Dwayne Johnson's appearance in the latest Spy Hunter game puts him close to 20 video game appearances, including the plethora of WWE titles during his pro wrestling run. This latest entry is based on a film of the same name, one that has been put on hold in pre-production. This marks a first for both the game and movie industry, where an actor has completed his role in a video game before filming started. It's a shame the game wasn't held back for some extra polish.
Derivative in every way, Nowhere to Run features Midway's classic Interceptor vehicle, piloted by The Rock. With the now standard array of gadgets including oil slicks, tire spikes, smoke screens, missiles and machine guns, these linear "blow up everything" segments capture a small portion of what brought the series to this point. It barely feels like the recent Spy Hunter remake from 2001 (and its lesser follow-up in 2003).
Controls are touchy at best, and for a game always based around speed, being brought to a dead stop is against everything this series has been famous for. It's even possible to spin around this time. While the levels are linear, there's still room to maneuver and re-check a section you blew by. It takes away from the typical Spy Hunter experience.
Changes continue as third person on-foot sequences follow soon after some initial vehicle blasting. Running through various locales, these human-based romps are a case of multiple identities. Using either fists or guns, players take out various foes too stupid for their own good. Stealth is recommended; yet running full speed into a room neither increases nor decreases the challenge.
Using bare fists reveals an impactful beat-em-up engine. As an added bonus, when the pummelings cause an enemy to keel over, a finishing move based off The Rock's wrestling career can be performed. The audio creates the brutal final piece to make these moves hard to watch.
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