Introduction

Dead to Rights: Reckoning is a straightforward third person shooter released by Namco for the PSP. With the help of his trusty sidekick Shadow, the gritty cop Jack Slate will fire his way through the Triad territory as he attempts to find the lost informant before it is too late.

What is Dead to Rights?

Dead to Rights is a recognizable series for the PS2, PC, and Xbox, but now it is finally making it to the handheld scene with Dead to Rights: Reckoning for the PSP. Clearly the most notable feature is the bullet-time sequence in which time is slowed down, allowing Jack to perform acrobatic feats whilst shooting. Just like its console predecessors, you can expect Dead to Rights: Reckoning to be filled with killing. . . . and lots of it!

Technical Standpoint

Dead to Rights: Reckoning manages to push the PSP to the limit both visually and with the computer A.I. opponents. Each environment possesses its own distinct feel from the tight corridors of a rival building to the explosive outdoor levels. The texture detail could be more defined, but as it stands everything looks well. The only major problem is in regards to the character animation as their movements look simply awkward when interacting with their surroundings.

The computer opponents work cooperatively together, which isn’t always good news for Jack Slate. Waves of enemies will pour out from all over the world with the intention to bring you down. They seem to have a knack for understanding the different fighting styles that can be used. Whether you go on an all-out rampage or prefer to use your surroundings for cover, the A.I. will exploit your techniques accordingly.

Visual / Appearance

The heads up display is simple and concrete, yet effective. From the screenshots, you can see the basic scheme of things. In the upper left corner resides Jack’s health meter and bullet-time meter, and on and off the Shadow icon will appear. The bottom left corner sports your weapon and ammunition information. Conveniently enough, in the upper left hand corner you can find your enemy’s health meter, so you can easily tell how much more lead you need to pump into them.

As mentioned before, Dead to Rights: Reckoning pushes the envelope on the PSP’s graphical limit. The muzzle flashes from firing as well as the occasional inferno look rather impressive. When bullet-time is activated, each distinct projectile is clearly visible. The shadows aren’t overly detailed, but they give each environment a deeper appearance. While Jack may frolic and perform other weird movements, during the heat of battle the choppy character animations remain unnoticed. Overall, Dead to Rights: Reckoning is one of the better looking PSP games available.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Any brutal action killer wouldn’t be complete without some killer sound effects. Each weapon carries its own specific sound, so it is simple to tell what you’re going up against during a firefight. Most of the gun sound effects, however, are devoid of that special emphasis that makes them feel deadly. A basic soundtrack will accompany you at times, but for the most part the hailing of gunfire is enough to break the silence. The cinematic sequences that tie the storyline together are text-narrated, and the lack of voice is a major letdown.

Endless Mayhem

The entire Dead to Rights series was always based on one thing: kicking ass. Reckoning clearly lives up to the name in this respect; from the very beginning you will be bombarded with a seemingly endless waves of Triad gangsters. Unfortunately, the whole lock-on targeting system is a complete mess. Your crosshairs will automatically lock on to any opponent, so all you really have to do is tap the fire button. After killing an enemy, the crosshair will move to the next opponent instantly, making this game devoid of the whole ‘aiming’ process.

If you get bored from shooting all of your enemies to death, there are also takedown melee moves that will always result in a one hit kill. These attacks are extremely effective in close combat situations, and best of all, they provide you with a nice cinematic. In several different ways, Jack will manage to have a gangster kill himself by twisting his arm around, for instance, and the end result is quite bloody.

Luckily, there are still some gameplay elements to help diversify the whole experience. Jack’s arsenal ranges from pump shotguns to akimbo pistols and some heavy duty assault rifles. The submachine guns are clearly the worst weapons to use; their accuracy is horrid and they are incredibly underpowered. Even the pistols have accuracy from long ranges, and obviously the assault rifles pack quite a punch.

Shadow, your trusty companion dog, is a very strong assistant when the timing is right. The computer A.I. will do their best to swarm around you, but unleashing Shadow will leave foes running away as they fear being ripped to shreds.

The levels are very linear in their setup; after a few waves of foes, a boss with a superior amount of health will jump into the arena. Unfortunately, these bosses fight like cowards and will run away in search of cover after being hit a few times, making them even more vulnerable. This cheap attempt to invoke some strategy into Dead to Rights doesn’t quite get the job done.

The environments are different enough to keep the game feeling fresh with a proper balance of bullet-time and regular shoot ‘em up battle styles. Some levels are very open, and in such instances the bullet-time will really come in handy. Instead of having to face a barrage of bullets at full speed, you can seamlessly enter bullet-time and waste a few baddies instantly. In some of the more secluded levels you won’t need to use this feature as much, but every once in a while it’s fun to leap out from behind some crates and catch some slacker by surprise.

The multiplayer mode is available for up to 4 people locally, but again the lock-on targeting system takes most of the fun aspects away. Not only does this allow players with no skill to be just as good as the veterans, but the targeting system will sometimes work through walls, giving out an opponent’s position. This makes the entire multiplayer mode a contest to see who can fire their weapon fastest, and if you couldn’t figure it out, it isn’t fun.

To help make the game feel fresh from the nonstop button mashing thanks to the auto-target system, there is a lot of unlockable content including new skins and multiplayer maps. Surely this doesn’t make up for the repetitive gameplay, but it’s still enough to keep you from becoming completely bored towards the end of this relatively short campaign.

The Future of the Dead to Rights series

Due to the relatively short single player campaign and dull multiplayer feature, the replay value on Dead to Rights: Reckoning isn’t overwhelmingly great. The levels are already repetitive enough as it is, so playing through the game over and over can feel like a chore. Nonetheless, a countless number of explosions and an extremely gruesome appearance can keep you coming back for more.

The Dead to Rights series has been around for quite some time now, but there is still much room for improvement. The overall concept is a very good start, and I don’t how a game could fail miserably with as much violence as this series. However, there are still numerous bugs and gameplay issues that prevent this title from being highly recommendable.

In the future, we can hope that the lock-on targeting is taken away because it takes away so much from the user involvement aspect. The PSP’s analog stick is capable of allowing any gamer to aim, so we know this feature wasn’t necessary. With a few new weapons, a new storyline, and a decent online mode, we can only hope that the next handheld Dead to Rights title implements said fixes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Dead to Rights: Reckoning for the PSP is far from perfect, but it is still enough to offer a few hours of fun. The intensity will begin right from the first level and end after the last bullet exits the final boss, and in-between there will be enough explosions, hostage situations and dog maulings to keep you interested. While the lock-on targeting system ruins the most important elements of any shooter game, Dead to Rights: Reckoning exclusively for the PSP can still be loads of fun.