If your therapist told you not to engage in any stressful activities then Dead To Rights (DTR) is not the game for you. A lot of people are comparing this game to Max Payne but to me there is really nothing to compare. Bottom line Dead To Rights is no Max Payne, nice try though Namco. So lets get started and see if this game is still worthy of your $50 though.

One night while on a routine patrol, Grant City cop, Jack Slate takes a 'shots fired' call from police dispatch. Arriving at the scene, Jack discovers something that leads him through a twisted labyrinth of crime and corruption that turns him from a model officer to a fugitive hunted by good cops, bad cops, bounty hunters, and crooks alike. Without a gun, a car or a home and with very few friends, Jack battles with the criminal element that continues to rain crime and heartbreak on the city like a hurricane. From construction sites, to prisons, to even air planes Jack hunts for the truth.

As along as everyone is comparing this to Max Payne lets just say that this story line is somewhat like Max Payne. And the game followers the same way in a sense. First off DTR is an awesome, fast paced, action game. Its fun no doubt about it. Many complaints of this game come from the camera control. When in large areas(mostly you are) the camera follows you, and you can rotate the camera to the right or left with the right thumb stick, but when in tight areas the camera is locked, sort of like Resident Evil, but too bad the camera is not as good as Resident Evil. You use the right thumb stick to lock onto a target, you can cycle through the targets with the left thumb stick, and you shoot with 'A'. You also have the option to go into manual targeting (first person view) by using the black button.

Other then just shooting the bad guys you can do hand to hand combat. The fighting system in DTR is "Weak" with only A to do a punch combo, X to kick, and B to grab (throw) them. And the worst part is most of the bosses in the game you have to fight with hand to hand combat.

Shadow the dog. You’re a cop part of the K-9 unit, and what else to you need, a dog of course. You never see Shadow unless you need him. You take control of him a few times to sniff out bombs, and crawl through places where Jack can't. But mostly in the beginning of the game, it seems the developers forgot about those features when making the end of the game. Even knowing you can't see Shadow he is still there, it’s like how can he carry all those weapons inside his jacket, you can command Shadow to attack a bad guy when he is close enough and you have him targeted. This helps because Shadow kills him and brings his gun back to you.

This game is sick; DTR is M Rated for violence and language. Now is it really one of the most violent games this year? No. When you have a gun and press B while next to an enemy you can use his body as a shield, he even gets his own health bar. Your body shield only protects you from enemies in front of you, and once he dies he just falls to ground. Or you can press B again and you will simply shoot him in the head just to get rid of him. Walking with a shield is slow, real slow, but it’s worth it sometimes.

When you’re disarmed and next to an enemy and press B you will disarm him, DTR has over two dozen disarms which you have to unlock. Or you can just put on random disarms and not have to worry about getting the button combos right.

All those disarm and body shield features are violent. But most of the blood you will see will be on the floor, and not flying off the bad guys when you shoot them in the head. Also when shooting the enemy it doesn’t matter where you shoot them, they don't react to where the bullet hits them.

Do video games cause violence? This game is just so hard that it’s sick. Even the first levels are hard, and it just gets worse and worse to a point where you are saying it is impossible to win. I will have to say that violent outbursts are a common event in DTR. And be careful your parents will probably have you committed to a mental hospital, and then you’ll be in a stray jacket in a padded room.

The graphics are a bit like PS2 graphics. The textures are blurry in many areas. Some areas are great looking, but most of the time the area is plain. Jack is nicely done, while others are blockier. The game has many FMVs that are excellent in quality. But this game made me realize that voice acting is important, while Jack says some cool lines, others are plain, and sound way out of place.

DTR includes mini-games, and small features that will make your fingers sore. For example you have to lift weights, and you have to do it by tapping A-B over and over at a fast pace. You will also face different bosses and you will be clueless of what to do with many of them. After failing many times you should be able to think of the way to bring them down. For me 3 bosses confused me for hours, I was cursing and yelling, but I finally was able to figure out what to do. Many of you will have to look online for the answers, but don't cheat cause once you figure out their secret then they are easy to take down.

Some other complaints about the bosses are their health meters. While it may take you three moves, or a round of ammo to make their meter move just a little, it will take them one hit to make you nearly dead. Even when you get their meter closer to where they are at the point of death it gets even harder and longer to move their meter.

DTR requires you doing some thinking processing, and no action game has you thinking more then DTR. I found myself planning out ever single shot, every move, disarm, dog attack etc. If you don't you will fail over and over. And DTR only has one difficulty setting "Hard", and that’s it.

Is it worth buying? If you like a challenge and I mean real hard challenges yes buy it. If you want to see if it’s good rent it. You need a lot if patience for DTR. It is the hardest game I have played in the longest time. I would have never have beaten it if it wasn't for a glitch on the last boss. Namco made a great game, a really stressful game, but still a great game. Would have been better if the fighting system was improved, better storyline (too original), no bosses, just a straight up gun fest (like Max Payne). Like I said in the beginning I didn't want to compare DTR to Max Payne, but I mention Max a few times. Oh well guess you just have to compare it to Max Payne.

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