|
|
|
DEAD 'N' FURIOUS 2 (DS)
|
Developer: Dream On Studio.
Build date: 2007. Genre: Action/Adventure. Development progress: One area; concept art. Posted 24th July 2023. By Tom Clare © 2023 |
|
When Dead ‘n’ Furious (Touch the Dead in the United States) was released in 2007, it gave the Nintendo DS a visceral action title that belied the platform's reputation for tamer themes and casual-friendly titles. Not only this, the game’s stylus-orientated interpretation of the lightgun genre was a genuine breath of fresh air, providing some incredibly high-octane, challenging levels that were let down only by some below-average visuals and a cumbersome reload mechanism.
Thanks to Ben Yoris, who worked at Dream On Studio during the period, I’ve been able to have a quick hands-on play of its planned sequel. Two things are clear very quickly: one, it’s a very different game to its predecessor, and two: it was super-ambitious, aiming to deliver another experience gamers hadn’t had on Nintendo DS.
|
|
Rob survives a helicopter crash but there are lots of enemies lying in wait...
The prototype begins with Rob Steiner, the protagonist from the first Dead ‘n’ Furious, marooned in a backwater town. He’s just survived a helicopter crash – this is evidenced by the smouldering ruins and twisted wreckage you’re met with at the beginning. Instead of greeting the player with an on-rails shooting experience, the action settles instead on a from-the-hip, third-person perspective familiar to anyone who enjoyed Resident Evil 4. The ‘tank’ controls are promising: they’re sprightly and responsive, whilst the shooting is accurate and satisfying. DnF2 takes inspiration from Capcom’s classic in several respects. There’s the use of screen borders to create a cinematic feel, as well as laser-guided aiming and a quick-turn function achieved by holding the run button and pressing down on the D-Pad.
There’s just one weapon to try in the prototype, a shotgun, though the inventory (this time allotted to the lower screen) alludes to further collectable guns, health kits and, interestingly, grenades. Even in this very early build, the combat looks to have a lot of potential, with area-specific damage effects allowing Rob to blow holes in his enemies, as well as take their heads clean off with a well-aimed blast. Should enemies get a little too close for comfort, Rob can club foes with his shotgun, as a last resort.
There’s just one weapon to try in the prototype, a shotgun, though the inventory (this time allotted to the lower screen) alludes to further collectable guns, health kits and, interestingly, grenades. Even in this very early build, the combat looks to have a lot of potential, with area-specific damage effects allowing Rob to blow holes in his enemies, as well as take their heads clean off with a well-aimed blast. Should enemies get a little too close for comfort, Rob can club foes with his shotgun, as a last resort.
|
|
|
As Ben confirmed in our recent Q&A, the game would likely have followed Resident Evil’s broader survival horror template, with a note found in one of the outbuildings alluding to a numeric code that, sadly, we don’t get to use in the prototype. Whilst the remote, hostile location is unfinished (much of the scenery can be passed through without collision parameters), it’s impressive to see the DS handling a large playing space – and one with several enemies – without trouble. Concept art shows this expansive theme would have continued with a similarly sizeable Canyon level, whilst there were interiors planned as well.
|
|
Canyon concept art and early designs suggested further expansive playing spaces for gamers to explore
Whilst Capcom would pass on the chance to pick up Dead ‘n’ Furious 2 on the DS, they would pursue the formula a few years later when the 3DS rolled around, with both Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D and Resident Evil: Revelations developing the third-person portable action trope further. Sadly, Dream On Studio wouldn’t get the chance to realise the potential behind Dead ‘n’ Furious 2, a game that may have become a trailblazer for handheld action/adventures games.
|
|
VERDICT
"More than a love letter to Resident Evil 4. Dead 'n' Furious 2 showed the DS could handle expansive 3D playing spaces and, with strong controls simulating the modern action/adventure template, it might have become a trailblazer for portable action games." |
OTHER GAMING PROTOTYPES COVERED ON THE SITE
Flashback Legends (2002, GBA)
|
SWAT II: Global Strike Team (2004, PS2)
|