With the limited success of past movie-to-game translations one would think that moving forward with future adaptations would be very low on most companies’ to-do list.  Sure, there have been a few instances where this formula has worked perfectly, but with the exception of The Chronicles of Riddick and a few of The Lord of the Rings titles, most efforts have turned out mediocre at best. And while there doesn’t seem to be a single formula that guarantees success, it is apparent that one key ingredient must exist in the film before it can be brought to the virtual world correctly - appropriate source material.

The previously mentioned games definitely had this benefit, but unfortunately, Reservoir Dogs does not, and it most certainly shows in the final product. You see, even though Tarantino’s masterpiece was indeed dark and edgy, the graphic, violent images seemed overshadowed by its witty banter via one very clever script. And, since it would be very difficult for Volatile to construct an entire game based simply upon dialogue, it’s clear that they had to take some serious liberties with the story in order for it to achieve its ‘action game’ status.  

Fans of the movie will at least be relieved to know that most of the original material from the film appears in the game, even if a good portion of it is a little misused. The main problem is most of the scenes crucial to the script are over way too quickly in the game, and do a very poor job of supplying newcomers with important plot information. The game seems to be in a real hurry to jump right into the new action bits, and the overall pacing suffers from this. So unless you have seen the movie a few times, chances are most of the game will feel somewhat foreign to you, even after you complete it.

These newly implemented story segments are unfolded in one of two different ways – driving segments, which are pretty straight forward, and third-person action segments, which offer a little more variety. For the most part, the point-to-point driving sections fail to deliver what they aimed for immensely, as the clunky controls and awkward ‘boost’ gauge take away any high-speed gratification you receive. Often times it’s overly difficult to perform the most minuscule of tasks while driving, as many of the sedans you come across seem impossible to maneuver around corners and in tight situations. Add time limits, police cars and tons of traffic into the mix, and you’re left with a frustrating time indeed.

Luckily, the on-foot gameplay segments are slightly more enjoyable, but even they become repetitive before too long, even with the multitude of ways to finish each mission. Volatile should be given credit, however, for allowing players to choose their violence level with ‘Psychopath’ or ‘Professional’ modes, but honestly, neither of them sustains a level of excitement that is required to enjoy the game thoroughly. Going in with guns-a-blazing gets old very quickly and leaves you with little feeling of accomplishment, and cycling through hostages left and right while the Swat Team stands by helplessly is unrealistic and grows tiresome, too.  

Lastly, there is the new special-move gauge that lets you unleash a super attack onto your enemies. Once you fill the meter successfully, one of two cutscenes will take place. The first one allows any hostage you may have in your grasp to be tortured unmercifully as the camera slowly cuts away, and the second one unleashes a bevy of bullets onto your enemies in slow motion while your character strikes a pose. Not only are these very unprofessional in the crime business, but they also seem very out of place and unlikely, especially in Tarantino’s original world.

Credit should be given in the audio department to Kevin Gill and his sound team at Eidos, as they have provided the most enjoyable and most faithful material to the film. Although Michael Madsen is the only cast member to provide voice-over for the game, all other characters are represented extremely well, and sound pretty close to the original actors they mimic. In addition, a lot of the songs from K-Billy’s "Super Sounds of the Seventies" radio show play throughout the game, and help add credibility to the project, especially when you’re trudging your way through excruciating driving and shooting sequences.

As it stands, Reservoir Dogs doesn’t utterly and completely fail to provide small periods of enjoyment, you just have to deal with frequent objective material to find it, especially if you are an old-school fan of the film. Seeing events unfold that were only mentioned in the movie is nice, but sadly, the way they are handled and portrayed seems like a total opposite of what we should be seeing.

Gamplay: 6.0
Both driving and on-foot segments become frustrating before long, but at least the game allows for various ways to finish each mission. Playing as a ‘Professional’ is a noble concept, but unfortunately the hostage system breaks down and feels too unrealistic and repetitive to enjoy.

Graphics: 6.5
The visuals in Reservoir Dogs are of the mediocre, run-of-the-mill action type. Most of the cutscenes are represented well, but many of the environments and character models are blurry and have repetitive nature to them, not to mention showcase very awkward animations.  

Sound: 8.0
No doubt the most enjoyable part of the game. The soundtrack excels almost beyond expectations, and all but a few voice actors perform admirably as well. Even the new dialogue segments created specifically for the game follow the same trend as the film, and seem like something Quentin Tarantino himself could have written.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 5.0
Not the most noble of ideas, but at least Volatile tried to do something different.

Overall: 6.5
Reservoir Dogs is a mediocre movie-to-game translation at best, and will no doubt offend at least a few hardcore fans. Having said that, there are some people who may not mind the added material, and will find some enjoyment despite the liberties it has taken with the license.  Enjoyment will definitely waver from a case to case basis.