

Dead to Rights (Xbox)

100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
5 point score based on user ratings.

User Reviews

Now that's brutal, baby. Daemion Blackfire (16) 4.14 Stars4.14 Stars4.14 Stars4.14 Stars4.14 Stars

Our Users Say

Category Description MobyScore
AI How smart (or dumb) you perceive the game's artificial intelligence to be 3.1
Personal Slant How much you personally like the game, regardless of other attributes 3.1
Story / Presentation The main creative ideas in the game and how well they're executed 2.9
Overall MobyScore (8 votes) 3.1

The Press Says

Game Chronicles
Namco has quite possibly redefined the action genre or at least given it a fresh new look. I anxiously await their next venture into this genre while at the same time look forward to seeing what other companies will be releasing to go up against Jack and Shadow. While the closing movie was ambiguous about a possible sequel, there is always going to be criminals and crime in the seedy Grant city, and where there is crime there is always a place for a cop and his dog.
XBox Solution (XBS)
While the control could have been better, and the camera sytem needs a little work, Dead To Rights offers an experience that is well worth it. Suggestions for a sequel would be to improve the camera, control, and add an enemy fire indicator.
Despite the less-then-mediocre camera movement and control, Dead To Right is a fun romp through a Hong Kong-like movie with all the thrilling elements and action sequences that would make John Woo proud. Perhaps I see a movie spin-off in the near future.
The Wachowski brothers could obviously never have guessed what effect their life work, The Matrix, would create. Not only did they become millionairs, a lot of recent movies used the much acclaimed bullet time. But this nifty trick also found his way into the gaming industry and has already filled our hearts with happiness. Max Payne was an awesome game and developer Namco noticed this success as well. They immediately ran into their offices to come up with Dead to Rights for XBOX. But can sensational moves and loads of guns carry away a professional reviewer ? :)
Dead to Rights delivers. It's a great challenge and an absolute blast to play. Yes, there are some faults (and major ones) but that can't keep the game from being a great deal of fun. Had the fighting engine been better, this one would easily trounce Max Payne as king of the bullet-time games. But the fighting is too plain, too poor, and there's far too much of it. Namco may have been too subtle in presenting this as a movie-style game. You'll hear comments that you dismiss early on that actually have a subtle relevance later on. Things that in a Stallone movie would include a close up on Sly's face as he made the odd remark. Something that made it stand out. And then at the end of the movie, after the final battle, the audience would have that line pop back into their head and they'd smile.
Even with its visual shortcomings and ambition that keeps the game from being as tight as it could have been, Dead to Rights is a riot, packed full of non-stop action that will have you and the buddies playing hours through the night. Finishing DTR will take anywhere from 12 to 20 hours depending on your skill level, all while marveling at the carnage and cool gameplay mechanics that make the game so unique.
Finally, I should just add that this game features sexy looking strippers in tight thongs! And you get to play one! I mean, what more can you ask for really? (Ed. - Apparently, 2Lions has always wanted to be a stripper.) Nice to see that Namco didn't really feel like making a politically correct game. So, besides getting to shoot one million bad guys in less than two in-game minutes, you get to check out "curvy" strippers wrapping their tight bodies around that pole! Need I say more? Buy this game; you'll like it, even despite some of its irritating shortcomings.
Game Over Online
In the end, Rights has a lot more going for it. You've got fist fighting, you've got control of a K9 sidekick, the usual assortment of guns and the mini-games thrown in to give it a one-up, feature for feature, over that other bad cop's revenge title. By virtue of all these additions, I'm thinking the developers thought this would make their piece of work more accessible to a larger audience; people who would normally not touch a gun-blazing game. However, the escalated difficulty of mixing all these together (now instead of one or two game types, you have half a dozen) and inconsistency in pacing the sequences ironically makes the holistic package less accessible. Ultimately, Rights earns the 'right' to call itself a good game but whether it can catapult itself to the pantheon of greatness is more of a debate.
GameCell UK
Dead to Rights isn't much more than an arcadey Max Payne, it plays smoothly and the graphics are good, there are some truly excellent mini-games and the dog is really cool, but if your looking for depth and tactics in your shooter than DtR most definitely isn't for you.
On one hand I love Dead to Rights, and on the other, I'm disappointed. Can these mini-games be overlooked? For diligent gamers, the answer is a definite yes. I am a diligent gamer, which is why I overlooked them as much as I could and decided to give DTR the high score it deserved. For everyone else, the answer may be no. And if you can't overlook the mini-games, which take up a large portion of DTR, then you may not have the desire to play through the entire game. That'd be a real shame, because you'd be missing out on a lot of fun. I understand why you'd want to quit. A game shouldn't have parts that you want to rush through. Every moment should be a joy. However, in listening to gamers whine about the lack of diversity in video games, Namco tried to do something different and cram a whole bunch of gameplay styles into one title. Regardless of the outcome, Namco should be commended for their efforts.
Despite its appealing premise, the gameplay of Dead to Rights won't appeal to everyone. The game gets very hard in a hurry, and then it mostly just keeps getting harder from there. It's the sort of game that many are likely to stop playing in frustration and never come back to. But, armed with the knowledge that the game does get better as it wears on, you may find yourself enjoying Dead to Rights as you force your way through its numerous, seemingly impossible scenarios. The game could have certainly been better in a number of ways, but if you're the sort who's been able to finish most recent games without breaking a sweat, then you'll likely respect the challenge that this one has to offer.
Dead To Rights tente de reprendre la formule Max Payne en enrichissant un peu le gameplay et y parvient assez bien. On regrettera surtout que l'ambiance n'y soit pas aussi extrêmement réussie et que la réalisation graphique soit si mauvaise. Cela n'empêche pas Namco de signer là un excellent jeu d'action.
Dead to Rights offers tense battles, a story that could fit right in a comic, mini-games, great boss battles and most of all: Brutality. If you liked Max Payne, you will certainly enjoy this. The game provides a constant challenge making it hard to complete every time, plus unlocking all the disarms is something most gamers would want to do. This game does have issues; nevertheless it’s fun, plain and simple. If you can get it for a reasonable price, then I definitely recommend it.
Gamereactor (Denmark)
Et andet og mere presserende problem er, at mange sekvenser er alt for langtrukne og kedelige. Det er ærgerligt, da netop det omskiftelige tempo burde være titlens force. Med det sagt, så gemmer der sig dog stadig timers solid underholdning.
Gamereactor (Sweden)
För att summera spelet som sådant så är det ett på alla sätt givet köp om man är ett fan av actiongenren. Spelet är varierande, avslappnat och levererar en story full av sköna filmklichéer. Man vill gärna fortsätta spela hela tiden, vilket är ett gott tecken. Gillar man inte actiongenren är det dock varning som gäller. Den aviga spelkontrollen kombinerat med det hysteriska skjutandet gör Dead to Rights 100% umbärligt för den som inte är ett fan av Hong Kong-action och hjärndött pangande. Jag hade genuint kul med spelet, men bristerna finns där. Det är ett bra och underhållande spel, men inte ett perfekt och superkul.
Ben je op zoek naar een soortgelijke game als Max Payne kan je Dead To Rights zeker in overweging nemen. De game is zeker niet perfect maar met de tekortkomingen valt zeker te leven. Sterke punten zijn de erg vlotte gameplay, geluid en de levensduur. De onophoudelijke actie zorgt voor een spel dat je weinig of geen rustpauzes gunt. Explosies bij de vleet en de kogels vliegen je letterlijk rond de oren. Van iets mindere kwaliteit zijn de graphics en de camera kan soms onhandig uit de hoek komen. Het verhaal is een cliché en hebben we al talloze malen in andere varianten gezien maar dat mag de pret niet drukken. Al bij al is Dead To Rights een game dat je zeker kan entertainen. Een spel dat zich probleemloos tussen de middenmoot kan vestigen maar de echte topgames nooit zal bedreigen.
GamePro (US)
In the end, Dead to Rights good days outnumber its bad ones, and it’s worthwhile to trudge through the occasional dull punch-fight and inane spat of dialogue to get to the next wicked little gunfight. When Jack Slate is on, he’s on.
60 (UK)
Like a bit of blam-blam-blam and like the sound of the combat system? You will probably enjoy Dead to Rights. You won't spend endless hours with it and love no other, but I would strongly advise a rental - because even if you don't buy it, you'll have plenty of fun for the first few hours. But despite throwing in a canine companion, button-tapping mini-games and retweaking difficulty levels and so on between NTSC and PAL, Dead to Rights is fundamentally underwhelming to look at, repetitive to play and riddled with more flaws than bullet holes, and this'll stick like rigour mortis after your fiftieth fistfight.
Dead to Rights ist eine schwere Enttäuschung. Das gesamte Gameplay ist schlichtweg langweilig und die verschiedenen Elemente wiederholen sich auch zu oft, nur mit der Änderung, dass sich die Gegnerzahl zum Ende hin immer weiter verdoppelt. Würde zumindest die Grafik etwas ansehnlicher sein und somit zum Weiterspielen motivieren, könnte man mit der gebotenen Action wenigstens noch ein paar Stunden Spaß haben. In dem Zustand, wie sich Dead to Rights auf der Xbox präsentiert, können wir von einem Kauf aber nur abraten.
Games TM
Namco has tried its best to make something with a lot more variation and depth. Sadly, the fact that it has tried to squeeze so much in has resulted in some elements feeling unfinished and rather shallow. It certainly has its moments, but far too often problems with the camera or connection between characters makes it all feel cheaper than it should.
Game Revolution
Dead to Rights is all over the place. Someone had a good idea and great reference material, but the end product is repetitive and lackluster. There are definitely enough exciting action sequences in here to make the game a worthy rental, but for fifty bucks you're better off picking up a used copy of Max Payne and/or waiting for Splinter Cell later this year.
They shamelessly copy other gaming titles to cannibalise parts for their own work, like the way a budding author might hijack his favourite writer's style and mistakenly think it his own. Project Eden can point the finger, as can Metal Gear Solid 2, no doubt there are others but the names and developers are besides the point; what matters here is that if you want to create something truly unique and refreshing you have to forge ahead with your own concepts, it is as though Namco ran out of their own concepts a little early on and decided to half-inch a few from the rest of the industry. It's not clever and, quite frankly, it's more than a little embarrassing.
Game industry News (GiN)
Dead to Rights turns out to be a major disappointment after the version I tried out at E3. I really wanted to enjoy it, but I couldn't. It earns 2 + gems are awarded for a poor lock-on system, horrible fighting engine, and an average presentation.