Dead to Rights

Between Grand Theft Auto III and Hitman 2, criminal lowlifes are getting all the glory these days. Jack Slate, star of this new hardboiled detective adventure, is out to even that score. Jack’s hyperviolent sleuthing style includes slow-mo shotgun firefights, human shields, and a canine cohort that mauls on command. And if those don’t work, he controls an impressively limber stripper to distract foes. The body count is rivaled only by novel game-play features and production values that make blood spurts akin to snowflakes—no two are the same. Looking to put a new action hero on the case? Slate’s the guy. Just pray he doesn’t charge by the bullet.