Pass the Controller | Latest news, reviews and reviews in video games
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Community
  • About
    • Contact
    • Meet the Team
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Community
  • About
    • Contact
    • Meet the Team
>

It’s drokking time for a new Judge Dredd game

15/2/2016

 
Picture

2016 is looking pretty good for our pastime of choice, Far Cry Primal, Crackdown 3, Star Fox Zeros and Uncharted 4 are all on their way this year, however, there is one franchise and specifically its iconic character I feel has been overlooked for some time in the game department, a character that hasn’t been given the attention he deserves – Judge Dredd.

Picture
by Liam Andrews

Picture
​@pass_controller


I’ve picked up a collection of Dredd comics recently and thoroughly enjoyed learning about the extended universe, and it got me thinking that Mega City One and the world of the Judges would be the perfect setting for a game.
I’m sure fans of the franchise would agree it’s been too long since the iconic Judge graced consoles and PCs with his dark humour and penchant for violent justice, and there’s a number of arguments that a game made for today’s platforms could be something very special.
For starters, the Judges’ weapon is pretty much the perfect shooter tool as it’s multiple guns all rolled into one. The Lawgiver could really help the flow of battles with its multi-fire modes negating the need for the frenzied cycling of weapons to deal with the different types of enemy in front of you. Rapid fire for cannon fodder, armour piercing for tougher enemies and high-ex for room clearing are just a few examples of what the multifaceted weapon could be used for. ​

On Xbox One, the Lawgiver could even be operated with (whisper it) Kinect. Ever since Microsoft started selling their consoles minus the peripheral it hasn’t seen much use in games today, but the much maligned peripheral could be put to excellent use in any Dredd game by allowing you to select your ammo of choice by calling out to your Lawgiver, much like the Judges themselves do. Using Kinect this way is an idea that’s already been touched upon before in other games such as Skyrim, when Bethesda allowed you to live out your Dragonborn fantasies by calling out the game’s ‘Shouts’ to activate them.
Picture
While warbling in an ancient dragon tongue might not be for some, who wouldn’t enjoy standing before a host of enemies and growling the words ‘Rapid Fire’ in their best Dredd impersonation and having the Lawgiver bleep back in response.

There’s also plenty of locations in Dredd’s universe that would all make excellent settings, but I would most like to see Mega City One, the vast and crime ridden home of humanity, brought to life.

During my search for a decent Dredd title to play from the past, I managed to pick up a copy of Judge Dredd: Dredd VS Death for the GameCube. What I played was fairly enjoyable, but limited in what it could achieve. The supposedly densely populated city looked a bit sparse and sprites were often repeated next to each other, shattering the illusion of a bustling metropolis.

While Rebellion (Sniper Elite, Aliens Vs Predator), the developers of that game, were of course limited by the capabilities of tech back in the early 2000’s, what today’s machines are capable of means that a decent sized, and well populated Mega City One could probably be achieved.
​

I’m not asking for an actual 1-1 replica of the city to be remade in which to explore, but we only have to look at GTA V, Arkham Knight, The Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 4 to see that this generation of consoles and PCs could make a decent go at recreating a sizeable in game world.
There’s a wealth of characters and lore in place that could be used in game, with rival international Mega Cities, psychics, mutants, Cursed Earth, block wars, lunar bases...
Obviously the core aspect of any Dredd game would have to be action and taking the law to the lawless with a hefty dose of violence, and as Bezza points out, creating a large open world for the sake of it can be detrimental to a game, but a bit of exploration could go a long way to making you feel like an actual Judge patrolling the mean streets. A free to roam city could also make use of Dredd’s bike, the Lawmaster, and allow you to pick up side quests or stamp out crime where it’s found or by receiving optional missions on the fly over the comms.

As for the plot of any game, the world of the Judges is rich with potential storylines and even though it was a great story, it doesn’t have to be a run of the mill cop vs crime lord event the 2012 movie Dredd focused on.

The comics I’ve been flipping through have so far featured a vast array of sci-fi tales such as robot revolutions, a blackmail scheme run by maniacal surgeons cloning wealthy citizens and a Judge who was unaware he was carrying the homicidal conscious of a disgraced and believed dead former Judge deep within his own psyche. Certainly not something you’d expect to see on Midsummer Murders.

There’s a wealth of characters and lore in place that could be used in game, with rival international Mega Cities, psychics, mutants, Cursed Earth, block wars, lunar bases and even the supernatural stars of Dredd VS Death, the Dark Judges, who originally hailed from a parallel dimension. Not to mention the franchise cross-overs the series has seen during the past with both Alien and Predator making appearances in Dredd’s world, characters who happen to be the stars of Rebellion’s AVP games. Did someone say DLC?
Picture
At the moment Dredd seems to have been limited to making appearances on mobile games, with 2012’s Dredd Vs Zombies the latest title to feature the Judge, which seems a bit of a disservice to the character.

It would appear that the ball is firmly in Rebellion’s court with regards any future Judge Dredd game after they purchased the home of Dredd and the IP, 2000 AD comics, sixteen years ago. There were apparently plans in place to make a tie-in for the movie back in 2012, but due to commitments to other titles it never happened, unfortunately.

Seeing as that game never came about and it’s now been thirteen years since we last had a proper, fully fledged Judge Dredd gaming experience, I would say it’s certainly about time we had a drokking new one.

Do you agree that Judge Dredd deserves another taste of gaming glory? What would you like to see in any potential game? Are there any other characters or franchises that have been overlooked for too long that you would like to see brought to life on consoles and PC?
​

Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
comment on the forum

Comments are closed.


    Read More

    News
    Reviews
    Videos

    Comment Here

    Categories

    All
    A Gamer's Guide To Life
    Community
    E3 2018
    Event Coverage
    Feature
    First Impressions/Quick Look
    Head To Head
    Indie
    Interview
    List
    Opinion
    Preview
    Real Life Story
    Team Talk
    Video
    Virtual Reality


    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    January 2025
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015


    RSS Feed

Pass the Controller

News
Reviews
Features
​
Videos
Community
About

What is PTC

About Us
​Meet the Team
​
Contact Us
Find our reviews on:
  • OpenCritic
  • vrgamecritic
© COPYRIGHT 2014-2022 PTC / JMP.
​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.