The Spy Hunter franchise holds a special place in many an old-fogie-gamer’s heart.  The car/motorcycle/boat combat arcade game was known for being incredibly difficult and incredibly fun.  With a modern reboot happening in 2001 and a feature film that at one point had Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson slotted to star going nowhere, no one would blame you if you figured you’d seen the last of the iconic franchise.

But for those that held out hope, Konami has a pre-E3 present for you with the announcement that a new Spy Hunter game is coming to both the PlayStation Vita and the Nintendo 3DS.

The fall would release would serve as a prelude to the series’ 30^th anniversary; the original was released in arcades in 1983.  The reboot promises to deliver the venerable franchises “most thrilling and dangerous ride yet.” 

In this iteration the Interceptor will be able to transform from souped up sports car to an off-road assault vehicle to a rocketing speed boat.  Customization options should be more robust here than in previous entries; allowing you to pick your weapons and other high tech doodads to help you through the game’s various missions.

We’ll have more coverage on Spy Hunter as it becomes available.

WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES SPY HUNTER FOR PLAYSTATION VITA AND NINTENDO 3DS

The Original Combat Driving Series is More Thrilling and Dangerous than Ever!

BURBANK, Calif. - May 30, 2012 - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces Spy Hunter, a reboot of the legendary combat driving series, specially developed for PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS by TT Fusion. The game will be available this fall.

On the eve of the franchise's 30th anniversary since the original Spy Hunter was released to arcades in 1983, the new Spy Hunter races forward on its most thrilling and dangerous ride yet. The player once again takes on the role of the "Agent," the driver of the high-tech G-6155 Interceptor supercar, armed extensively with advanced weaponry, and ready to take on a global terrorist organization set on world domination.

"Spy Hunter's classic gameplay has been upgraded to give PlayStation Vita and 3DS players a new, adrenaline-charged experience," said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Production and Development, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "Gamers now have more choice in the transformation and customization with greater hand controls, brilliant graphics and enhanced action cameras."

The Interceptor seamlessly transforms from supercar to off-road assault vehicle to speed boat, allowing players to go where they like within the game's branching mission tracks. Players can choose to outfit and upgrade the Interceptor's many weapons and high tech gadgets as they like throughout the course of the game. And for the first time, the Agent will have additional support in the form of an unmanned aerial support drone, allowing players to plan their destruction when assaulting enemy agent strongholds. Spy Hunter also features thrilling crash choreography and a camera system that follows the action in slow motion to let players savor the destruction they created.