Dead to Rights II: Hell to Pay

The original Dead to Rights hit consoles a few years ago as Namco’s answer to anti-hero cop shooters like Max Payne. The game doesn’t really offer much in the way of improvements over the first Dead to Rights, the action still feels way too monotonous and repetitious and the camera is still a huge pain. If you were able to look past these issues in the first game, then there is a chance that you will have a good time with the sequel. However, if not, then Dead to Rights II will be a similar exercise in disappointment.

Dead to Rights II puts you back in the role of Jack Slate, a hard-nosed renegade cop with a personal vendetta against street gangs and thugs. You basically go around on a vigilante crack down, kickin’ ass and taking names, killing all bad guys in your wake. The reason behind this parade of carnage is that a judge friend of your murdered father has been kidnapped and it’s up to you to rescue him.

Those who played the first Dead to Rights should feel immediately at home with this one. The game is a third person shooter where you have a ton of weapons at your disposal, ranging from shotguns and SMGs to canisters of flammable gas that you toss at enemies and shoot to explode. You also have a dog, Shadow, that you can have attack your enemies if you don’t feel like shooting them square in the face. Also, similar to Max Payne, you can perform bullet-time dives, where the onscreen action will slow down as you lunge through the air, allowing you to target and pick off foes in slo-mo. Jack can also perform a variety of close-combat melee moves, including disarms, as well as use close range weapons like baseball bats and such to pound baddies.

Dead to Rights II basically functions on how quickly you can tap the right shoulder button and the A button, as they are your targeting and shooting buttons, respectively. While you can perform the other moves (bullet-time dives, dog moves, etc.), most of the game can be completed using that simple pattern. That being said, the game feels very simplistic and can grow repetitive very quickly.

The AI is also pretty weak. The hordes of enemies that you take on exercise no real tactics, instead just rushing you and shooting you. They are pretty easy to take down; the only real challenge comes from how many rush your character at one time.

The level design is also very simple. The stages, which occur in generic “edgy-cop action-game” areas like strip clubs and gritty back alleys, are very basic, having you run from one area to another without much in the way of diversion.

The graphics are also quite poor, not really improving much at all from its predecessor. The game does have a few nice lighting and explosion effects, but the character models are still terribly simplistic and lack any real detail. The camera is also a huge burden, getting too out of the way of the action, getting caught on objects and walls and generally being a pain in the butt.

The sound is generally bad as well, with weak and muffled sound effects and some truly horrible voice acting and script writing. The music is also annoying, meaning that this is one game best played with the sound off.

Dead to Rights II has some cool things going for it, but ultimately isn’t much of an improvement at all over the original. The gameplay is still repetitive and uninspired, the graphics still weak and the storyline still overly cheesy. If you really (I mean, really) liked the original game, then Dead to Rights II is worth a shot. Otherwise, don’t expect this sequel to change your mind about the series. 

Gameplay: 6.0
Dead to Rights II is a simplistic action game that grows stale and repetitive very quickly. While there are some cool elements, like bullet-time dives and disarms, most of these are unnecessary to complete the game, and the aim and shoot mechanics get boring fast.

Graphics: 6.5
The game does offer up some cool looking explosions and lighting effects, but the character models still look weak and plain, and the animations are a bit robotic.

Sound: 6.0
The sound is pretty weak, with muffled effects and lousy voice acting. The music isn’t much better, as the repetition in the score gets annoying before too long.

Difficulty:  Medium 
The challenge in the game comes from the sheer amount of enemies it throws at you at once, but not from any complexity in their tactics.
 

Concept: 6.0 
Dead to Rights II isn’t much of an improvement over the original and instead falls prey to most of the same issues.

Overall: 6.0
If you could get past the issues with the original game, then you might consider this one for a rental. Otherwise, leave it be.