Guess what? Slate's got even more tricks up his sleeve. He can grab explosive canisters conveniently strewn about some of the levels, toss them at his foes, and then shoot the canisters as they're nearing their targets, allowing you to blow up several baddies at once. Unarmed, Slate can perform various combinations of punches and kicks, as well as a limited number of grappling moves. He can block enemy punches and kicks, too, or break enemy grapples with a well-timed button press. And don't forget Shadow, the dog, who basically works like a recharging super weapon. You can sic Shadow on any nearby foe with a simple button combination, and then you'll suddenly be watching a slow-motion close-up of Shadow mauling the victim. The faithful mutt then kindly brings the enemy's weapon to you and vanishes as suddenly as he appeared. He'll be ready for another meal in less than a minute. You'll rely on Shadow often, but as a gameplay mechanic, this dog could have used some more attention. The way he's implemented just doesn't make any sense. At any rate, don't worry about sending your dog into the middle of a firefight, because he'll always come out unscathed. If only you were so lucky.

The difficulty of Dead to Rights has been toned down for the PS2 and GameCube versions.

Considering that Dead to Rights spent a while in development, it's surprising to see problems like disappearing dogs. Other aspects of the game clearly could have used more work, too--especially the camera. Usually, you can rotate the camera around using the right analog stick. You'll have to, because the camera doesn't do a good job of tracking your movement all by itself. As you might imagine, having to futz with the perspective while trying to take on a dozen enemies with AK-47s doesn't make the proceedings any easier. The camera also wigs out when you get into tight corridors, and you'll be in tight corridors fairly often. Additionally, the camera angle is unpredictably locked in some sequences, but this isn't any better than the free-roaming camera and will only disorient you even more. The best thing about the camera is how it snaps to whichever enemy you have targeted. But during brawling sequences, the targeting doesn't work the same way, and you'll occasionally get blindsided by enemies who attack you from just off the edge of the screen. Still, even though the camera can still be a problem at times, it's worth pointing out that it's an improvement on the Xbox version's camera, which often used angles that were much tighter, making it even easier to get struck from offscreen.

You'll invariably take a lot of hits as you fight your way through the game's selection of more than a dozen chapters. So you'll be constantly on the lookout for health and armor power-ups, which can instantly take you from death's door to perfect shape--not that Slate looks or acts differently depending on his health and armor levels. The shooting sequences are actually very fun once you get the hang of them. Throughout the game, you'll also take on a number of powerful bosses, and while the early boss battles are straightforward slugfests, some of the later ones are much more interesting. The brawling sequences usually are neither interesting nor particularly fun, though. Your enemies will block and counterattack seemingly at random, though their attack power has been heavily toned down since the Xbox version. Disappointingly, all your standard foes also use basically the same canned punch-and-kick combos and throws that you have access to. Worse yet, though you'll be fighting large groups of enemies hand-to-hand, you can't knock or throw an enemy into his cohorts. Enemies won't coordinate their attacks, either, instead standing idly by as you beat up their pals. The fact that the brawling is so much easier on the PlayStation 2 and GameCube is a mixed blessing, since the combat itself isn't any better, but you'll certainly get through it faster.

Death in Dead to Rights will nevertheless come swiftly and often. Like in the Xbox version, you can save your progress at any time, but loading a saved game will start you off at the last checkpoint rather than where you last saved. Some checkpoints can be pretty far apart, so you might have to play through some lengthy sequences over and over again. It's a small blessing that loading times are virtually nonexistent in the game.

That's about the best that can be said for the game's technical merits. The game runs smoothly, at least. Jack himself looks OK, and you'll see him sporting several different outfits throughout the game, but many of the other characters look blocky and simple. Most of the game's environments can be described in the same fashion, as they all use lots of bland, blurry textures. For what it's worth, though, some of the levels--like the neon-lit streets of Chinatown--do look considerably better than the others do. Interestingly, none of the game's environments are destructible, so you'll use things like wooden boxes to protect yourself from munitions that would rip right through them in real life. Dead to Rights does feature some stylish animations, especially for Slate's various combat moves, and some of the special effects are well done, though the garish pools of blood left behind by slain enemies look like something out of a horror movie, or like something you'd use to top off a peanut-butter sandwich. In a direct side-by-side comparison, all three versions of Dead to Rights look about the same, though the Xbox version is the clearest and sharpest, closely followed by the GameCube version.

Interestingly, the toughest difficulty setting still isn't as hard as the Xbox version.

The game also sounds pretty good. The voice acting is hit-and-miss, though Jack has some pretty good lines. The music is mostly subdued and at times repetitive, but the report of all the various weapons is loud and realistic.

The PlayStation 2 and GameCube versions of Dead to Rights offer you a choice of three difficulty settings, but ironically, even the hardest setting isn't as difficult as the Xbox version's only setting. That's almost a shame, since the Xbox version was a rewarding game to finish, but simply could have used an easy setting as an alternative. At any rate, PlayStation 2 and GameCube owners seeking the near-legendary challenge of Dead to Rights for the Xbox should by all means cut straight to the toughest mode, though the standard difficulty should provide a good, fast-paced fighting and shooting experience for the average gamer. The PS2 and GameCube versions of Dead to Rights are less challenging but more accessible than the original Xbox version, and in the end, they're just as good.