You are New York cop John McClane in this first-person shooter. And true to the film,
Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza starts off as you arrive in Los Angeles at your wife's place of employment, the Nakatomi building. Upon starting the game, you will be treated to many cut-scenes that follow the movie fairly well. You will soon realize, however, that the game takes a wild left turn and leaves the movie in the dust for many of the game's 30+ levels. The cool thing is that this new shift still includes all of your favorite characters from
Die Hard, including Holly, Al, and Argyle, as well as the infamous Hans Gruber and his cronies.
Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza captures the essence of John McClane and the world he lives in. For starters, you will first notice that this ain't your typical run 'n' gun shooter. You will actually feel as though you are in John McClane's shoes. John even holds his weapon in his left hand, which doesn't really change anything in your aim, but gives the illusion that the bullets fly a little bit strangely, and much more powerfully. Stealth is your friend, but heavy firepower is your partner. You will need to use many techniques to get through this game, from crouching and running to leaning around corners just enough to cap a bullet in the baddies' heads (which drops them in one shot).
As good and as fun as Nakatomi Plaza is, it does have it's faults. The most notable are the problems with passing through some areas. The level design in the game is great, but there is some sort of glitch that makes you get stuck in certain doorways and passages. In order to clear them, you may have to make McClane duck and/or run. This is extremely frustrating if you are either in pursuit or being pursued. There was actually one point in the game near the beginning in which I was stuck in an air vent for more than 5 minutes, just trying to get out.
The other thing I just can't let rest is the poor menu system. Looking from the outside in, it seems to be outstanding. The problem comes from the fact that you can save your game any time you desire. "What? That's a problem?" you ask. Not directly, but indirectly, yes. You see, when you first continue your game (or after you die), you load your game. The problem is that when you pause and want to save, you are automatically again taken to the load screen. At first I was upset with myself for accidentally loading when I wanted to save (thank goodness I saved often). But, after I continually clicked on the saves (or 'loads') on the similar-looking screen, I realized that there a problem lies within. It is terribly frustrating to work your way through a tough section in a level, only to reload an old game when you meant to save the progress you just gained.
