| Publisher: |
Developer: |
Genre: |
Players: |
ESRB: |
| Namco |
Namco |
Action |
1 |
Mature |
Dead To Rights
Reviewed by: Ben
Dead to Rights is an amazingly cool game that is not only fun, but has a story to it. You are Jack Slate, a clean cop who has nothing but good intentions, until he gets called to a construction site where gun shots have reportedly been heard. Little did he know it was a set up. After Jack found his way through bad guys, he discovered his father laying dead and bleeding on the ground. Jack was enraged and set off to find the killer, but only fell into a trap that would lead him to death row.
Gameplay: Dead to Rights has been compared to Max Payne by several sources. After playing both games, I can say that Dead to Rights is quite different. The only similarities between the games are that the main characters have been framed for murder, it’s a third person shooter, and there is “bullet time” implemented into gameplay. Other than that, it is a very unique gameplay experience.
You play as Jack Slate. A clean cop with a good track record, until one night he gets called to investigate the sounds of gunshots finding his father dead. Jack goes to peruse the perpetrator, only to get framed for murder. Jack gets sent to Prison and is sentenced to death. You have to escape and find the REAL criminal.
As you start the game, pop up menus will instruct you on how to play the game. They inform you of your control scheme, and other functions in the game. It starts you out slowly by giving you basic control functions, and then applies them to situations fitted to the function. Soon after you learn it, you will have another situation where you must apply it to the situation without instruction.
Your targeting system is not as complex as Max Payne. When you press the “R” button, it targets an enemy and you press “a” to use your weapon against them. If an enemy is at far range, your chance of hitting them is far less, and it will be indicated by the color of the “lock-on target” you see on them. You can scroll through your targets by using the right analogue stick. You can switch your weapon with the digital pad, and use it instantaneously.
In some portions of the game, you can play as Jack’s trusty dog, Shadow, and complete tasks that Jack cannot do, such as getting into small areas. Shadow can also attack enemies and retrieve their weapons or any other items.
Spread throughout the game is several mini games which are necessary to further your progress. For instance, you have to pick a lock on a truck in order to burst through a wall. There is also a very controversial mini game that involves you taking control of a stripper to “distract” nearby guards. Sometime you might find these mini games a pain to complete, but I think it adds variety to the gameplay.
Graphics: Dead to Right graphics can go from stunning to “obvious PS2 port”. The character models are beautifully detailed. You can see the ripples in the clothing, and the hair on characters heads. Everything is well polished and detailed, except some portions of the levels. Some of the textures are clearly from the PS2 version of the game (which was in development before the Xbox version, but will not be released for a few more months). Some of the characters motions are very unrealistic. In the end, it works out to be a beautiful and well detailed game.
Controls: The controls in Dead to Rights are bang on right for the game.
Targeting: Right Trigger
Use Weapon: A Button
Cycle through Weapons: Digital Pad
Move: Right Thumb stick
Cycle through Enemies: Left Thumb stick
Go into Bullet-Time: Y button
Grab enemy and use as human shield: B Button
Disarm Enemy: X Button
Open doors/use button: B Button
Everything is right there, and nothing is hard to use. There are no issues with non responsive commands, and everything works smoothly. It is very simplistic and functional.
Replay: Dead to Rights is a game you will probably play over and over again just because it is really fun. Allot of replay will probably come from the game the first time you play it. There is a good chance you will have to do tons of replay just because of failing your missions. You should have fun with this.
Sound: Everything is well done sound wise in Dead to Rights. It has great voice acting, great sound effects and great music. It’s all around a great sounding game. The only downside is no Dolby Digital 5.1 support.
Overall: Dead to Rights is a great game. It is one of the best titles out there for Xbox. If you liked Max Payne, you will like Dead to Rights better, guaranteed. This is a great game.
Overall Presentation:
Scores:
Gameplay:  10
Graphics:  9
Controls: 10
Replay: 8.5
Sound: 9
Total Score: 9
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