Dead to Rights II

"Not so good, but not as crappy as people say"

This is a sequel to Namcos's surprise hit - Dead to Rights. The original took everyone by surprise mixing in a great gameplay with mini games and a decent story. The sequel , however was falls short in almost every department. Let's take a look.

Story: 6/10
Nothing really special, but one should not expect much in terms of story when it comes to mindless shooters. A judge gets kidnapped and you along with your girlfriend head out to find out his whereabouts. The original's story was much more deeper and complicated.

Graphics: 7/10
This is one area where the sequel improved upon the original. The environments and enemies look much better, and they are well polished. The frame rate is smooth unless something explodes besides you while you are attacking, then you will experience some slow down.

Sound: 8/10
Sound is done pretty well. Every different gun has a unique sound, and explosions make the right splash. The enemies curse a lot and they taunt you, so get ready to hear every curse in the book. Lots and lots of swearing. The voices of the characters played out in cut scene are done pretty well, as the original voice cast was retained.

Game-play: 6/10
Both the original and the sequel are mindless shooters. However, the original had substance while this one does not. The mini games have been stripped completely from the sequel. The only variation that you experience is the hand to hand combat, which is rather dull as they mix it in from time to time. Basically these are short sequences where you punch or hit your way through the bad guys, or just make Shadow clear the way. Yes, the doggy is back. You can target enemies and send the doggy after him, or make him fetch you items or weapons. The game plays from 3rd person perspective and you are in the control of the camera. You target enemies and fire, which sounds simple except when there are a lot of enemies on screen and you are trying to target a specific area, it can get pretty annoying. As in original you can slow down time to help you out in tough situations. The environment is not much in play as the original. You can shoot our barrels and explosive material and very few occasions shoot an obstacle to clear the way. There are several bosses in the game as well. The game is not easy, due to the bad saving system which is almost none existent. You see you can save in the game but it really does not matter, as the only saves that count are the auto saves. For example, if you save towards the end of the chapter and get killed, restore, you will be thrown back to the beginning of the chapter. In terms of replay value there is some, as you can unlock items by beating different modes, plus you unlock different modes as well. There is also an Instant Action option that throws you into 4 different situations and you have to fight your way through it - this is unrelated to the story.

Final Impression
Those who loved the original will find this game a bit awkward. You will feel like you playing a stripped down version of the original with no improvements what so over - except the graphics. This game also got bad reviews because it was selling for $49.99 and it should have been the most $29.99. At this point it is selling for $9.99 which is a great price and if you pick it up, you can enjoy it for what it is - a mindless shooter. This thing can also be beaten as a rental - it does not take that long to finish.
I'll give it 6/10

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 04/03/06