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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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Even though the bullet-time, motion-stop effect has been worn out in recent gaming history, it at least looks dynamic in a groovy way. When the bullets fire while the meter is full, they literally crawl to a near stop so players can see exactly where they’re shooting them. Once the bullet-time meter runs out, players are treated to some cinematic shots, showing each bullet hit the intended victim. The blur effects look good, the motion-gauze adds a movie-quality to the whole thing and it really compliments the game where other graphical entities fail. Sadly, the model files aren’t quite as good as the real-time lighting effects or the damage that the vehicles incur. Buy hey, in the current generation of gaming something has to give.
Speaking of vehicles, the game has just over a handful of driving sequences. Each sequence is a mirror of what happened off-screen during the movie, including Mr. Blonde’s drive back to the warehouse with the cop in the trunk. It’s funny because the entire gimmick in that sequence is to ensure that you keep the car moving fast enough to prevent the cop from jumping out of the open trunk. And while the Xbox version would have benefitted from custom soundtracks, the movie’s cult status soundtrack plays out rather nicely while driving at high-speeds down the highway. Like the on-foot segments, though, driving is sort of linear with forced multiple routes...ensuring that players don’t get lost or turned around one too many times. The roadways are nicely designed and offer some jumps and stunts. While rolling over pedestrians is an available option, it seems a little pointless given the strict mission structures. Locking onto to targets and firing from the car is a pretty good feature, however.
There’s no multiplayer but there’s a hefty amount of unlockable content, including artwork and cheats that allow players to become invincible or have time outs, etc. Realistically, while there are elements of replay set in place to have players go back and play through the game several times, I can genuinely say that this game is fun enough to play again, just for fun. Quote me if you want, Reservoir Dogs is a genuinely fun game. With the exception of a major, but forgivable, flaw; the controls are stiff. Aiming isn’t bad, but moving the characters around seems sluggish. I suppose this is to keep the game at an even pace, since it’s not Halo or Killswitch. While players can hide up against walls and roll around, this game – even if you’re playing as a psychotic – is not a run-and-gun arcade shooter. Despite the stiff controls, I seriously enjoyed the slower and tenser pace, which is something we don’t always get in many shooter games.
Overall, Reservoir Dogs is a cheap, single-player, alternative shooter game. The driving sequences aren’t quite as intense as the ones featured in EA’s James Bond games but they’re still snazzy, nonetheless. The shooting mechanics toss in elements from a number of different games, including bullet-time, wall-hugging, rolling, and dual-wielding. Hostage taking also adds some flavor to the gameplay. And while the graphics aren’t that great when it comes to the model files, the lighting, blur effects, reflections, and textures make up for it. This is an instant-buy for gamers who already have every other arcade shooter in their library and are looking for something different. However, if you’re already a collector of rare shooting games, Reservoir Dogs is at least worth a rent.
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| The Core Score |
Overall
8.8 |
| Fun |
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8.5 |
| Gameplay |
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8.9 |
| Graphics |
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7 |
| Audio |
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10 |
| Replay |
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8.7 |
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| Kid Safe Score |
| 2 Horrible |
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Foul and vulgar language + blood and violence makes this a no-no for kids |
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