Hidden & Dangerous

Hidden & Dangerous
Hidden & Dangerous
	European Windows cover art
Developer(s)	Illusion Softworks; Tarantula Studios (PlayStation)
Publisher(s)	TalonSoft; Take-Two Interactive (PlayStation)
Designer(s)	Michal Bačík; Radek Bouzek
Programmer(s)	Michal Bačík
Composer(s)	Jim Rose
Platform(s)	Windows, Dreamcast, PlayStation
Release	Windows EU: July 1999[1]; NA: 26 July 1999[1]; Dreamcast; NA: 1 August 2000[2]; EU: 8 September 2000; PlayStation; EU: 23 November 2001;
Genre(s)	Tactical shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Hidden & Dangerous is a 1999 World War II video game developed by Illusion Softworks and published by Take-Two Interactive and TalonSoft for Windows, Dreamcast, and PlayStation. The PlayStation port of the game was developed by Tarantula Studios. It is regarded as one of the pioneering tactical first person shooters. A sequel, Hidden & Dangerous 2, was released in 2003.

Gameplay

The player controls a four-man British Special Air Service (SAS) team executing a number of important missions during World War II. The game features soldier selection prior to each mission. A comprehensive load-out sequence is also available where players have access to a variety of weapons and equipment. Mission briefings outline objectives, intelligence on enemy strengths and recommended plans of advance. During missions, players can command directly by toggling through the soldiers in their squad, voice commands or a tactical map which allows for real time control or planned maneuvers once the map is exited. Missions include, sabotage, search and destroy, POW rescue and resistance aid. The game features missions in Italy, Yugoslavia, Germany, Norway, the North Sea and Czechoslovakia. Despite certain historical liberties taken with actual SAS missions and time-lines, the game retains a degree of historical accuracy and intense atmosphere, including realistic wounding as squad members can be heavily wounded or killed by even brief enemy contact.

Reception

Aggregate score
Aggregator	Score
Aggregator	Dreamcast	PC
Metacritic	72/100[3]	74/100[4]

Review scores
Publication	Score
Publication	Dreamcast	PC
AllGame	N/A	[5]
Edge	N/A	9/10[6]
Game Informer	7/10[7]	N/A
GameFan	N/A	78%[8]
GamePro	[9]	[10]
GameSpot	6.3/10[11]	7.1/10[12]
GameSpy	5.5/10[13]	N/A
IGN	6.2/10[14]	7.6/10[15]
Next Generation	[16]	N/A
PC Gamer (US)	N/A	55%[17]

Hidden & Dangerous was a commercial success, with 350,000 units sold globally by May 2000.[18] Sales had surpassed one million copies by 2007.[19] It was particularly popular in the United Kingdom.[20] According to PC Gamer US, most of the game's success derived from European markets. A writer for the magazine reported, "The game wasn't so fortunate in the States, where it received warm reviews but endured poor sales — partly because of intense competition from Rainbow Six, a lack of multiplayer options, and relatively little marketing exposure."[21]

Garrett Kenyon reviewed the Dreamcast version of the game for Next Generation, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "While the minor bugs and graphic shortcomings keep this game from being a classic, TalonSoft has done an excellent job presenting a solid game with enough missions, options, and surprises to keep you coming back for more."[16]

The PC and Dreamcast versions received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3][4]