The time is finally upon us, videogames have matured into a form of adult entertainment that we, as adults can finally enjoy. Sure this is a small step, and not every game flooded with tits and ass is going to be great, but at least we have a stepping stone for what is to come. If Dead To Rights is any indication of the things to come for us older gamers, the future surely looks bright. With it’s gritty action sequences, gore infested death scenes, and stripper toting mini-games DTR is sure to turn a few heads, and not just the ones beneath our belts. Let us delve into the noir that is Dead To Rights!
Sure you have read countless reviews on this game and they all compare it to Max Payne. I won’t deny that it shares some similarities with the trench coated one, but I will tell you that while playing this game Max Payne never entered my mind. This is simply because DTR does so much to keep you interested in it’s storyline, game play, and action sequences that making comparisons can only be done by feeble minded game reviewers who simply play the games to analyze them. I myself was intrigued from the get go, the game starts you off by giving you sort of a tutorial on how the combat system works. Each time a situation is presented it shows you a new way to handle it. After that it is all up to you how the game is played, this kind of freedom and perplexity gives the player a much greater sense of control, thus creating a better game play experience.
The story starts you off in a junk yard shoot-out, you are the baddest cop on the force and they send you in to clean up the nasties. This is where you discover a horrible plot twist and this is where the game’s story begins to grow on you. I do not want to give much away to those who haven’t played it, but rest assured it will not bore you one bit. Playing DTR seems like a chore at first simply because you can do so much. When faced with multiple enemies you can opt to disarm them if you do not already have a weapon, you can sick Shadow (your canine sidekick) on them and have him retrieve you a weapon, or if you already possess a weapon you can simply use them as a human shield. After letting them digest all the oncoming bullets you can simply put a bullet in their head to finish them off, simply fabulous and gory!
The few things that keeps DTR from being a true classic is the camera work and the insane difficulty. The camera seems to want to position itself in awkward positions when mucho action is portrayed onscreen. You are left wandering what is going on at times and this results in deaths of the cheap fashion. The second gripe is that this game is very VERY difficult. Seeing the FAILED screen more than once in a section is not uncommon so don’t feel too bad when you die more than ten times trying to beat down the inmates in prison.
What DTR does it does well and that is deliver you non-stop action that you can truly enjoy. Many games have attempted and more than a fair share have failed. DTR is one of those games that most people will nod off as a Max Payne rip-off, but the truth is that this game is so much more than your average story driven shooter. If you are in the need of some John Woo style action and enjoy a good challenge give DTR a try. More than likely you will come away satisfied and hungry for more. A great game that deserves much praise!
