Dead Angle

"You just slept the big sleep...."

I love dime novels - the classic detective stories from the 40's-50's. Though everybody gives these books some flack now and then for their occasional lack of realism, I love them from cover to cover. The double-dealing, the mob corruption, the dark city atmospheres, the hot temptresses and the non-gratuitous violence appeal to me. It's the some cool stuff that make Dead Angle one of my favorite games.

Dead Angle for the Master System is actually based on an arcade game released by some company named Fabtek. Yeah, I hadn't heard of the game either. Nevertheless, the box touts the game as an arcade game. The arcade game is actually the sequel to a game called Empire City: 1931. ''Empire'' cast you in the role of a cop-type trying to rid the New York streets of the scourge of the mafia. It was like a light gun game without the light gun. You used the joystick to move the crosshair along the level, taking out mobster one at a time with your trusty pistol while dodging the shots of your enemies. Dead Angle is just about the same, except you actually see your character on the screen as a see-through figure ala ''Punch Out''. Also, you faced more than one enemy at a time.

In Dead Angle, you play flatfoot George Phoenix, who must rescue his sweetheart Jane (bear with the unoriginality of the plot) from the clutches of mob kingpin Robert King. You travel everywhere from Italy to New York City defeating the big mob families while tracking down your mainsqueeze.

GRAPHICS
I can't really compare the graphics to the arcade, since I haven't seen the arcade game. Nevertheless, the graphics are impressive, considering that this is an 8-bit system. The sprites were huge and animated well enough. The backdrops look relatively detailed, from the cities of Napoli to the seediness of the New York hotel. Some of the characters do lack some detail, particularly facial features on the boss characters; nevertheless the graphics are fairly detailed.

SOUND
Sound is decent. I do like the tunes, which are more than fitting for a game about the mob. They have that big band sound that is commonly associated with the 30's and 40's. The gun sounds are pretty good, though the tommy gun sounds relatively underwhelming. The sound of George dying is pathetic though. He lets out a wimpy ''ouch'' when he's had too many slugs in him. For a tough-as-nails private eye, he sounds like some sissy. Other than the gun sounds, there's not many effects to speak of, although the ''thub'' sound the enemies make when hit is pretty cool. Some great mob tunes make for a great job on the sound overall.

GAMEPLAY
The gameplay is without a doubt the game's biggest strength. You can move, duck bullets and shoot. Your gun can only fire one bullet at a time unless you have a tommy gun, but most enemies die in one shot anyway. You can't underestimate how fun it can get shooting mobsters and bringing justice to the streets. You'll feel like one of the Untouchables as you eliminate mob activity with your trusty piece and the occasional tommy gun. The premise of the game is simple, yet extremely fun when you get to play it. The game is short, so you don't get tired of it all. While the game is dreadfully easy, you'll definitely want to play the game through again and again over time. I mean, how many games give you the chance to kick some mafia butt with just a six-shooter? :)

OVERALL
Dead Angle is as fun as drinking during Prohibition. It gives a great cheap thrill especially for those who love the old days when the mob ruled the streets and private eyes were the blue collar heroes. Without a doubt, Dead Angle is a must play for all Master System owners and even those who haven't even played a Master System game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/14/00, Updated 11/14/00