Reservoir Dogs

"It has the potential to be good, but it doesn't quite cut it."

I rented this game expecting to see some dogs. Where are the dogs?! I kid of course. This is a video game adaptation of Quentin Tarantino's starmaking first film, Reservoir Dogs. I'm a big fan of the movie myself, so coming into this game I was expecting the game to fail to live up to my expectations. I was right.

STORY
The story follows a gang of bank robbers, each using a different colour as their Identity. All they wanted to do was rob a bank of it's green paper. However, everything goes wrong and gets blown to hell, and when they manage to escape they realize that it was a set up, and there's a snitch in the group. But who? Of course if you don't want the movie to be spoiled...you're probably best skipping this one then.

GRAPHICS
The graphics in the game are a mixed bag. Some are pretty good...some are atrocious. The actual game world is very rich and really detailed I thought. The lighting effects were nice, the locations were grand and nice to look at, and all the character models were decent too. Even though they all look nothing like they do in the movie! Mr. Pink looks nothing like Steve Buscemi. Only Michael Madsen's character looks like he should. I guess they couldn't get the likeness rights or something. And the FMV cutscenes in between each level? Awful. They look like they were made for the Playstation One. All in all though, the game looks alright.

SOUND
The audio is also a mixed bag. The soundtrack is superb. They've got all the cool hip 70s and 80s songs featured in the movie, including "Stuck in the Middle with You". Michael Madsen lends his voice to the game...but no one else. And the replacements they got are horrible. Mr. Pink sounds like Daffy Duck or something. And everything else in the game sounds okay. Lots of swearing though. This game is definitely not for kids...in fact the CD has a severed ear on it! Yeesh.

GAMEPLAY
Well I must say I don't know why Reservoir Dogs, a movie driven by dialogue, that had little action, was made into a video game. But nonetheless, the game still takes place in the same time frame of the movie. It's basically you playing how the robbers got away from the bank, and then later it's you retrieving the diamonds. It's an action game where you take hostages, shoot up the place, and get from point A to point B. And how does the action handle? To be honest I liked it a lot. The controls are really tight and very easy to handle.

The most innovative thing is the way they handled the hostage situation. Basically if you grab a hostage, you can force the security guards and police officers to drop their weapons, or else the innocent bystander gets a bullet in the brain. And once you get anyone to drop their guns, you can then lock onto that person and use the right analog stick to move them anywhere you want. It's almost like you're taking over their bodies or something, but I love that idea. The idea of telling your hostage where to go and what safe or door to open up is just brilliant to me. I had a lotta fun with the hostages, making them run in circles for no reason.

The game ranks your method of getting through the level through 3 different titles. If you go around shooting up the place and killing everyone in sight...you're a psychopath. If you take hostages and try to go through without firing a single bullet (yes it can happen), you're a professional. And if you go and do a cross of the two, then you're a Career Criminal. This actually effects the ending...but not really. Unlocking all 3 endings isn't really worth it, because they're really, really similar. The game also comes with some driving levels, but they're pretty sloppy and not that great to play. I gave this review a six for a reason, so let's get into why now.

For one...this game is short. I beat it from start to finish in about three hours, no kidding around. Two, the game is awfully repetitive. The gameplay was nice but it gets old quick, so quick that you'll thank the ending for coming so soon. There's just no diversity at all. You go, you shoot, rinse and repeat. You never face any different enemies either! It's always cops, cops in swat uniforms, and loser security guards. That's it. You'll play as all of the characters, but not one of them are unique in any way. The only levels that change it up each time are the car levels, but they aren't fun to play so it doesn't matter. Once you beat the game, all you have to look forward to are the other alternate endings. And trust me they aren't worth it. All of these problems drag the game down really deep.

IN THE END...
It had the potential to be a great game...but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. So I'll have to say that this little doggy needs to be put to rest. It's far too short, far too repetitive, and far too bland. A rental and nothing more.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/17/07