R.I.P.D.: The Game obviously follows closely to the storyline of the new Summer film opening in theaters nationwide at the end of the week. Players assume control of undead cops Roy (Jeff Bridges) and Nick (Ryan Reynolds) who stay between worlds after death to become police officers who hunt supernatural criminals. After a quick introduction, players will jump into online cooperative matches to clear various stages of Deado Criminals and eventually face off with the nastiest villain of all named Hayes (Kevin Bacon). The game doesn't feature the voices of the original actors from the Summer film, and the fill-ins do a bad job of replacing the stars, though luckily, there are few cutscenes and story development throughout the game, as R.I.P.D.: The Game prefers to throw people into arena matches against waves of enemies instead. Players shouldn't expect much in terms of storyline out of R.I.P.D.: The Game and should save their money to head off to the theaters this weekend to learn how the story of the film unfolds on the big screen.
The action of R.I.P.D.: The Game is set up very similar to God Mode or Gears of War Horde mode. Two players enter into different arenas in the game to do battle with waves of difficult deado enemies. A stage is typically beaten only after every wave is cleared, and boss enemies will appear in many stages that take plenty of damage before falling. R.I.P.D.: The Game features six different stages in total including an abandoned meth lab, bank and public library. Players can also grab more loot and find a greater challenge by testing each of the game's three difficulty settings: Mild, Spicy and Hot. R.I.P.D.: The Game is definitely a challenging game, almost to the point of being a fault in game design. Players will struggle to earn cash and level up equipment when first beginning the game, and the hardest difficulty can seem nearly impossible to beat at times.
There is a variety of different equipment for players to utilize in R.I.P.D.: The Game. The game's two characters will enter battle with two firearms and a consumable. Guns in the game include the normal arsenal featured in shooters including submachine guns, pistols, shotguns, grenade launchers and more, though none feel especially powerful, but players can also unlock the ultimate weapon for each character as seen in the new film. Nick's weapon is the banana as it is seen in the living world in the movie, while the sexy blonde, Roy, seemingly runs around with a hairdryer in hand. Seeing the characters battle through the game world equipped with these two bizarre weapons is just as funny as it will surely be in the R.I.P.D. film. Consumable items are also useful in combat and provide various effects in-game including a boost of adrenaline that charges chain combos quicker, a bulletproof vest that decreases damage taken and spicy slugs that can cause enemies to explode upon death. Grinding out levels of progression and money to purchase additional weapons, upgrades and consumables is the biggest draw to R.I.P.D.: The Game whether you love or hate the particular style of gameplay.
The main differences between R.I.P.D.: The Game and God Mode are obviously in graphics and aesthetics, but there are some other key differences. R.I.P.D.: The Game can only be played online or in system link with one other player, and there must always be two players available to play the game. This makes playing R.I.P.D.: The Game offline incredibly awkward and playing solo impossible. There are some differences between the two in-game including an ability to arrest the toughest enemies just as the good folks at the Rest In Peace Department had intended. This nets the player additional experience points and loot, but enemies come in very large waves making arrests a poor choice until only a few enemies remain on the battlefield. One other key difference is in the game's soundtrack; R.I.P.D.: The Game's soundtrack seems very generic when compared to other releases on the downloadable marketplace and especially to the film on which the game is based.
Overall, R.I.P.D.: The Game is a fine game but not something that everyone will love. Fans expecting a masterpiece should've probably tempered their expectations upon learning the game was based on a new film. Old School Games and Atlus USA didn't create anything new with the release of R.I.P.D.: The Game, but fans of the film and this type of game are still bound to have some fun with the new game. R.I.P.D.: The Games clearly has its problems and isn't for everyone, and it also releases at a bad time of the year with most gamers spending the majority of their gaming budget this month on cheap games from the Steam Summer Getaway Sale, but $9.99 is still a fair price and one that will allow console gamers to get a new release for cheap. Check out R.I.P.D.: The Game on PSN, XBLA and Steam today and tell some deados they have the right to rest in peace!
R.I.P.D.: The Game is now available for PlayStation Network, Xbox LIVE Arcade and Steam and can be purchased for $9.99 or 800 Microsoft Points. R.I.P.D.: The Game is rated T by the ESRB for Violence, Partial Nudity, Drug Reference & Mild Language. For more information on the game, check out the official R.I.P.D.: The Game website.
Game Features:
Game Information:
Developer: Old School Games
Publisher: Atlus USA
Platforms: PlayStation Network, Xbox LIVE Arcade (reviewed) & Steam
Release Date: July 16, 2013
More Screenshots: (Click to enlarge)
