could drive through the dirt and water without any of the cars touching you. eventually you would be made to get back on the road or you hit a cement wall

[@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries]

Excellent, thanks for the tip