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DEAD MAN'S HAND (XBOX)
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Publisher: Atari.
Developer: Human Head Studios. Released: April 2004 (Europe). Genre: Third-person shoot 'em up. Other versions: PC. Posted 15th August 2022. By Shane Battams © 2022 |
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Dead Man’s Hand would endure a quiet, one-and-done release with little follow-up, a tepid Western shooter that left critics feeling unmoved at the time. Human Head studios would move on to reviving Prey two years later and the misadventures of El Tejon would see no continuation. It seems like an easy write-off as a result, but sometimes, digging into these singular outings reveals a gem that’s buried in time, and this is exactly that. Though hardly deep, this rootin’ tootin’ gunslinger just offers pure fun and the chance to shoot bandits galore, blow up some scenery and live out your cowboy fantasies.
In the dangerous times of 1890s Mexico, Tejon joins the criminal Notorious Nine gang. But after being instructed – and refusing – to shoot women and children, he is gunned down by Tennessee Vic and left for dead, only finding ironic salvation in a prison cell of the corrupt General Blanco. But after being set free in a resistance attack, Tejon sets out to exact his revenge on every member of the gang, leaving many bodies in his path. Good westerns usually feature a revenge story and Dead Man’s Hand benefits from a cheesy tone and solid voice acting that leans towards the good side of camp. Plentiful cut-scenes showcase each gang member’s personality and they stick with you... Well, at least until you gun them down.
It isn't deep, but it is fun: Dead Man's Hand delivers solid shooting amidst a cool setting
Across a large number of levels, the shooting takes place across some fairly linear paths, while you defend yourself against bandits, paid-off soldiers and other criminal scum. At first, players are armed with three weapons in the form of a revolver, rifle and shotgun, but each category rewards two further guns as you progress, including a sawn-off double barrel and quick-shooting rifle. Outside of these armaments, you can collect remote-triggered dynamite, Molotov cocktails and even brandish a knife, though the latter is pretty useless. Controls feel tight, shooting has a snappiness that makes aiming quite enjoyable and the weapons all have distinct pros and cons. All this is tied together with a scoring system, where killing goons and destroying objects builds a multiplier faster and fills your alternative fire metre, which includes fast-shooting revolver shots and stun shells for your shotgun. Scores are tallied at the end, and building both high-scores on individual levels (and over the whole game) is satisfying.
Dead Man’s Hand doesn’t win any points for depth, but a lot of the time, it’s just pure fun. Each level opens with a Poker game, whereby earning certain hands gives you extra ammo and secondary fire points. Treading through a deserted town while blowing bandits away on balconies, riding on horseback and picking off banditos with infinite ammo and explosive boss fights that test your agility, shooting and quick-thinking skills all hit the mark. Normal presents a decent challenge, but one which isn’t frustrating. But there are some downsides to this approach. The campaign likely can be cleared in a little under eight hours and while three difficulties and some extra missions add some more time, it still feels too quick. There was a multiplayer mode available over Xbox Live, but sadly this is no longer accessible and there are no split-screen functions.
Dead Man’s Hand doesn’t win any points for depth, but a lot of the time, it’s just pure fun. Each level opens with a Poker game, whereby earning certain hands gives you extra ammo and secondary fire points. Treading through a deserted town while blowing bandits away on balconies, riding on horseback and picking off banditos with infinite ammo and explosive boss fights that test your agility, shooting and quick-thinking skills all hit the mark. Normal presents a decent challenge, but one which isn’t frustrating. But there are some downsides to this approach. The campaign likely can be cleared in a little under eight hours and while three difficulties and some extra missions add some more time, it still feels too quick. There was a multiplayer mode available over Xbox Live, but sadly this is no longer accessible and there are no split-screen functions.
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DMH also looks a little ropey. Nothing looks particularly top-notch, though a few neat facial animations during cut-scenes stand out. Levels are mostly flatly textured and with muted colour palettes. Animations can appear stiff and sometimes inactive, while the frame rate is quite jumpy, alternating from smooth to very slow. The audio is a bit more potent. Powerful gunfire makes every shot land hard, ear-ringing explosions drown everything out and goon screams sound painful when you take them down. The music is mostly nondescript, fitting in with the story and tone but rarely standing out. The dialogue and voicework are corny and silly but feel fitting with the story’s tone and style, especially when most of the cut-scenes use a black-and-white filter.
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Dead Man’s Hand isn’t a perfect game, suffering from a fair few issues and it sure isn’t a deep one. But for players looking for a potent run-and-gun with plenty of action, scene-chewing personas and exciting set pieces will find Human Head’s effort is rather solid. Those looking to fulfil their cowboy fantasy – maybe rolling into town, gunning down the bandits then blowing the smoke away from their revolver – should give this one a go. While those who grew up with the likes of Halo or Escape from Butcher Bay won’t see this as a proper replacement, it has enough pros to warrant a look.
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VERDICT
"Dead Man’s Hand isn’t deep and it isn’t perfect, but for those looking for some cowboy wish-fulfilment and some rootin’ tootin’ action, this one may fit the bill better than you’d expect." OVERALL: 7/10 |