Betting in R.I.P.D. is a unique feature that allows players to put their money where their digital mouth goes. Each player takes turns knocking off one of five challenges (most headshots and longest life to name a couple) off of a list, alternating until only one challenge is remaining. Whoever wins that challenge at the end of a match gets a sweet little bonus of extra gold as well as bragging rights.
NOT
Short on content
With R.I.P.D.‘s handful of mission locations, there isn’t much to do once you’ve finally encountered Hayes in the final mission and set things right. Three total difficulties, ranging from Mild to Hot, add an extra level of challenge to the game, especially when trying to clear out and fulfill the random challenges in each map. Once the dozen or so stages are cleared, that’s ultimately it. Aside from maxing out every weapon type or unlocking content in the gallery, there isn’t much else left in R.I.P.D. other than just hopping in for other matches with your friends.
Unappealing to the ears
One of the more offsetting parts to playing through R.I.P.D. is the audio as a whole. With a generic synthesizer soundtrack accompanying every mission, there’s really nothing too memorable about the background music as it exists only to fill the void of equally lackluster sound effects. Deados groan with such a lack of interest that it’ll make you wonder who’s more bored: the player or the AI. Even weapons that offer a fair kick, such as the rudimentary shotgun, don’t quite have the impact they rightly deserve and sound like a generic cut off of a soundboard. The characters portrayed in the R.I.P.D. movie by Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds sadly don’t represent their in-game counterparts, so the wisecracks and impromptu dialogues are instead handled by cast members that just can’t seem to handle their wit nearly as well.
An anomaly that pops up fairly frequently in R.I.P.D. is the lack of sounds from an enemy at range. The usual moans of oncoming deados tend to be mute until they get up close and personal, a flaw that tends to make trying to reorient yourself awkward from time to time especially if you happen to play with headphones on.
Feels like rigor mortis has set in
Early experiences of R.I.P.D. may leave the player feeling frustrated with the mechanics to the game. Aiming feels rigid and trying to melee a moving target each lend themselves to a symphony of curse words, especially on the highest difficulty. With a fair bit of tweaking in the options, especially with the addition of aim assist, R.I.P.D. tends to flow significantly better in terms of gameplay.
However, even with the aforementioned tweaks and ultimately learning how to control the game to its full potential, it still feels as though R.I.P.D. is missing that spark of life a shooter requires. Repetition and a limited variety of content lend themselves to an endless cycle of deado slaughter and not much else. Without a living partner sharing the experience with you, much of R.I.P.D. ends up like a dead man’s Gears of War, minus the chest-high walls.
VERDICT
R.I.P.D. The Game follows too close to developer’s previous title God Mode to really feel like a unique experience. Despite its ties to the similarly named movie, R.I.P.D. helps to fill the void of summer gaming with its horde-style gameplay. Just don’t go into this one if you’re expecting a worthwhile solo experience
[Editor’s Note: R.I.P.D. The Game was reviewed on the PS3 platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
