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| | Title:
Reservoir Dogs
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System:
Playstation 2
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Genre:
Action/Driving
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Publisher:
Eidos Interactive
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Developer:
Blitz Games
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Release:
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
M (Mature)
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Eidos has taken some interesting risks this year, and I can’t help but admit that some of their investments have paid off. While Just Cause, by Avalanche Studios, received a mixed bag of reviews, I'm tempted to think Reservoir Dogs might fare in the same results. The ideas, however, that accompany the movie-to-game Reservoir Dogs, bring some very high replay values to the overall gameplay concept. In one case the game, like the movie, is short, has snappy dialogue, takes round-about ways to get to the point, and is very violent. In another case, there are not enough stages, the stage scripting is very linear, and there’s no in-game story-telling or narratives. Yes, occasionally the character you’re playing will make a quip or a comment here and there, but while you’re running and gunning there won’t be much of any kind of story-dialogue before or after shoot-outs. Instead, cut-scenes are handled either before or after a level. Sometimes cut-scenes are direct re-presentations of classic scenes from the movie, Mr. Blonde’s infamous dance and ear-slicing scene.
The game follows the movie’s plot about the jewel heist gone horribly awry. In classic Tarantino fashion, the storytelling in the game’s cinematics unfold in a non-linear way, leading up to the same climatic shoot-out from the movie. And while the game clocks in at just under 6 straight hours of play (maybe less) it at least has a lot of flair and tons of stylish panache.
In a way, that’s about the best part about the game...the presentation. From the re-made intro, complete with “Little green bag”, to the psycho/professional demeanor of Mr. Blonde – the look and feel of the movie is almost a complete replica. Except, it’s not directed by Quentin Tarantino. The non-linear storytelling in the movie was complimented by jazzy director tricks, but in a game it’s tough to imitate movie directions during the gameplay. So in a way, the actual gameplay feels a bit disjointed from the rest of the story. That doesn’t mean the characters don’t behave like their movie counter-parts, or react like their movie counter-parts, it just seems like they’re a bit out of place in some of the levels. The good part, though, is that the level designs are challenging and requires skills that truly suit the player, either as a professional or a psycho.
As for the stage designs...they aren’t necessarily free-roaming, they’re more like controlled sandboxes. You can freely roam through the linear stages, and complete them in any way you see fit. If there was one thing they should have added is a bit more profile statistics at the end of level. Like, how often players were spotted by police enforcers or how much of a threat players were to public safety. Still, the game has a fairly snazzy statistical layout of how “psychopathic” or “professional” players were, during a level. Unlike Hitman, though, players can’t kill without having points added to their psycho rating (or rather, subtracted from their professional ranking).
Being “professional” or “psychotic” is Reservoir Dogs’ real gimmick. It’s a twist from the norm; players are normally ranked as “professionals” based on head-shots or kill efficiency. In this case, professionalism is ranked on how good players are at avoiding shoot-outs (or kills). Taking hostages is an integral part of being a professional, or simply getting out of some stages alive...especially when playing Mr. Blonde. The hostage feature is a priceless aspect of the gameplay and creates some genuinely intense moments. This feature is highly complimented by the spot-on gun effects – the accuracy is a bit shoddy but the effects are sweet. Decals blister, dust sprays and glass will shatter once the bullets start to fly. But that’s just the start of it. One of the things that make the guns so fun to use is the “signature moves”. The “signature moves” are totally on par with something you’d expect from Quentin Tarantino. Each character – before given a small amount of time to pick off targets in a stop-motion, bullet-time effect – poses with their signature move: Mr. Blonde puts his glasses on with both hands while looking off into the distance with a straight-arrow gaze; Mr. Blue flicks a cigarette with passive aggressive movements; Mr. White calmly grazes a comb through his hair, etc. Likewise, the “signature move” can be used as an alternative to force all armed enforcers to surrender their weapons. In tricky situations both “signature moves” can save you from a face full of lead. Props to the developers for giving action gamers more than one option to get out of a tight squeeze.
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