Fat Ninja

Let�s face it, there are plenty of games out there for the average sports fan. Between EA and Sega, we seldom, if ever, need to look elsewhere for our sporting needs to be met. However, there are those rare individuals who perhaps feel as though their eclectic tastes are seldom catered to. These are those gamers who were overjoyed by the creation of such titles as Mutant League Football, and its counterpart Mutant League Hockey. And not since the days of the Sega Genesis have these gamers been drawn to a sports title that boasted unique game play and brutal violence. But I am here to inform you that your pleas have not fallen on deaf ears, my friends: you have been heard, and the people at Southend and UbiSoft have given you your answer in the form of Deathrow.

Features

� Blitz: The Sport of the Future
� 32 highly detailed, bump-mapped environments
� 18 unique teams to lead on a Conquest of Blitz Glory with 150 players
� System Link compatible
� 1-4 Player action
� 5.1 Dolby Digital
� Customized soundtracks
� Gruesome violence and foul-mouthed antics
� Another XBox Exclusive Title

To start off, let�s make it clear that Deathrow is not your average sports title, and it is not for the faint of heart. The game takes place in a not-so-distant future, where a once-illegal street sport called Blitz has literally grabbed the world by its shirt-collar and beat the bejeezus out of it. And when I say it�s not for the faint of heart, I mean it. Between the frequent use of foul-language and the severe beatings that are dished out in the course of a Blitz match, one bears witness to all the savagery and vulgarity that our mothers attempted to shelter us from in our youth. On the surface, Deathrow comes off as a simple, perhaps even shallow, concept. Each Blitz team consists of four players, and matches are divided into four 2-minute periods. To break the sport of Blitz down, you have a hovering disc which teams move down the field in an effort to throw it through the opposition�s hoop, or goal. It�s a strange meeting between hockey, basketball, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Victories are earned in two methods, the first of which being a victory of points, where you outscore your opponents. The other method of victory, by submission, is a little less subtle, as it consists of merely beating the pulp out of your enemy. Offhand, most people�s first thought will be that victory by submission is the way to go, due to its seeming simplicity, but you soon find that you need to base your approach upon the opposing team�s strengths. For example, some teams are big on health and toughness, but lacking in the areas of speed and shooting. If you opt for a submission win on a team of this sort, you�re in for a surprise. So, the level of strategy needed to win a Blitz match is beguiled heavily by the game�s concept. Also at your disposal are various game play strategies that are selected and implemented through the use of the up and down arrows on the D-Pad. These range from all-out, white-knuckled offense, to a hard-nosed defense. These strategies also play a considerable role in your ability to overcome, and are similarly dictated by the strengths of, your adversaries. In Deathrow, victory often comes down to being able to exploit you opponents� weaknesses.

Moving on, there are two separate modes of play, whose primary differences lie in the camera angle. Also, this difference in perspective dictates the types of arenas you can play in. First, we have Sports View, which is basically perceived from a higher point of view. This allows for a wider field of vision, but doesn�t promote the fighting aspects of the title, nor does it lend itself to tight quarters. The arenas available in this mode tend to offer wide-open spaces, something more akin to the sports arenas in which today�s sports are played. On the other hand, in Action Mode, the camera is positioned just off your player�s shoulder. This better accommodates the fights, but you forfeit the ability to see an opponent coming up behind you to line up for a painful slide tackle.

Like its counterpart, Action Mode brings with it its own type of arena. These are usually smaller areas, with tight tunnels, side-passages, and, occasionally, upper levels. While both modes offer their own unique presentation of the game, many will find Action Mode the superior of the two. Having taken care of the formalities, we can delve into the true meat and potatoes of Deathrow, the actual game play itself. I�ll start off by stating that Deathrow has a lot to offer. Blitz matches are often quite pitched, coming down to the last seconds with one or two point deficits separating the teams. It is due to this fact that a certain degree of finesse and a full comprehension of the controls are required for this game. Unlike many of the other sports titles out there, a Blitz match does not often turn into a massive super-star highlight reel.

Instead, you will often need to rely on passing and team play to get through a match, and good AI makes this all the more feasible. Your teammates do a pretty amazing job of acting and reacting as though controlled by a real live person. They don�t just blindly chase the Blitz disk all over the arena, but will actually respond to the score and their surroundings. If they see an opponent limping around on the verge of being KO�d, they�ll dog him incessantly until he�s taken out completely. And they even get frustrated with you. If you shoot on a wide-open goal and shank it, they�ll often express their disappointment with insults or threats of kicking you off the team. Little details like this truly lend to the immersion factor.

There are several game play modes available in Deathrow, ranging from multiplayer to what�s called Conquest. Conquest is the primary single-player mode and it allows you to take the team of your choosing (there are 18 teams, once they�ve all been unlocked) and take them through the Blitz ranks in an effort to become the all-time champions. As you progress, you can train your players, though each has their own cap limits. Also, you will have new players approach you as you become more successful in your matches. You�ll need to fork over the dough to get them, and you�ll have to do it if you truly want to reach the top. Each player has an allotment of health, and some have more than others. Initially, your players (you start with only four available players) have three health bullets. The importance of health will become obvious to anyone once they�ve lost a match by submission. So, if you truly want to hang with the big dogs, you need to get some big dogs of your own. Each victory gives you money, and the more money you have, the more talent you can pick up.

Graphics

Graphically speaking, Deathrow ranks very well. Nice lighting effects truly bring the arenas to life, giving the arenas quite a bit of ambience. Some nice textures also bring the nitty-gritty of the areas into focus as well. The wooden floor of the dojo that the Black Dragons call home seems so real, you almost feel bad scuffing it when you kick an opponent�s prone form across the floor. It is this type of graphical depth that lends both realism and credibility to what is a fictional sport. Bloodstains on the floor and hovering cameras darting around trying to keep up with the action don�t hurt much either. The character animations shine through, also. All of the movements are fluid and the fight moves are accurately depicted in all of their bone-breaking glory. Each team has its own, unique look, and, my, do they look good: You can actually see the threads that make up the hooded uniforms of the Disciples. All in all, I can�t find much to gripe about in the overall look of the game.

Sound

Well, nothing has been spared in this department, least of all your ears. Roaring crowds scream their approval for a well-dealt stomping, and groan collectively at missed shots. The sound are authentic, though I have to say I�ve never really been flexed over someone�s knee, but I�m thinking that if there was a sound-effect out there for a back-breaker, the boys at Southend have not only found it, but put it to good use. The hits all resound with such realism, that you�ll often find yourself wincing and gritting your teeth.

The team chatter is amusing, for certain, and, while I personally don�t mind it, I can understand people�s contention with the �Obscenities Engine� in Deathrow. Trust me, it�s funny, but it�s one of those features that you can tire of and find yourself wishing there were an option to turn it off. Yes, you have control over whether or not the player you�re using utters some obscenity, but you have no control over what your teammates and your opponents say. Why the developers didn�t make this feature optional is beyond me, but I suppose if you�re willing to beat the living crap out of somebody, you shouldn�t have a problem saying the F-word. Honestly, I never really gave the in-game music much of a chance, but I seldom do when the custom music feature is enabled. What I did hear was the typical techno beats; after all, techno is the sound of the future. But once you add in the ability to play your own tracks, it becomes clear that Deathrow truly excels in the sound department.

Replay Value

Deathrow, again, has a lot to offer in this department. With the various modes of game play alone, you�ve got a good solid week or more worth of quality game play. Couple that with the two camera modes and a host of unlockables the likes of which few have seen, and you�ve got literally months of value. With 18 teams and 32 arenas to unlock, there are enough goodies here to earn even the most hardcore gamer�s dollar.

Overall

In my personal opinion, Deathrow is a strong title that makes good on the graphical potential that the XBox offers. It takes advantage of the XBox�s power, presenting another quality title on the big, black box. And given the limited press that Deathrow has received it is really quite surprising just how great a game it is. It�s most likely the fact that the lack of hype surrounding this title made it impossible for it to build up gamers� expectations. Fewer expectations equate to fewer potential letdowns. The folks at Southend and UbiSoft have truly come together to create a game that does anything but let you down. The only major contention I have with Deathrow is its lack of Xbox Live support. It seems to me that this game would have been the perfect title for Live, and yet it has been omitted. It�s a shame, but I don�t think it should affect anyone�s decision to pick it up. Oh, well, there�s always next year, and, besides, it�s got the System Link going for it.

In closing, I�ll be honest, the first time I saw this game in a preview, I was skeptical and quickly disregarded it. I told myself that it was going to be an abomination; that it would be cheesy and poorly executed. I�m happy to say that the old proverb about what happens when we assume has once again proven correct. Deathrow has heralded the return of the brutally violent concepts and unconventional game play introduced by titles like EA�s Mutant League Football, and finally there�s a sports title out there for the gamer who happens to hate sports titles.

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