Sega ages 2500 Vol. 26: Dynamite Deka

I guess by now you all already noticed that I'm totally addicted to the Sega Ages 2500 games (BTW, notice how "ages" is "sega" spelled backwards...), specially when it comes to Saturn ports or better, remakes. This is the case with Dynamite Deka, known as Die Hard Arcade outside Japan due to the similarities between the game and the movie. Here's an awesome review I found on the internets:

"Wow. This is how you enhance an old game. Unlike the Panzer Dragoon port, which only looks marginally better, the PS2 version of Dynamite Deka looks almost completely different. Revamped character models, completely new textures, lighting effects - although it looks much darker than the original, it's almost as good as its sequel on the Dreamcast (known simply as Dynamite Cop in Western territories.) You can play the game with the Saturn graphics if you want too. Furthermore, there's a ton of additional modes, including an Easy Mode (double life bars for your characters and weakened enemies), One Hit Kill mode, Arrest mode, and Deadline mode (you have unlimited health but are under a strict time limit.) Altered Beast mode turns the main characters into two monsters - a Wolf Man and Bird Woman - from the classic Sega arcade game. You only have one credit in this mode, and while your life is constantly draining, enemies constantly drop little life power-ups. There's a ton of different variations in these modes, including slightly different weapons (the spray can becomes an air horn, for example.)


Easy mode allows the characters to dress up as Ax Battler and Tyris Flare from another classic Sega game, Golden Axe. The third stage boss, the huge football player dude, has been changed into Death Adder. This whole fight includes a ton of Golden Axe references - the giant fish in the aquarium has been changed into one of the monsters, and all of the furniture has been changed into statues of different Golden Axe characters. The music has even been changed into the classic first level theme. The other modes allow you to dress up in other different costumes, including characters from the young girl-oriented Sega arcade game Oshare Majou (One Shot Kill Mode) and the manga/anime Sukeban Deka (Deadline Mode). There are even small references to other Sega games like Wing War, Alien Storm and Alien Front Online. In addition to all of this, there's an art gallery and a quick Japanese commercial.

The Saturn version had included an emulation of Deep Scan, an incredibly ancient Sega game where you drop depth charges on submarines in order to earn more credits for the main game. This has been replaced with Periscope, a 3D recreation of an even older Sega coin operated game from 1968, predating most video games. You need to shoot missiles (denoted as blinking light bulbs) at battleships (which were little plastic models in the original version ) It's a fascinating look at Sega's history - I'd almost buy a whole Sega Ages package filled with recreations like this."

Here's some comparison screenshots for those that never played the Saturn version:


Looks good, doesn't it? =)

'Die Hard Arcade' Review!

Hello old friends! I’ve been away for a week at my Lighthouse off the coast of Birkenhead, where I go to fast, meditate and reflect on the meaning of life. Now replenished, I return to regale you with tales of my newest Saturn purchase.

The cheapest ever game I got for the Saturn was the excellent Sega World Wide Soccer ’97, which I picked up for the ludicrous price of 20p. The most expensive was the ultra rare House Of The Dead, for which I forked out £25! But since then, Saturn games on this side of the pond generally tend to average out at about £2-3 each.

Whilst on my way home from the Lighthouse, I stopped in at a favourite Gamestation in Bangor, North Wales. When you tend to populate one particular Gamestation (for me it’s Fallowfield, Manchester), you can find that it’s stock can become stagnant. You find yourself thumbing through the same tired old selection of games, vainly hoping that you missed something on your last ten visits.

Having checked out the Dreamcast titles on offer, I moved onto the Saturn section. There, lying amidst the dusty copies of Sega Rally and International Victory Goal, was a battered and neglected title. Not only did Sega shaft it’s UK customers with shit Dreamcast game boxes which shatter and break, it had previously shafted it’s Saturn owners by giving them shitty cardboard and plastic boxes which literally fall apart unless kept in a vacuum away from human contamination… (see here)

But I digress. What was the hallowed disc contained within this crumbling packaging? (See how I’m building this up?) Why it was none other than Die Hard Arcade!

I’d never heard of it! But from it’s £20 price tag I knew it had to be either very rare or brilliant (perhaps both!) I made sure I got the most expensive Dreamcast game I could get as part of the BOGOF offer (Crazy Taxi 2 -£9.99) that I could use as a trade in at a later date.

I played it tonight and its just fabulous. The ‘Die Hard’ element of the game is somewhat tenuous. Our hero is most definitely NOT Bruce Willis. He doesn’t even look a bit like him. However, he is incredulously hard and can kick terrorist ass! George W. take note...

Both the plot and gameplay were very familiar. If you’ve ever played Dynamite Cop for the Dreamcast, you’ve played Die Hard Arcade. Basically the President’s daughter has been kidnapped and its your job to get her back.

The graphics are reminiscent of the wonderful Virtua Cop, although you play from a third person perspective, not a first person. When playing or reviewing Retro titles, I feel there is no point stating that the graphics look a bit blocky or pixellated. Transport yourself to 1996 and gaze in awe at what they could do at the time!

As you work your way through the levels of this 3D beat ‘em up, you’ll encounter a variety of villains. Your job is to kick, punch and generally rough them up until their health bar is depleted and they disappear. Your own health bar can be replenished by various ‘life ups’ that your enemies give up on defeat.

But kicking and punching have their limitations. So you’ll be pleased to know that you can also pick up and utilise a variety of furniture, objects and weapons, with which to smite your foes! Chairs, fuel barrels and televisions can be hurled, guns, baseball bats, rocket launchers and flamethrowers can be fired at them. It’s all glorious, mindless arcade flavoured fun!

Between levels there is the opportunity to defeat an enemy with a QTE (quick time event) which flashes up the instruction to hit a particular button - jump, punch or kick - get it right and you'll be shown a cut scene where you kick ass. Get it wrong and your mistake will be re-shown to you time and time again (twice!)

The game does not have much longevity and can be completed in a single session. But that suits me just fine, as I have far too many games that need playing and completing on a variety of consoles.

A lovely feature of the package is the inclusion of a very Retro flavoured depth charge/U-Boat game called ‘Deep Scan’. This has nothing whatsoever to do with the main game, but when played, accrues credits for Die Hard Arcade! Sweet! Here's a nice video of the game in action!

My only gripe is, prior to writing this very article I was playing the game and enjoying it immensely, when for no reason at all it stopped playing and the Saturn reset itself… Time will tell whether this glitch reoccurs… until then I’m very happy with my purchase. And hey! Two reviews in the month of April! Things might be looking up at the Saturn Junkyard!!