Die Hard Vendetta

Die Hard: Vendetta is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bits Studios for the GameCube in North America and Europe, and also for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in Europe. The game was published by Fox Interactive alongside Vivendi Universal Games International in Europe under their NDA Productions subsidiary, and Sierra Entertainment/Vivendi Universal Games in North America.

Taking place after the first three Die Hard films, players take on terrorists as John McClane. Reginald VelJohnson reprises his role as Sgt. Al Powell. McClane’s daughter, Lucy, is an L.A.P.D. member in the game.

Gameplay – Die Hard Vendetta

Vendetta separates itself from other first person shooter games with its puzzle like elements. This includes hostage situations which have multiple outcomes, environmental puzzles and NPC interactions. John McClane can communicate to various NPCs in order to gain advice on how to overcome numerous situations in the game. Die Hard Vendetta

McClane can also take enemies hostage which cause other enemy AI to react differently depending on the rank of the hostage. Headshots in the game are rewarded by showing a panoramic camera sequence that uses a ‘bullet time’ effect (similar to an effect in Max Payne where the last dispatched enemy would have an almost-alike panoramic camera).^[2]

The game features an ability called “Hero Time^[3]” which allows the player to slow down time whilst retaining their own speed. This can be useful for saving hostages, which is a common theme along the game. When in Hero Time, the musical piece Symphony No. 9 “Ode to Joy” by Beethoven plays. To earn more Hero Time, the player must perform a heroic act such as saving a hostage.

Story – Die Hard Vendetta

Five years after the events of Die Hard With a Vengeance, John McClane returns to the LAPD task force after an extended absence. After refreshing his skills in a training exercise, McClane goes home to watch the unveiling of a painting that was recovered from an expedition in South America by Piet Gruber (the son of Hans Gruber, the main villain from the first Die Hard film). As the unveiling begins, Lucy (McClane’s daughter, now a police officer) witnesses robbers attempting to leave with artwork and gunfire erupts, panicking the crowd.

McClane rushes to the Townsend Museum to rescue his daughter. Once there, McClane is notified that the robbers have sealed themselves in and taken hostages, including Lucy. McClane enters the museum and begins his search for the hostages, taking out several criminals in the process. After saving Dick Thornberg and Christopher von Laden (the museum’s curator), McClane rescues Lucy.

Arriving at the Holmes Observatory for the premiere of Galaxy Thief III, McClane deduces Frontier’s plot to kill the entire cast of the movie as revenge for his fall from grace. Learning from a wounded security officer that there are five bombs hidden in suitcases rigged to destroy the observatory, McClane rushes inside to save the hostages and disarm the bombs. Once successful, McClane and Frontier engage in a final confrontation. McClane defeats Frontier, and Frontier activates a bomb hidden in his gear. McClane escapes in the nick of time as the observatory explodes, killing Frontier in the process.

McClane reunites with Lucy and Al. Robert Barnes, a film developer, offers McClane a starring role in a movie based on the recent events, but McClane punches him and walks off with his daughter, ending the game.Die Hard Vendetta

Reception – Die Hard Vendetta

Publication	Score
	GC	PS2	Xbox
Electronic Gaming Monthly	4/10[4]	N/A	N/A
Eurogamer	4/10[5]	N/A	N/A
Game Informer	6/10[6]	N/A	N/A
GamePro	[7]	N/A	N/A
GameRevolution	D[8]	N/A	N/A
GameSpot	4.8/10[9]	N/A	N/A
GameSpy	[10]	N/A	N/A
GameZone	7/10[11]	N/A	N/A
IGN	6.3/10[12]	N/A	N/A
Nintendo Power	3.2/5[13]	N/A	N/A
PlayStation Official Magazine – UK	N/A	6/10[14]	N/A
PALGN	N/A	N/A	4.5/10[15]

The GameCube version received “mixed” reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.^[19] Fran Mirabella III of IGN said of the same console version: “From the hostage-taking dynamics to the controls, the experience just feels unpolished. It can be fun, but there are a lot of frustrations that come along with it to sour the experience a little”.^[12]