Dead to Rights II - Xbox

While investigating the kidnapping of a distinguished judge and family friend, Jack slate uncovers a labyrinth of corruption and betrayal, reaffirming there's only one loyalty he can really trust. In this prequel to the hit third-person shooter, Grant City's finest returns with nastier 'disarms', spherical slow-motion dives and the fiercest crime-fighting weapon known to man - his best friend Shadow.

A lightning-fast melee fighting system allows Jack to collect and use melee weapons throughout his environment, including bats, pipes, 2x4s, machetes and swords. Shadow, about as far from a Best In Show dog as one can get, is always on hand to help out with item retrieval, and Jack's huge arsenal includes heavy artillery such as mini-guns and shoulder-mounted rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Also at Jack's disposal are devastating landmines, flechette grenades that tear into human flesh, and shotguns with incendiary shells that set your enemies on fire.

Though he swore he'd never return to the city that left him for dead, the plight of a family in crisis draws Jack back. The path to justice is a long one, and reveals a plot as dark and doomy as Grant City itself. Namco has delivered a compelling story here, and one that regularly explodes into action. Adventurous types with a penchant for ultraviolence will not be disappointed. more