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Mugy

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,424
Just a thought that came to my mind a few moments ago. Did SEGA actually make the game to capitalize on the Die Hard success at that time, or was just a coincidence?
 

Odesu

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,539
Die_Hard_Arcade.jpg

The game was published in cooperation with Fox Interactive and was a licensed product based on the Die Hard movie franchise.
 

Odesu

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,539

Tayaya

Banned
Oct 31, 2017
467
It was not developed by SEGA as a Die Hard game - it was part of the Dynamite Deka series in Japan, but recieved the Die Hard textures and related cutscenes here in the US.

EDIT: Apparently my life was a lie based on the above post!
 

Tracker_TD

Member
Oct 25, 2017
244
A quick google suggests it was originally developed as a Die Hard game, but because Sega didn't have the license in Japan they just made it into an original property that then stuck around after the license expired (Dynamite Deka)
 

Bane

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
5,905
They had the license and weren't doing anything with it so made that game. In Japan it was renamed Dynamite Deka and got a sequel called Dynamite Cop (I might have those names backwards). Both are really fun beat 'em ups.
 
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Mugy

Mugy

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,424
A quick google suggests it was originally developed as a Die Hard game, but because Sega didn't have the license in Japan they just made it into an original property that then stuck around after the license expired (Dynamite Deka)
Ohh, so the main character of the game really was (more or less), based on the character played by Bruce Willis! For some reason i thought that SEGA just make game and for some odd coincidence the landed the license for a Die Hard game
 

Tayaya

Banned
Oct 31, 2017
467
I will say that Dynamite Deka 2 on Dreamcast was a really fun game. I may have to fire mine up this weekend!
 

fiendcode

Member
Oct 26, 2017
24,911
No yeah i got that, i'm a huge fan of the game. I just find so random that SEGA actually based an Arcade Game on a Western Movie, specially since the game is not called Die Hard Arcade in Japan
It was also co-developed between Japan (SEGA AM1 R&D) and America (SEGA Technical Institute). The sequel (Dynamite Cop) was done in Japan alone though (by AM1) while the 3rd game (Asian Dynamite) was made in China (SEGA Studios Shanghai).
 
Jul 10, 2018
1,050
I thought it was rebranded to fit the movie license too, holy shit!

This is a blast of a game also, it's somewhere between a mediocre Streets of Rage and a fantastic Fighting Force.
 
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Mugy

Mugy

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,424
The funny part being "at that time" was 9 years after Die Hard was initially released.
Yeah, by the time the game was released in the US, there was a third Die Hard movie that doesn't have much to do with the first movie setup

By the way, i didn't know SEGA made a "remake" of this game for PS2 with both a new look and the classic arcade/saturn graphics:



Crazy!
 

FTF

Member
Oct 28, 2017
28,366
New York
It was not developed by SEGA as a Die Hard game - it was part of the Dynamite Deka series in Japan, but recieved the Die Hard textures and related cutscenes here in the US.

EDIT: Apparently my life was a lie based on the above post!

This is what I've always been under the impression of as well...and that Die Hard Trilogy on PS1 was based on the movies.
 

fiendcode

Member
Oct 26, 2017
24,911
Yes, DDEX/Asian Dynamite was more a remix of the 2nd game though. Remember DD2/Dynamite Cop was a late Model 2 game in arcades, then got an upgraded port to Dreamcast, then that DC port was used as a base for the 3rd game in arcades on Naomi.
 
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Mugy

Mugy

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,424
Do you also find Star Wars Arcade weird?
Nah, just a curiosity. Never knew SEGA actually thought on the movies, specially considering the time-frame between the first movie and the game. Always thought it was an original property and SEGA just slapped the Die Hard name for a Western Release. But apparently it was the other way around!
 

Fisty

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,214
This is what I've always been under the impression of as well...and that Die Hard Trilogy on PS1 was based on the movies.

I had this, with the lightgun for DH2

The devs put a "format memory card" option in the menu that my dumb 11 year old self didnt understand the consequences of, what a dick move
 

sugarless

Member
Nov 2, 2017
709
Interestingly, the Japanese wiki entry seems to contradict the English:

English:
Die Hard Arcade originated as a means for Sega to use existing resources: Sega had produced an excess inventory of ST-V arcade boards, and had acquired the Die Hard license but as yet had no Die Hard games in development.

Japanese:
元々、映画『ダイ・ハード』を意識して開発されたタイトルであり、開発途中でダイ・ハードの版権を取得する事が出来たため国外ではDie Hard Arcadeのタイトルで発売された。
Translation: Originally a title that was being developed while taking inspiration from Die Hard, the licence was acquired during development, and so outside Japan the game was released under the title Die Hard Arcade.
 
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Mugy

Mugy

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,424
Interestingly, the Japanese wiki entry seems to contradict the English:

English:
Die Hard Arcade originated as a means for Sega to use existing resources: Sega had produced an excess inventory of ST-V arcade boards, and had acquired the Die Hard license but as yet had no Die Hard games in development.

Japanese:
元々、映画『ダイ・ハード』を意識して開発されたタイトルであり、開発途中でダイ・ハードの版権を取得する事が出来たため国外ではDie Hard Arcadeのタイトルで発売された。
Translation: Originally a title that was being developed while taking inspiration from Die Hard, the licence was acquired during development, and so outside Japan the game was released under the title Die Hard Arcade.
I wonder; If the game was based on Die Hard, then why does the Saturn port in Japan still uses the likeness of Bruce Willis even though the game is NOT called Die Hard in Japan? I wonder if SEGA even had legal problems with that kind of stuff
 

Deleted member 2620

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
4,491
Count me among those who assumed it was an original game branded to be a Die Hard game after the fact. Wild that isn't the case!

I love this game, though. I get why some would be turned off by its clunkiness, but it's an honest, challenging beat 'em up with diorama-style visuals that I love, a huge movelist, and the right amount of QTEs.
 

dock

Game Designer
Verified
Nov 5, 2017
1,368
Arcade games based on movies tend to stick around for a long time, long past their popularity as a movie. I remember playing this in an arcade in Manchester UK around 2000 despite the then dated hardware. The PS2 version is great too, although I wish they had included an option for the original 3D graphics.

I often blame Die Hard Arcade for QTEs, with the button press reaction tests between scenes.

Dynamite Deka 2 really built on design with some incredibly permission and creative use of items in game design. When you pick up a tray of apples you can choose whether to throw each one as a weapon, or eat them for health. Then you finish by throwing the tray, or just hitting folk with it. It's a huge inspiration to me as a game designer.
 

Bigkrev

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,307
Wait, it WASN'T re-skinned to a Die Hard game cause they got the license in America?!?
 

dock

Game Designer
Verified
Nov 5, 2017
1,368
I wonder; If the game was based on Die Hard, then why does the Saturn port in Japan still uses the likeness of Bruce Willis even though the game is NOT called Die Hard in Japan? I wonder if SEGA even had legal problems with that kind of stuff
Image rights, likenesses, photos and other details are all handled differently.
I suspect that their painted Bruces weren't enough to worry FOX.
 
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Mugy

Mugy

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,424
Arcade games based on movies tend to stick around for a long time, long past their popularity as a movie. I remember playing this in an arcade in Manchester UK around 2000 despite the then dated hardware. The PS2 version is great too, although I wish they had included an option for the original 3D graphics.
They did! the SEGA AGES's port for PS2 includes a "SEGA Saturn Mode" where you can play with the original graphics

And thank you for your knowledge about the likeness of the actors in this particular case

Is there a better beat em up than this? I can't think of anything.
3D Beat em' up? No, i don't think theres any. Maybe the sequel? or Zombie Revenge?
 

Geist 6one7

Member
Oct 29, 2017
4,374
MASS
Yeah, by the time the game was released in the US, there was a third Die Hard movie that doesn't have much to do with the first movie setup

By the way, i didn't know SEGA made a "remake" of this game for PS2 with both a new look and the classic arcade/saturn graphics:



Crazy!

This is actually available on PS3 if you make a Japanese PSN account.
 

Nida

Member
Aug 31, 2019
11,166
Everett, Washington
I'll always remember being so excited to get Die Hard for the PS1 because I loved the arcade game.

And then I got three bad games in one instead.

There was driving in the third, but when I think Die Hard I don't really think a driving game.