Retrospective: Die Hard Trilogy Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Retrospective: Die Hard Trilogy What you talkin' bout? Willis. Feature by Martyn Carroll Contributor Updated on 19 May 2021 85 comments There's a scene in Die Hard 4.0 where John McClane propels a car into the air and brings down an enemy helicopter. I remember sitting in the cinema, watching this ridiculousness unfold and hearing audible groans from the audience. Part of me was cringing. Part of me was thinking, "Hang on! I'm sure I've seen this happen before..." It became clear to me moments later. This was a scene from Probe Entertainment's Die Hard Trilogy, the video game which debuted on the PlayStation in 1996 and featured a separate game based on each of the first three films. The Die Hard With a Vengeance portion sees you speeding around NYC in a taxicab, trying to defuse bombs against the clock. In the final stage you have to bash the boss's helicopter out of the sky by hitting a series of jumps. Maybe the Die Hard 4.0 scriptwriters had played the game and included the scene as a nod to the guys at Probe? Die Hard Trilogy was, after all, one of the most popular and well known titles in the PlayStation's early years. Probe didn't have permission to use Bruce Willis' likeness, so they just went for the slightly balding bloke in a dirty vest look. The game is memorable because it's so brilliantly bonkers and over the top it makes the films look tame in comparison. As such, the car versus helicopter scene in the game seemed perfectly acceptable, whereas in Die Hard 4.0 it's laughable. The game starts as it means to go on, with the carnage level cranked right up. The Die Hard portion is a third-person shooter set in the Nakatomi Plaza. Before you've even made it out of the car park beneath the building you're knee deep in dead bodies, there's blood everywhere and people are running around screaming and on fire. The action continues in the same vein as you move up the building, floor by floor, taking down terrorists and rescuing hostages. Every so often you encounter a boss. You really can't miss him as the word 'BOSS' is floating above his head in large red letters. The game is about as subtle as McClane himself. The infamous blood on the windscreen moment in all its gory glory. For Die Harder, the style switches to a first-person, on-rails shooter set in Dulles International Airport. Here the gameplay is even more frantic - the waves of onrushing enemies never let up for a second. Sega's Virtua Cop is an obvious influence and the game does support a light-gun controller as well as the official PlayStation mouse (remember that?). But whichever control method you use, Die Harder is a tough challenge. It's almost impossible to reach the later levels without using one of the built-in cheats. Die Hard With a Vengeance is tougher still. The time limit you have to reach each bomb is super strict and a single wrong turn or unexpected accident often leads to failure. It maybe the most difficult of the three offerings, but it's also the most fun as you can just burn around the city, crashing into stuff and watching the game's crazy physics come into play. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More Features Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Feature What games get wrong about horses And what they could do about it. 28 Feature Shout out to all the Overwatch supports - where would we be without you? Merci. 55 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 3 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store