Death by Degrees

"Weird controls and frequent loading times plauge this game. Death of a Frachise!"

Death by Degrees is an action sidestory for Nina Williams. Nina Williams is this, "attractive" blond from the Tekken series. I guess her popularity was enough to warrant her own game. This game has been severely criticized for it's strange controls and numerous loading times. Unfortunately, I see no reason to counter any of those accusations since this game is an accumulation of poor programing choices.

GRAPHICS 7/10: Namco has a certain talent for bringing out the best graphics from the PS2. Death by Degrees is no exception, it provides some really nice graphics and character animation. Nina's partner Alan is well animated and handsome. Death by Degrees also has really nice FMV sequences. Nina looks great and the facial expressions are top notch. However, the impressive aspects end here. The game is an exact replica of a Resident Evil game. This means you get poor camera angles and static environments. In Resident Evil, these angles created suspense, here they only create frustration. The graphics are nice, but dated. There is nothing really impressive here except for the FMV and some nice character animation for the main characters. The environments are nice but limited to a lame cruise ship and plenty of prisons and sewers. It would have been nice to see Nina in more beautiful environments. Maybe some exotic locations. Moreover, Nina is a pretty attractive woman, or at least she would be if she didn't have these ugly snarls throughout the game. Half of the time a cinematic occurs, she gets this look on her face like she just stepped in manure. In fact, her cold demeanour and lack of any real personality really don't add anything to the character. Nina should have been animated better and had more emphasis on showing some femininity. This aspect is especially dissapointing since Nina is the main attraction in the game. It still perplexes me to think about the difference in quality between the FMV and the actual game. The FMV's are so much better than the in-game graphics. The game looks fine but the differences in quality really stand out.

MUSIC/SOUND 5/10: Well, I hope you really like the generic sneaking around music, cause you are going to hear it throughout the game. Oh man, it's the same song on repeat in every level. The songs sometimes change, like during the fight scenes. Then it's back to the same old song. In fact, this game has crappy music all over the place. The tunes are bland and uninspired. The sound effects are pretty standard. Gunshots sound like gunshots and fists hitting meat sound pretty good. The voice talents are above average. Everyone sounds good and acts out their part pretty well. Too bad it ends there.

GAMEPLAY 5/10: If you haven't heard by now, the controls in this game are a little strange. You use the left analog stick to move and the right to attack. You tap the right stick in the direction you want to attack and Nina will strike. It's is a cumbersome control scheme but you get used to it. Unfortunately, once you get used to it, you realize this control scheme is garbage. Keep in mind that this is a fighting game. this "thumb dancing" makes the combat feel very awkward. The hits don't feel solid and the bad camera angles only add to this gameplay tragedy. I guarantee that the camera will change perspective on you at the worst possible moments during combat. Nina does have some cool moves though. She can use double guns, double swords, and busts out some cool grappling moves. She even gets a deathblow. You hit weakpoints on the enemy's skeleton and break their bones. This is a cool feature that should have been used more often. Instead, you have to charge it up ever so slowly or used items to fill it up. The gameplay is kind of slow and lame. The game runs out of steam pretty quickly and really discourages you from playing through a second time. Playing the game again, unlocks more costumes but I doubt you'll touch this game more than once. Now we get to..... NOW LOADING.... Yes, it's every gamers favorite screen. Those seconds of abysmal thought between rooms. Yes, this game has loading segments between every room you enter. It also loads between gameplay and in-game cinematics. At first, I didn't care but later on... I cared a lot. So, if you are keeping track. We have: bad camera angles, bad controls, frequent loading times, and bad music. The game is functional but it is executed very poorly with strange choices in design.

FUNFACTOR 5/10: The story is semi interesting and Nina fanboys may care about her life. I have to tell you that you will know no more about Nina at the end of this game than you did coming in to it. She has no personality and the story itself doesn't bring about anything significant or interesting. The combat is pretty fun and you will get some enjoyment out of this title. Still, there are better spy games out there.

REPLAY 3/10: When you finish the game, you can beat it again for an extra costume and some special weapons. You can also play as Anna which is the only reason I see to play this game again.

OVERALL: 5/10: Death by Degrees would have been a good game on PSX. The game mechanics are outdated as are the rewards for beating the game. This game has few redeaming factors and even Nina Williams' fans will be disappointed. I have a feeling there will not be a sequel to this game because it only accomplishes putting the final nail into the coffin of this franchise.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 10/05/05