Die Hard Arcade

1996 · Beat 'em up · Arcade

About Die Hard Arcade

Die Hard Arcade (1996), known in Japan as Dynamite Deka, is Sega's 3D beat 'em up in which John McClane fights through a skyscraper to rescue the President's daughter, with quick-time events and combinable weapons.

Die Hard Arcade in Depth

Terrorists have seized the President's daughter, Caroline Powell, and one or two players, as John McClane or Kris Thompsen, fight up through a skyscraper to save her. Bosses include a biker called Hog, the Mexican wrestler Jocko, the duo of sumo wrestler Mr. Oishi and army general Mr. Tubbs, a muscle-bound fire chief with tiny grenades and pairs of laser-shooting Spiderbots, all henchmen of Wolf "White Fang" Hongo. If both players survive, they fight each other on the roof for the daughter's sole appreciation, as at the end of Double Dragon. Like action films of the time, the violence is over the top, largely gore-free and played for laughs.

It was the first beat 'em up with texture-mapped 3D polygon graphics, and its sophisticated move set drew comparisons with fighting games. Players use fists, feet and weapons taken from enemies or the scenery, from brooms and pepper shakers to missile launchers, submachine guns and anti-tank rifles, and items can be combined, such as a spray and a lighter making a flamethrower. Most weapons are lost after each action scene, though handguns are kept while loaded. Quick-time events between scenes cost health or add an extra fight if failed, and two players can perform combined special moves and combos. The Saturn version includes Sega's 1979 arcade game Deep Scan for earning extra credits.

Making Die Hard Arcade

Sega AM1 and the US-based Sega Technical Institute created it at STI's facilities, AM1 providing engineering, design and art and STI art, design and animation, developing for the ST-V Titan arcade board and Saturn at the same time. Director Makoto Uchida said he was "personally a huge fan of Die Hard". Released in cooperation with Fox Interactive, it was Japan's second most successful arcade game in August 1996. Computer and Video Games compared it with Streets of Rage and Virtua Fighter 2, and Next Generation said it "breathes life into a dead-end genre" though attacks were hard to line up. The 1997 Saturn port was praised as a flawless conversion with satisfying weapons but criticised as short and easy. The sequel Dynamite Cop dropped the licence.

Die Hard Arcade Trivia

Sega lacked the Japanese video game rights to Die Hard, so it was released there as an original game, Dynamite Deka.
It began as a way to use surplus ST-V arcade boards and an unused Die Hard licence.
It was the last game made by Sega Technical Institute before the studio was dissolved.
Until shortly before release, previews showed movement on a single 2D plane.
It was Sega's most successful US-produced arcade game up to that time.