Overall Rating

Deathrow (XBox) - story1It's time once again to enter a dark, futuristic world where televised sports are wildly popular and even more wildly violent. And the most popular and violent sport of them all is... ultimate Frisbee. That's right, it's not just for wussy college intramurals anymore. This week on "Extended Play," we look at the no-holds barred battle for supremacy that is "Deathrow."

Pass, shoot, kick ass

To clear up any confusion right from the start, the sport you're playing in the game is not called Deathrow, it's called Blitz. Deathrow is just the name of one of the fancy moves you can pull off in the game. Still, it's easy to see why developers South End chose the name. Blitz just doesn't quite evoke the same level of dark mayhem as "Deathrow."

Gameplay is fast and furious right from the start, and the controls are a breeze to pick up. When you are in possession of the disk, A passes, B shoots, and Y jumps. To block an attack or roll out of its way, you press X. If you want to taunt another player by calling him naughty names you press the white button. Trust us, you'll be pressing it a lot. When you don't have the disk, the X, Y and white button do the same things, but A and B punch and kick, respectively. You'll be pressing those a lot, too. More complicated maneuvers involve pressing buttons in sequence, such as the alley-oopish "one-timer," where you pass and then press B while the disk is still in the air.

Your passing game is made simple thanks to the passing line and shooting line. A green line connects you to the nearest teammate, while a blue line shows you when you have a shot on goal. Control shifts automatically from the passer to the receiver. None of this is a guarantee of success, though. Interceptions are incredibly common. At times, this makes the automatic control shift a problem. The shift happens when the disk is thrown rather than caught, so you are often left in poor defensive position when your passes are intercepted. You can manually change players, but you don't always get the player you want on the first (or second) try.

But it's not all just throwing around the ol' disk. "Deathrow" more than holds its own for pure fighting enjoyment. Each of the 18 teams has its own signature moves, with hundreds of separate fighting animations available. It's even possible to win matches without scoring a single point, if you knock out all your opponents.

Deathrow (XBox) - story2Successful AI

The game shines in the AI department. Each team has its own set of behaviors. Some of the teams, like the Seacats, favor teamwork and precise passing and shooting skills. Others, like the Convicts, are more interested in inflicting as much damage as possible. This way, each new opponent requires that you adopt new tactics to defeat it. For instance, when playing against an overly aggressive team like the Demons, you can often trick their goalie into leaving the goal unguarded by drawing him away with taunts.

Your teammates display a surprising level of autonomy. Certainly, you're not going to win any matches by letting them do all the work, but if you want to take a short break to inflict some damage on an opponent, they are perfectly capable of picking up the slack and scoring all on their own.

Top-level graphics

The 32 arenas are varied and often gorgeous. Sure, there are plenty of the traditional dingy metallic sports arenas, but other locales include the Convicts' prison and the tranquil Japanese dojo of the Black Dragons. One small issue with the level design, though. Most arenas are simple one-floor spaces, and the arenas that do include ledges and other interesting design elements don't make great use of them. If the disk lands on a ledge, there often isn't enough time to get to it before it automatically respawns.

The character models are smooth and detailed, with upwards of seven thousand polygons and 55 bones each. Character animation during play is very fluid. Attack combos flow from one to another seamlessly.

So-so sound

The one area that fails to get the adrenaline pumping is the game's soundtrack. Instead of a crunchy metal soundtrack or something similarly dark and pounding, Deathrow sticks to the same uninspiring techno that plays under everything from racing games to space shoot 'em ups. But hey, it's an Xbox game, so who really cares what the included music sounds like. Rip an old "Ministry" CD onto the hard drive, and you're good to go.

Warning: mature content

Another caveat: "Deathrow" is not a game for the tykes. The game's mature rating is richly deserved. The rampant violence is non-stop and leaves nifty little puddles of blood all over the arena. As if that wasn't enough, some teams seem unable to complete a sentence without at least a few four-letter words. Still, there's something about a game that has a button devoted just to swearing that makes it incredibly appealing.

Multiplayer mayhem

What would a violent sports title be without a good multiplayer mode? "Deathrow" is not slated for the Xbox Live launch, but that doesn't hold it back much. Up to four players can play splitscreen, and you can network together up to eight consoles. Just go and round up 32 of your closest friends, and you've got a massively violent multiplayer experience without all the DSL hassles.

If you like lightning-fast sports titles and lots of violence, "Deathrow" is worth the price of a purchase. Not since "Ullamalitzli," the ancient Aztec game where the losers were beheaded has violent sports been so much fun. Still, minors or those squeamish about swearing and glorified violence should probably steer clear. "Extended Play" gives "Deathrow" a 4 out of 5.