Judge Dredd: Dredd vs Death (PS2)

My husband has always been a big fan of Judge Dredd (used to have the RPG book etc, got rid of it, brought it again). So the day he decided to get this game my eyes rolled back in my head, yet another attempt for him to have a go at a game i won't like (or so I thought), I trudged out of the shop, we went home, he put the game on. Instantly I was hooked I couldn't wait for him to stop playing (which wasn't long because he had motion sickness from this and most games) to my delight, there is pleanty to do on the disc different games 2 player games as well. You can also re-do the levels when you get a little better which is really good, or just re-do the levels you enjoyed.
Oh my god, you can very easily turn power crazy with this game and wonder why life can't just be so easy controlled. "I want a lawgiver". "I want to arrest people for having a goldfish without a licence". Sorry about that, told you it was good. The graphics are a little pants in places (able to shoot people's hands through wall's etc)but don't let that put you off. In conclusion if you haven't already played Dredd vs Death you really need to and if you don't like the Playstation One Judge Dredd game don't worry they are not the same game (in fact how bad was that game). I want another Dredd game - and soon.

I being a big fan of Judge Dredd ever since getting my first 2000AD comics, that would have been about 1989, and have been getting them since. I thought the movie was brilliant as well.
Anyway, fast-forward to last year, and 'Judge Dredd: Dredd Versus Death' is released. Now I have it, and it's brilliant.
The game begins in the year 2130, in MegaCity 1.Taking the role of good-old Dredd, you begin by getting rid of protesters outside the Halls Of Justice, but during the first mission, when Vampires attack, signs point that there is something more sinister going on. The next missions reveals the release of Dredd's worst enemies, the Dark Judges, - supernatural unkillable Undead creatures, these are; Death, Fear, Fire, and Mortis, from the Nixon Prison Complex, and their aim to wipe out all of MegaCity 1, something they were prevented from doing in 2104 and again in 2114. Of course as Dredd, it's up to you to hunt them down and capture them again. However, during this, another plot comes into the story, Regen scientist Dr. Dick Icarus, who has created the serum responisble for the Vampire and Zombie outbreaks. The last chapter sees you back on Deadworld for the showdown with Judge Death.
The graphics and animation are brilliant, MegaCity 1 looks like it should, and the civilians are well created, acting just like in the comics. The voice acting is good too. The game isn't a simple shoot-em-up, during your travels, you'll have to arrest certain perps, raging from gang members, or 'Hoods' to the grafiti 'Scrawlers'. Be on the look out for nice hints like people smoking outside the 'Smokatorium', (being a fan of the comics will and does help you). Don't kill everyone you fight, nearly all the human enemies will eventually surrender if you wound them enough, don't worry if you kill human bad-guys. Another nice touch is the Law Metre, which lets you know how you are doind, if it gets too low, the Special Judicial Squad, (S.J.S.), will come after you. The non-human enemies come in the forms of either male or female Vampires, or a wide range of different types of Zombie. The missions, or Chapters as they are called, are well planed, each giving you interesting objectives to do, for example on the Mega-Hospital Chapter, you have to rescue civilians and lead them to quarantine cells while at the smae time preventing them from being killed by the numerous Zombies that have infested the hospital. The weapons you use are true to the comics as well, the Lawgiver MK2 being just how it should. You'll also get to use Arbitrator Shotguns, Stump Guns, and Spit Guns to name a few. The Judges are how they should be as well, and you can expect to see Tek-Judges, Psi-Judges, and the ever-useful Med-Judges who can heal you when requested.
The Dark Judges, or rather the capture of them is your ultimate objective. Traping each requires thought on your behalf. The first of the Dark Judges you'll face is Judge Mortis, who you have to weaken with gas, and then lock in a quaranine cell, but you can't destroy his physical body, - do that, and he'll escape.
The next Dark Judge is Fire, sutibly in the Smokatorium, the only way to defeat him is to set off the sprinklers. Judge Fear requires simple shooting, and I'm not gonna say how to defeat Judge Death, (I do know, as I have completed the game on both Easy and Medium, and are working my way through it on Hard).
At the end of each Chapter you are given a rank based on your performace, do well enough and you'll unlock characters for 'Battle' and 'Arcade' games.
The multiplayer games are fun, and there is a good variety.
In a nod to 'TimeSplitters 2', there are a set of challenges for you to complete.
Then why didn't I give it 5/5? Simply because the game isn't long enough. A few more Chapters would have made a difference, and it's not like the game's is diffecult anyway. A few changes would have being nice, but an excellent game anyway. Hope they do a sequel.

Not only is this a really fun shooter on a platform that's severley lacking fun shooters, but it also manages to capture the spirit of the comic perfectlty. Superb!

Oh, and if the setting fire to the aliens in Alien Vs Predator andhavingthe damn things still come after you whilst on fire scared the hell out of you then you're going to love using the incendiary rounds on the vampires...