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Different and fun

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Dead to Rights is a fun game that is something different. It's not very pretty and it's not all that polished either, but I still had a pretty good time playing it.

You can't compare it to another PC game, because there isn't really one like it out there. There is a huge variety of activities in the game. One thing that you can't say about "Dead to Rights" is that it's repetitive. About 50% of the game is arcade-style shooting sequences where you run around desperately blasting anything that moves. About another 25% is spent fist fighting gangs of enemies. The rest is spent playing minigames or doing something else. Whatever you are doing, the action never lets up, and it never gets boring.

The gun battles in the game are usually pretty hard. There are a dozen enemies on the screen shooting at you with AK-47's, uzis, or shotguns. Meanwhile, you run around the room, finding cover, shooting back, or occasionally taking a hostage and using him as cover. You can also disarm enemies at close range, or even sick your dog, Shadow, on nearby enemies. Your doggy is one of the most powerful weapons in the game.

The controls are awkward only at first, but once you get used to them, they are pretty good. You don't actually use the mouse to aim in this game. You just right-click the mouse to target a guy, shoot him, and then right-click again immediately to shoot the next guy. You can circle-strafe around a guy with your eyes closed. The only problem that I ever had with the controls was the auto-targeting, which sometimes doesn't auto-target the enemy who is closest to you. This is aggravating, since sometimes a guy will be right next to you blowing you to bits with a shotgun and the auto-targeting will shoot at a guy across the room. The game also has "bullet-time", but it seems like a poorly done afterthought here. It's not very useful, since you can only use it to dive and shoot forward. You can't shot dodge to the left and shoot a guy in front of you like you can in Max Payne. This exposes you, and makes it more dangerous than just shooting normally. I stopped using "bullet time" about halfway through the game and just relied on taking hostages and using my puppy Shadow.

The game's story isn't great, but at least it's good enough to keep you interested in the game. It doesn't matter a whole lot in the end though, because basically all you are doing is gunning down wave after wave of enemies, or punching them out. The graphics in the game look like something out of the year 2000. Characters and objects look blocky and ugly. Plus, characters don't even move their lips when they talk. Either that, or they move them at random without any lip synching whatsoever. The cut scenes look pretty stupid because of this. The voice-acting isn't spectacular, but at least the main character (Jack) has some good one-liners. "Dead to Rights" isn't supposed to be a great drama though. It's supposed to be like a Hong Kong-style action film, and it's pretty good at that.

This game gets lots of extra points for having so much variety. There are a ton of mini-games and different sequences. There is a boxing speedbag minigames, lockpicking minigames, and a few sequences where you get to play as Shadow, the dog. There is also an exciting chase seen where you try and gun down a convoy of cars from a helicopter, and many others. They seem a little silly sometimes, but that's okay, because this isn't a realistic or very serious game.

As far as length goes, this is your standard action game - about 10-12 hours. The production values for the game are what I see as the game's biggest drawback. I got a lot of enjoyment out of "Dead to Rights", and I recommend it for PC gamers who are looking for something different to add to their collection.

Decent, but with some flaws

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: March 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Rogue cop on a mission outside the law? Now if that doesn't sound familiar! The influence of the legendary "Max Payne" series on this 3D-action-game cannot be denied. However, "Dead to Rights" equals Remedy's action classic neither in graphics nor in gripping plot nor anything else.

First of all, the graphics are something of a letdown and look terribly dated, to say the least. About four or five years ago, they could have made some impact, but now they look just plain awful in places. The textures are boring and have few details, the cars have octagonal wheels (well, not really, but you get the point), and the characters don't even move their mouth when talking! I don't know if they used the "Resident Evil" engine to do this, but it really seems so.
Then, the storyline. In "Max Payne", you have some exciting story which unfolds just as you play along and keeps you glued to the monitor. And here? Well, there's few things guaranteed to raise an interest. The characters are underdevelopped and you never know exactly what happens or why, because in the end every situation sooner or later develops into some hilarious gorefest.
Another thing which struck me as a nuisance was the installation and game starting mode. The cd-key is printed on the first cd, so you will almost certainly don't have it at hand when you are required to type it in during installation (as the cd is stuck in your drive). Then, to start the game, you have to insert cd 1 to pass the cd-test, then change to cd 2 to get to the main menu. Stupid idea - I think they could have done otherwise.
So why three out of five points anyway? Well - the game is fun, undeniably. It plays like some mixture of "Serious Sam" and, hum, "Max Payne". You'll find yourself constantly besieged by myriads of enemies who will keep coming and firing at you from every possible position. Thank God Jack Slate (the game's hero) has an awesome array of weapons to strike back, ranging from simple pistols and submachine guns to combat shotguns, ak-47s and sniper rifles. It is possible as well to throw a fire-extinguisher at one of the baddies, then shoot it when he's near it and watch him go up in flames! The game also features also some quite handy auto-aiming system - aim with right mouse button, shoot with the left one. You can also do some cool Bullet-Time(TM)-style diving in slo-mo while taking out the nearest of your enemy. This was nicked from "Max Payne" (again!) of course, but it's a nice improvement and definitely fun. When all else fails, you can employ Jack's dog Shadow, who will tear up one enemy of your choice and bring his weapon to you. Good, good doggie!

So when you buy "Dead to Rights", do NOT expect any sophisticated gameplay. This one is strictly for gamers who like to run around, battling huge amounts of adversaries and shedding blood by the gallon. Yes, the game is extremely violent (that's why it was never released here in Germany), but you shouldn't take it too seriously. And you shouldn't pay too much for it as well, because it's really only worthy for die-hard action fans.

PC or XBOX

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: June 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I LOVE this game. Something about it is addicting. I admit the graphics arent something to drop your jaws over,, but hey the game is fun and thats what counts. I have it for the XBOX and PC. The thing is though,, is I have a few nit-picks over the PC version. I CANNOT change the control settings around to what I want them to be. I hate using the W A S and D keys to have any character walk around. Thats just rather annoying,, I dont know about you guys,, but I prefer the arrow keys to walk around with. If you dont have a PC controller.. Well then tough cookies,, your stuck with the settings as they were when you got the game. =(

Other then that,, its just like the XBOX version. No difference between the PC and the XBOX version,, except for a few more save options with the PC version. I prefer the XBOX version or any console version over the PC version,, if you dont have a PC controller. Unless you like the letter keys to walk around with.

Wow, what varied gameplay.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: January 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is more than just a first person shooter. There are puzzle segments, logical thinking, and quick keyboard skills involved as well. Also, lots of strippers ala' Duke Nukem. The graphics are 1 to 2 years behind as far as character animations are concerned. There are far too many load times within the game at first, but they lighten up as the game progresses. The story is written and told as a film noir story VERY closely related to 'Max Payne'. It is also a solid third person game. A nice length and an extreme variance in gameplay keep this one fresh. This one has an EXTREME copy protection as well. I have a five year old son. I NEED to be able to back up my games. In this case, right now, that is impossible. So, if you're like me, and must have a working back-up while your original is tucked away safe-and-sound, away from curious fingers, then don't get this. They are truly violating our rights, as we are legally allowed to have one working back up of ALL games we own. Forget the cheaters. You'll never stop them. Just stop punishing the real owners of these games. That's my soapbox. Hope i've shed some light. A very enjoyable program.

No In Game Saves!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: September 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

No in game saves makes the game impossible to beat! The Max Payne format would have made this a fantastic experience. Don't waste your money.

Great Game!! OK Graphics!! Plenty Of Fun!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: April 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a really good game, the story line is pretty good and the game play is nice. The graphics are'nt great but not bad. Overall a really good game with plenty of fun action.

The other guy reviewing this is a putz

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 8
Date: February 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Dude,

You are reviewing a video game for its content and gameplay, not for your ability to make copies of the game. And, just to let you know, there are ways of copying the game and using cracks to run it. But it would take someone with an ounce of smarts to realize that.

Shut the hell up and just review the game. You liked it or you didn't. Go boo-hoo to your mommy if you can't get your 'pooter to copy the po' witto' game.

Shaddap!

dead to rights

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 17, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Never received the product from "Nothingbutsoftware" after I had placed my order. They sent it twice and never received it. So I cannot give an honest review

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