A follow-up to the ambitious, engaging and occasionally difficult Dead to Rights, Namco seems to have shaved either their production budget or their engaging ambitiousness for Dead to Rights II.

It's a non-stop, boy-and-his-dog (yes, his dog) crime story that forgoes said story in favor of non-stop, anti-crime gun-blazing, some fist-to-cuffing and occasional button-activated dog-maulings, er, maul doggings... thug-mauling-doggedness (sigh)--level after level that each seems just like the last level, only with more firepower and more mauling on the part of the button-activated dog.

A cathartic, almost gluttonous offering saturated with shooting and mayhemic maulage, sure, but essentially dull, dated and uninspired otherwise.

Rent it for the weekend then forget about it.