| Spy Hunter | |
|---|---|
 Arcade cabinet side art | |
| Developer(s) | Bally Midway (arcade) Sunsoft (NES) |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Designer(s) | George Gomez |
| Composer(s) | Bob Libbe, Michael Bartlow, Neil Falconer (Arcade) Naoki Kodaka (NES) |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Amstrad CPC, Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit, BBC Micro, ZX Spectrum, C64, Apple II, ColecoVision, IBM PC, NES |
| Release | NES |
| Genre(s) | Vehicular combat |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Arcade system | Bally Midway MCR-Scroll |
Spy Hunter is a vehicular combat game developed by Bally Midway and released for arcades in 1983.[2][3][4][5] The game draws inspiration from the James Bond films and was originally supposed to carry the James Bond brand. The object of the game is to drive down roads in the technologically advanced "Interceptor" car and destroy various enemy vehicles with a variety of onboard weapons. Spy Hunter was produced in both sit-down and standard upright versions with the latter being more common.[8] The game's controls consist of a steering wheel in the form of a futuristic aircraft-style yoke with several special-purpose buttons, a two-position stick shift (offering 'low' and 'high' gears), and a pedal used for acceleration.
Spy Hunter was a commercial success in American arcades, where it was one of the top five highest-grossing arcade games of 1984 and 1985. It was ported to the Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit computers, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Apple II, ColecoVision, MS-DOS, Nintendo Entertainment System, and BBC Micro. Spy Hunter was followed by Spy Hunter II, which added a 3D view and two-player split-screen play, a pinball tie-in, and a successor series of games bearing the Spy Hunter name. In addition, the NES received a sequel titled Super Spy Hunter.
- ^ Akagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971–2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971–2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. pp. 124–5. ISBN 978-4990251215.
- ^ a b Spy Hunter, Parts and Operating Manual (PDF).
- ^ a b "Spy Hunter Flyer".
- ^ a b "Spy Hunter screenshot".
- ^ a b "Spy Hunter release dates on different platforms".
- ^ "SPY HUNTER". Media Arts Database. Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ "NES Games" (PDF). Nintendo of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 11, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
- ^ "Spy Hunter". The International Arcade Museum. Retrieved 4 October 2013.