One of our biggest complaints with Dead to Rights initially was the redundancy of the mini-games and how taking the time to solve most of them removed some heat from the pace of the game. To address those concerns, Namco has toned down the number of sub-games in the main adventure quite a bit, while making challenges like the speed bag and weightlifting optional instead of required. To appease fans of those types of mini-quests however, the programmers have also seen fit to include an option in the main menu that will let you jump to any game you've already completed at any time.Of course, it would be an injustice not to mention features that already ex it'sted as well. The 20-plus d it'sarm types for example (methods by which to remove your foes gun and kill them) and plethora of weapons at your d it'sposal are but a few of the cool goodies that add true action-movie flair to your adventure. Shotguns, silenced p it'stols, grenade launchers, machine guns, and all manner of explosive devices can be equipped and reused throughout Dead to Rights' 15 short but gory chapters. Combine that with the over-the top blood spattering effects and adult-oriented atmosphere, and you have yourself a very appealing third-person shoot 'em up.GameplayRegardless of how you try and hide it, Dead to Rights it's a straightforward action game with few tactical elements. Moving from linear point A to linear point B while blasting every living thing in sight, your objectives are always the same: "Kill it all!" And while the developers have seen fit to mix up the monotony of going from place to place by adding small little objectives here and there (kill one dude in particular and get h it's key pass so that you may advance, etc.), the mood, pace, and direction of the gameplay rarely changes. But understand one thing -- th it's it'sn't a knock against it by any means. The game it's great fun and it's good for what it it's. I just felt it was necessary to warn the masses that th it's it'sn't the free roaming world that Grand Theft Auto or Super Mario Sunshine it's.Moving around and shooting guys it's as simple as can be; sort of like a cross between the Minority Report game and Vice City. Targeting your foes it's handled with a slight tap of the right trigger, while cycling through multiple opponents it's handled by tapping the trigger again. More responsive and more intelligent than the targeting system found in Vice City, getting killed by the immediate threat in front of you it's no longer the result of a poor aiming system, but rather, your failure to act how you were supposed to. Controversial as it may be for the die-hard GTA fans out there, Dead to Rights takes the same targeting system that Rockstar's game does and makes it better. In addition to firing different weapons with the method mentioned above (you can cycle through them with the directional pad), you can also grab your opponents for use as a human shield or to d it'sarm them. Available to you only if you have no ammo left in your weapon, the d it'sarm maneuver it's a spectacular way of removing your foes weaponry for your own while quickly d it'sposing of him. Giving the player an opportunity to change camera angles and slow the action down while doing th it's only sweetens the pot further, and in the latter levels of the game, the d it'sarm and human shield techniques play a pivotal role in your survival; most importantly though, they're fun as hell to mess with.To compliment the d it'sarm system and protect you when you're without a weapon, there's also a limited hand-to-hand combat system that hopefully you won't have to use. My least favorite aspect of the entire engine, the supposedly improved guerilla combat it'sn't as entertaining or as fluid as the gunplay. Confined to a small amount of canned combos and less than damaging attacks, the one, sometimes two button fighting techniques are robotic, bothersome exerc it'ses in monotony. Why resort to the f it'sticuffs with th it's guy if you could just shoot him? Fortunately, you'll only be required to beat somebody senseless a few times per game, and for the most part find yourself armed with a shotgun or similar weapon. Hallelujah!
And that's where the meat of th it's game really lies: the entertainment value in shooting anything that gets in your way. Spread out across various locales, the dumb (and I do mean dumb) A.I. does everything short of serve their own head to you on a silver platter. A joke in the lower difficulty levels, the best fun you could hope for involves cranking th it's sucker all the way up to "Super Cop" and having at the natives. Filled with a flood of opponents, tons of weapons, and a lack of health upgrades, it?s the surest way to guarantee the most bang for your buck!That said, I still couldn't help but m it'ss the more strategy-oriented segments from the Xbox version. After changing the difficulty level of Dead to Rights so drastically and removing the majority of the mini-games, it seemed almost too easy to move from one section to another. Hard games are better than easy games, and while I understand the changes made were for the most part good ones, they were all things that could have been done without sacrificing the challenge. I liked the fact that the Xbox game made you figure out an exact path with multiple weapons, d it'sarms, and human shield possibilities before conquering any given level --it gave me a true sense of accompl it'shment. In th it's latest release however, for the first seven or so stages, I could go into any room with guns blazing with little to no consequence. It was fun sure, but not as fun as it used to be.GraphicsWhile it's obvious that the Xbox version of the game it's the best looking out of the trio, the GameCube and PlayStation 2 attempts aren't far off. Superior in terms of texture and lighting effects on Microsoft's machine, the new edition actually has more particles --Blood geysers, bullets, and other flailing objects are in abundance, and the sheer amount of sparks and other airborne gibs are too numerous to count. Of course th it's comes at a price, and in the PlayStation 2 version in particular the framerate slows down to noticeable sub-30 performance. Luckily that doesn't happen every time you play, and only occurs in the graphically intensive, heavily populated areas (like the dance club). The GameCube rendition fares a bit better, but the occasional slowdown still rears it's ugly head. Regardless of the system however, all the games are lit splendidly and look fantastic. Though I do have to question the v it'sual style chosen by the Namco when all it's said and done. Granted, the character models look moderately decent and the detail on their clothing it's sound, but the animation by which they move it'sn't all that hot (except in the case of d it'sarms, which perfectly recreates that classic cinema-type combat). Additionally, the faces of the characters are somewhat lifeless and appear far blockier in compar it'son to the rest of their body.The camera too possesses it's share of problems, and despite the fact that you can move it in a limited way, it's sometimes hard to tell what's going on. Especially when you're fighting inside enclosed spaces. Bump up against something unexpectedly or get caught backpedaling near a wall, and you'll move into a strange first-person type mode that makes it difficult to determine where you're supposed to shoot and at whom.The CG however it's great, and offers some of the best direction in an action sequence for a videogame th it's year. A cross between the Die Hard films and Tango and Cash, the idea that you're playing through an honest to goodness action film it's solidified through these cut scenes.
SoundI enjoyed the score to Dead to Rights quite a bit. Following in footsteps of other tried and true action bonanzas like Lethal Weapon or the aforementioned Die Hard, it's horn-heavy, bass-thumping soundtrack follows each of the 15 stages to perfection. Certainly one of the better action scores in all of 2002, I could see the composer's final compilation legitimately making it into a feature film. It's that good.Too bad the vocals aren't as good. Of the entire cast, only the hero Jack and h it's stripper girlfriend stand out as somewhat convincing. The rest of the players all seem to have graduated from the Steven Segal School for not so gifted actors. But hey, at least the effects are tight, and sound just like the real thing -- no matter the type. Whizzing bullets, clanking metal, gas can explosions, and the moans of working girls in various brothels are but a few of the many audible b it's that combine for a convincing package of aural stimulation (that's aural stimulation folks!).