Deathrow

Added August 11th, 2003 by Final Sniper

Introduction:

Like many people, I had never heard of this game until it was released. This game was receiving some great reviews, so I figured I'd better check it out. Thankfully I did, because this has been my favorite game released this year, and probably my favorite Xbox game, ever.

It's hard to describe what kind of game Deathrow is. It's part sports game, part action game, part FPS, and a heck of a lot of fun. The sport is not actually called Deathrow as the title would have you believe, but it's called Blitz. Blitz is an underground combat sport. Put four players on each team, an eight foot high hoop on each side of the arena, and put a disk in the middle. That's pretty much what Blitz is. Notice I didn't say anything about referees, shot clocks, or any of that other junk found in other sports games. Your goal is just to kick a lot of ass.

Gameplay:

The core of every game is the gameplay, and it turns out that Deathrow's gameplay is top notch. The action never lets up through the four rounds (of either 1-4 minutes per round), and there's never a dull moment in the match. There are two main views in the game. They are Sports View and Action View. Sports View gives you a view found in many basketball and hockey games. It's pretty dull, and I highly suggest you NEVER use this (other than needing to use this view to unlock some arenas). Action View puts you right behind your player (similar to games like Max Payne). In Action View, the camera will move wherever you do and it never puts you in an awkward position. One flaw with the Action View is you're vulnerable to attacks from behind. Sometimes, you'll be running to the goal with the disk and suddenly an opponent will tackle you from behind without you ever seeing him. Other than that, I have no problems with Action View.

The main mode in Deathrow is Conquest mode. In Conquest mode you choose a team and a View. After that, you're placed in a Division in fourth place. To move on, you must challenge and beat the team in front of you. There are about four Divisions and along the way certain events will happen. You'll receive messages saying one of your players got caught in bed with the owner's daughters (I even got this message while playing with the Seacats, an ALL female team!) and giving you an option to face some very tough teams that you normally wouldn't face in Conquest mode. If you make it through Conquest mode and beat the final team, you'll be rewarded with a little movie at the end in addition to all the Unlock Credits (UCr) you earned after beating the various teams. Once you beat a team in Conquest mode, you can then unlock it and their arena. Going through Conquest mode just once isn't an option (because of all the fun it is and that you still need a LOT more UCr). The messages and upgrading and purchasing players keeps Conquest mode from turning stale and keep it very fun.

The controls work very well for a game this hectic. Shooting, passing, fighting, and jumping are all done with the X, A, B, and Y buttons. The right trigger acts as sort of a lock on function, allowing you to lock on to either the goal or a teammate. Teamwork is the key to a game like this, so don't expect you'll be able to beat your opponents single handily. Thankfully the opponent and teammate AI are outstanding and always keep you on your toes. Still wondering where the word ''Deathrow'' comes from? Well, it is a move in the game that you'll become very familiar with. By charging up the 'shoot' button, the disk will begin to glow. If you unleash the disk while it's glowing, the person on the receiving end of it will become knocked out for a few seconds. This gives you time to attempt to regroup and put the disk in the hoop. As the game progresses you'll learn of ways to get around faster than running, and other secrets like that. Another great aspect of the gameplay is the strategy options. Down by 1 with 15 seconds left? Then go full offense. There are five different levels which you can toggle by using the D-Pad. This adds a new dimension to the strategy to the gameplay.

Graphics:

The graphics in Deathrow are good, very good actually. It seems every surface is bump-mapped, and the arenas rival the environments of games like Halo. They arenas are pretty generic with everything symmetric. The majority of the arenas are flat, but some have platforms and ramps. While the arenas look great, the players look average. The faces don't look too great which is a shame. If the players were as detailed as those seen in Dead or Alive 3, then Deathrow would be the best looking game on Xbox. Another minor complaint about the graphics is the blood. As you get beat up (or beat people up), the ground begins to be stained with blood. The blood looks more like droplets of ketchup on the ground. All in all Deathrow is a very pretty game but needed a little more detail in the players' bodies and faces to be one of the best on Xbox.

Audio:

By now, I'm sure you know that the players in Deathrow are big potty-mouths. While there is some cussing, there isn't as much as I was led to believe. Even though the cussing is supposed to be ''realistic'' cussing, it doesn't seem it. I still laugh when I hear ''We're going to beat you, butt-*******.'' The background music in Deathrow is actually enjoyable. It seems pretty techno as is the case with the majority of games nowadays. If you don't like it, however, feel free to use songs from your hard-drive. There is an announcer who occasionally pipes in with sayings like ''Injured'', ''Fight'', ''Disk Respawn'', etc. Teammates communicate to each other throughout the match and scream commands to each other. As the match progresses you'll begin to feel that you're in the arena and that you aren't just controlling a character.

Replay:

The replay section of a game can make it or break it. Look at games like House of the Dead 3. It's a very fun game, but it just doesn't last. Luckily, Deathrow will last you a very long while. You begin with just a few teams and arenas unlocked, and it's up to you to unlock the rest. There are 32 arenas, 18 teams, and 150 players in the game. To unlock something you use UCr gained from Single Matches and Conquest mode. In addition there are three ''extras'' to unlock. The three are Extreme Difficulty, Multi-Disk, and Concept Art. They are pretty self explanatory and take a while to unlock. As you'd expect, Deathrow contains multiplayer. You can either face your friend(s) on split screen or you can get a few TVs and face them in System Link. It's also possible to go through Conquest mode cooperatively which is very fun. One of you can beat the crap out of your opponents while you score goals or you can both try to score. This game isn't like fighting games where the only replay comes in the multiplayer. The single player game is very addictive. And with a bundle to unlock, you'll find yourself playing this game for a very long time!

Summary:

Deathrow is as good as it gets. The gameplay is fast, fun, and very addictive. The title boasts some of the most beautiful environments on the Xbox. And the best part is that you'll find yourself playing this game for a very long time. I highly recommend this game to everyone. Even if you don't like sports games, you'll love Deathrow. In my opinion, this is the best Xbox game no one played. Buy this game, or at least give it a rent!