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Death, Jr.

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7.2 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 40 critic reviews
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Based on 20 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Backbone Entertainment

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Platform, First-Person Shooter

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: August 16, 2005

Summary

Death, Jr. embarks with his friends on a school fieldtrip to the local museum. When the group sneaks away to explore on their own, they unwittingly unleash an ancient evil force from a mysterious locked box. Facing near insurmountable odds and the threat of being grounded and sent to military school, Death, Jr. and his pals must fight hoards of demons and their wicked master Moloch through the museum and surrounding town before anyone else finds out. In order to avoid being punished for his mischief, and to save his friends from eternal suffering at the hands of Moloch, Death, Jr. must eliminate the evil demon scourge that has taken over the town. Armed with his scythe and an arsenal of guns and explosives, Death, Jr. will battle through numerous action-filled levels towards a final confrontation with Moloch himself. [Konami]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: GameSpot Hands-On GameSpy Preview IGN Hands-On Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Play Magazine

DJ exemplifies the maturation of handheld gaming - full-fledged console quality in a smaller, more approachable package. [Aug 2005, p.52]

Next Level Gaming

It's exactly that solid game you're looking for to take with you on a long trip, or to play when you've gotten tired of all sports games and the like. Konami was smart for picking this up for publishing.

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Gaming Age

I can do nothing but recommend DJ highly, even if the game is on the short side, the game is perfect for those on the go.

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Gamer's Hell

Its mixture of platformer and third-person shooter holds considerable potential, but unfortunately there isn’t a whole lot of gameplay development throughout the relatively short single-player campaign.

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Deeko

Essentially a platformer with added elements of a first person shooter. This style gives the player a nice change from the norm, but has an unrefined feel.

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PSM Magazine

It's not impossibly hard, but easily frustrated, weak sauce gamers may want to try before they buy. Still, Death Jr. has a great style, and the characters have a lot of personality, so even with its flaws, it's definitely worth playing. [Sept 2005, p.82]

Detroit Free Press

A solid but predictable game with a creepy personality.

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eToychest

It seems likely the world will see more of DJ, and gamers should look forward to it; but maybe next time the movie should come out before the game.

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WHAM! Gaming

The graphics and sound in Death Jr. are nothing spectacular. The music is catchy but repetitive, and the sound effects are sparse and basic.

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IGN

The way that the dialog sequences are just text -- not even a face of who's talking to go with the text -- and how the bosses don't even get their own theme song for battles, there are just too many compromises made in the production value to maintain the energy and excitement that this game needs.

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Game Informer

Overall, the game is just average, but the potential is there for something really special if a sequel cam our way. [Sept 2005, p.115]

Gaming Target

The core ideas are there, and the challenge is refreshing in these days of infinite lives and sometimes simple gameplay. But the unpolished controls and targeting system cause massive headaches on top of being challenged, thus making the game more difficult than it should be.

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Cincinnati Enquirer

There's more humor and character development at the Web site than in the game, so if you are still curious, check out the Death Jr. Web site and maybe - maybe - rent it for a day or two.

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Just RPG

While the game definitely isn't perfect, much of the action can be somewhat entertaining. That is if you can get past the annoying camera angles and sloppy lock-on system.

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Game Chronicles

Just brighten up the levels and give me some camera scripting and this game would have scored a full [twenty] points higher.

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Game Over Online

Simply put, the control of DJ should’ve been left to the directional pad, the camera should’ve been centered to the nub, and the weapon select should’ve been placed on a subscreen accessed by the start or select buttons.

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GameSpot

What's especially unfortunate is that you'll find sprinklings of a great game concept all throughout Death Jr.'s relatively short storyline. It just never successfully delivers.

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1UP

Oftentimes the game will thrust you into difficult, unexpected situations with little warning; try-and-die when you only have a few attempts before starting the fairly lengthy levels all over again, is frustrating.

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GamerFeed

After all of the hype about the story, the Death Jr. comic book, and the upcoming film, one would think that the actual game would include a kick @$$ story, but that's just not the case. There's a neat opening cut scene, but past that there's nothing worth checking out.

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TotalPlayStation

Great idea, poor execution. It's a common story, but this was supposed to be an uncommon game. Hopefully things will turn around should a sequel pan out, but the first Death's DOA.

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Adrenaline Vault

Cute and charming in a macabre way. The opportunity for reaping rewards from the creative premise is, however, largely squandered. The control problems are almost enough to sound the death knell by themselves, and other issues of balance or polish also interfere with player enjoyment.

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DarkStation

Playing as the Grim Reaper's son should have been cool, except for the lazy platforming bits and repetitive action.

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Modojo

After all of the hype about the story, the Death Jr. comic book, and the upcoming film, one would think that the actual game would include a kick @$$ story, but that's just not the case.

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Gaming Horizon

It has memorable characters that certainly could have made it a standout hit for gamers, but it seems the developers didn’t put enough time into fixing all the faults that included problems with camera angles, controls and more.

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Computer and Video Games

The result looks well tasty, but is hard to swallow. [PSW]

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Computer Games Magazine

Quotation forthcoming. [Nov 2005]

PSX Extreme

A dodgy camera and touchy controls can be fixed. I know I wasn't the only one at E3 who told the producer that the camera was a mess. But, alas, they shipped this most stylish and most gore-riffic game with its major problems still intact.

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Worth Playing

Bland, boring, infuriating, and above all, painfully disappointing.

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GamePro

It sports a unique premise, wonderful art direction, and genuinely funny writing, and yet guilelessly hangs itself in the Hall of Shame by botching the camera and controls.

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Cheat Code Central

The game is as hollow as the sentiments behind it. More attention should have been paid to the innerworkings of the game rather than securing the toy rights and shopping the concept around to make a major motion picture.

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Yahoo! Games

It's not nearly as fun to play as it is to watch in cutscene form. The game tries to emulate the vibe and humor of Psychonauts, but doesn't come close to that title's wit or personality.

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Stuff

Bury this one six feet under. Even if the Tim Burton aesthetic turns you on, the tepid gameplay makes this disc DOA.

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Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

A monotonous shooter with a crippled camera and a crush on "Psychonauts." [Sept 2005, p.93]

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PALGN

A major disappointment, considering the game has been in development for so long we definitely had some high hopes for the game, but unfortunately the title just isn't that impressive.

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Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK

The fantasy sequences and overall visual style are truly a feast for the eyes, but this is little more than just a standard slash 'n' bash game in pretty clothing. [Christmas 2005, p.104]

Electronic Gaming Monthly

With the bland levels, generic PS1-era platform gameplay, and cheap enemies, you shouldn't bother. [Sept 2005, p.116]

Game Revolution

This is a tired, dull platformer that only manages to avoid the pitfalls of purgatory by way of its groovy style and decent character design.

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Loaded Inc

You quickly realize that Death Jr. is the right character in the wrong game. The erratic camera control and the resulting difficulty factor stop the game dead in its tracks when it comes to the fun factor.

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Edge Magazine

Even with just an additional pair of buttons for camera movement, a broad switch of irritations could have been avoided, but as it is, Death Jr is recommended only for forgiving platformer enthusiasts. [Nov 2005, p.113]

GameCritics

A whole lot of hot air and buzz with nothing to back it up.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 20 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Zem Z. gave it an8:
In reality i score this game an 8.5. first let me open this review by stating that the published reviews are misleading. camera issues are minamal, spiderman 3 has more issues than DJ. okay now that that's cleared up let me start by pointing out that i hate platformers & that i love shooters, but i still enjoy this game, you don't have to be a masocist or a platformer enthusist to enjoy DJ. you just have to be prepared for this game to kick your @$$ some stages are chananging, very challenging, & this is not a pick it , play it , beat it game. you have to play, really play. but DJ is a good solid game. you have tons of wepons including C4 hamsters, dule pistoles, a shotgun, a freeze gun, & many others & you can up grade them. still the humor & plot will keep you playing long into the wee hours in the morning, easy to start hard to stop, if your interested enough to read this review you'll probably have a blast with this bargan bin bounty, enjoy.

Johnny A. gave it a1:
This game sucks and I want my forty bucks back.

Patrick W. gave it a2:
Nice graphics but the game is not very fun at all. Who wants to get carpal tunnel trying to latch a silly scythe into a hanging fish hook to move to the next level? If I could return the game I would.

Wongit gave it a6:
Im a little disappointed here, something is missing from thsi game. Its just not fun, its bland and somewhat boring. Go with Medievil, or Burnout, rent this little guy.

Lara B. gave it an8:
Game is great fun, but frustrating when you have to start the levels all over again when you die. But overall, it's an addictive game with a fun storyline and easy controls.

Nick B. gave it a9:
Very nice platformer/shooter cross-over, lots of grizzly humor and more playable than reviews led me to believe. If you're looking for the best game of this type, probably on another console; but for a handheld this can't be beat.

Sammy R. gave it a10:
Death Jr. is a fantastic game. The combat is so cool. You have all sorts of weapons like, pistols, a flamethrower, the awesome C4 Hamster, and a scythe. The game is slightly hard, but it's tough to not replay a level because the game is so fun. If you own a PSP, you need to buy this game.

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Death, Jr.

Game Info

Summary

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

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