Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run

 PlayStation 2
  • Publisher: Midway
  • Release Date: Sep 5, 2006
Metascore
51

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 21
  3. Negative: 6 out of 21
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  1. 1UP
    60
    The true strength of Nowhere to Run is built into its pick-up-and-play nature. It gets straight to the action, wasting no time indulging in slow-motion cinematic cut-scenes during battle sequences.
  2. DarkStation
    50
    Midway seeks to revitalize the classic arcade game, but the transition is plagued by terribly dated visuals, frustrating controls and an overall unpolished product.
  3. Detroit Free Press
    50
    The road on Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run is too rocky to be a keeper. It's a one-night rental -- tops.
  5. Game Chronicles
    65
    While the vehicular levels definitely showcase continued improvement for the franchise, the on foot levels just aren’t executed as well as they should have been.
  6. Game Informer
    30
    Please don't do any more games like this, The Rock. You deserve better. [Nov. 2006, p.130]
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  7. Game Over Online
    64
    I would love to see another installment with this alternating on-foot/on and off-road style - but it would have to balance things out better between the two styles, and feature a lot of enhancements to the on-foot areas. As it is, players are left with a very exciting driving game and a fairly lifeless 3D adventure game.
  8. GameSpot
    55
    It gets points for its unrelenting pace, but the action in Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run is too derivative and mechanical to matter.
  9. GameSpy
    40
    More of a hassle than a pleasure to play. The glitches, poor controls and shabby visuals leave Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run without much to offer, even if you're an avid fan of the series. It's such a departure from what the series is known for, it could easily be called "Generic Action Game & Car."
  10. GamesRadar+
    50
    The end result is a ramshackle affair that will please neither hardcore Spy Hunters nor Joe "GTA."
  11. GameTrailers
    60
    Instead of rebuilding Spy Hunter’s Interceptor from the ground up to make an action-racer that could potentially smoke "Burnout," or adding third-person shooting and grappling control to make you feel like Sam Fisher and Triple H at the same time, Nowhere to Run ends up being a mediocre mix of both.
  12. Gaming Age
    42
    That “been there, done that” feeling comes more often than not, whether it’s the cheesy bond-like story line and action sequences, the ‘burnout’ like stunt scenes, or simply the fact that this doesn’t really feel like Spy Hunter at all, with the exception of a few race points.
  13. IGN
    60
    The addition of a third-person controllable character to this otherwise entirely vehicle-based series adds an entirely new dimension to the fading series. Playing as The Rock is pretty dang fun, and even if some of the shooting controls are wonky, the melee and wrestling attacks remain consistenly hilarious and enjoyable.
  14. Next Level Gaming
    67
    Unfortunately the execution just wasn't quite there.
  15. Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK
    30
    Oh dear. We've seen some drab ill-judged resurrections of 'retro classics' in our time, but this takes the pixelated biscuit. [Dec 2006, p.94]
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  16. PALGN
    45
    An uninspired game, Midway tried to turn the franchise into something it clearly isn’t and as such the game ends up being boring and generic.
  17. PSM Magazine
    50
    The first PS2 "Spy Hunter" is a much better game. [Dec. 2006, p.84]
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  18. PSM3 Magazine UK
    40
    A mess of a shooter-cum-driver. We can smell what the Rock is cooking, and, frankly, it stinks. [Dec 2006, p.90]
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  19. Times Online
    60
    Unfortunately, with the Rock on board as the “talent” playing the spy hunter Alex Decker, Midway has got carried away with the cinematic feel of the venture at the expense of gameplay.
  20. Worth Playing
    50
    With more time and polish, Nowhere to Run could have shown that Spy Hunter can move beyond the car, but for now, The Interceptor is still the more interesting main character.
  21. Yahoo!
    50
    Its control system is weak, the gameplay mechanics are basic and repetitive and The Rock is woefully underused.
  22. ZTGD
    65
    If you are in the mood for some solid third-person action, great hand-to-hand combat, and some kickass driving sequences then this game is certainly worth a second look. Oh and it doesn’t hurt if you are a big fan of Mr. Johnson.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 3 out of 10
  1. ichmarich
    Jul 12, 2023
    5
    although not too satisfied, the controlling on keyboard & mouse is good.. but bad on controllers. with PS2 graphics, not too boring and quitealthough not too satisfied, the controlling on keyboard & mouse is good.. but bad on controllers. with PS2 graphics, not too boring and quite simple, not to have collected 100% stuffs like the others. Worth playing. and I give 5/10 stars on this.… Full Review »
  2. aspentitan
    Oct 29, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. It seems most of the bad reviews relate to this spyhunter game not carrying on with the true classic car game. This game is a hybrid where the majority of the game is third person shooter and the car, the interceptor, takes a back seat but has a fair amount of appearances. Based on fun factor and being able to unlock the original spy hunter game, I give this game an 8/10 even though it has some warts. First wart it starts off almost embarrassingly easy. This may fool some to think it's a really lame game but if you stick with it, the pace picks up nicely by chapter 4. Second wart, its AI remains pretty lame throughout. Again this can fool you it's a bad game but by chapter 4 you should again change this opinion. Third wart it's a short game. Now let's move on to why I rate this game well. Mostly the game excels at keeping you involved in fast paced action. It is a joy throughout and the action is story based and not fetchquest go here go there sessions. Not the best story but the gameplay always has constant action. Some parts of this game were outstanding in design. Weapon crates and health pickups were not scattered on your path as you went they were available in the environment. This is a small difference but made the gameplay much more fun. Something unique to this game is you can have your weapon knocked out of your hands by grenade of melee attack and it could mess you up. At times you lose your weapon but you can decide to go melee based then retrieve it, or you could choose a secondary weapon to mop up enemies. I found this design very fun adding some immersion to the game. Overall I found this game extremely enjoyable it's too bad a lack of polish turned people off before they got far into the game to realize it's actually a decent game. Seems like the majority of players can't see spyhunter as anything other than in its classic format. Personally it's inevitable the game at some point has to be reenvisioned. I read so many bad reviews of this game I'm glad I played it for myself. At the start of the game I was yep, this is pretty bad, but every chapter kept getting a little better so I kept going, and by the end I have to say this game was definitely worth the playthrough. I will say this though: the AI won't wow you anywhere in this game but they do their job to provide you with action and I found this game way more entertaining than quite a few ultra polished games which fail to provide any entertainment other than occupying you with repetitively boring and silly fetch quests. I guess why I liked it is I enjoy third person shooters and the theme for me was fine. I can understand people more use to arcade like gameplay wanting to bash this just cuz it's not that. Although I feel it deserves criticism I think it was bashed quite unfairly when looking at it overall.… Full Review »
  3. SrPepe
    Jun 30, 2018
    8
    Es un juego super divertido con varias opciones atractivas, sin embargo tuve un problema a mitad del juego y tuve que empezar de vuelta.
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