Metacritic Games

Reservoir Dogs (Xbox)

Reservoir Dogs is based on the 1992 Quentin Tarantino-directed classic movie about five total strangers who are brought together to carry out a diamond heist. The robbery goes wrong when the alarm is tripped and the cops show up. In the ensuing confusion, four of the robbers make it back to their warehouse rendezvous but it is quickly apparent that one of them is an undercover police officer – but which one? Staying true to the original plot, this intense, third person shooter follows the progress and planning of the famed diamond heist while filling in some of the cliffhanger questions from the film: What happened to Mr. Blue and Mr. Brown? Where did Mr. Pink hide the diamonds? What actually happened at the heist? These questions and more will be answered as the game unfolds and according to the player's tactics. Players get to fill the shoes of each iconic character in the film as they relive the Reservoir Dogs experience complete with the movie’s trademark style and wit. The game will also feature the full and original soundtrack from the movie – the super sounds of the seventies brought alive with the thematic "Little Green Bag", "Stuck in the Middle with You" and more. [Eidos Interactive]

Eidos Interactive
Third-Person Shooter, Action, Adventure
Players: 1
M (Mature)
Developer: Volatile Games
Released October 24, 2006

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

50 / 100

Critic Reviews

80 AceGamez
A really enjoyable game - if you're a fan of the film and of violent games, then you should really enjoy yourself. It's got style, class and lots and lots of violence, as well as a kick ass soundtrack.
70 Jolt Online Gaming UK
Perhaps most importantly, it’s fun. Repetitive and glitchy in places maybe, but that hook will keep you reeling out those sweary one liners at hostages and putting security guards’ faces through vending machines until the conclusion.
70 GameTrailers
Fans of the movie are going to be put off by an extended story and characters that don’t live up to the original.
70 PGNx Media
Reservoir Dogs is a decent action game although fans of the movie will probably be disappointed that it is merely average.
70 Digital Entertainment News
A game whose defining gameplay mechanic is terribly broken, and whose remaining gameplay mechanics fail to make for a worthwhile game. Probably worth checking out if you’re a fan of the film, but otherwise, don’t bother.
68 Game Chronicles
All-in-all Reservoir Dogs does have its moments, I just am not sure I feel comfortable recommending full-price (even at the budget level) purchase to experienced gamers.
68 Games Master UK
An admirable attempt, but it's much too short and lacks balance. Entertaining, though. [Nov 2006, p.76]
66 Cheat Code Central
The tie-in with the movie makes this average game good but let’s not forget that at the core this is just an average game. If anything it makes me want to see the movie again.
65 GameZone
62 GamingTrend
With bland graphics, bad voice acting, uninspired missions, and the ability to finish it within four hours Reservoir Dogs is little more than a rental at best.
61 Official Xbox Magazine UK
A great license and great idea scuppered by the 'seen it all before' feel of the gameplay. Big shame. [Nov 2006, p.72]
60 Games Radar
It's acceptably action-packed, but if it hadn't been patterned after Quentin Tarantino's signature film, you'd probably have forgotten it exists by now.
60 Electric Playground
Mr. Pink is especially bad. He looks like a 70s porn star rather than Steve Buscemi, and occasionally he sounds like Jerry Lewis.
58 Game Informer
Unfortunately, the cartoony graphics, stilted shooter gameplay, and completely rancid car missions fail what could otherwise be a passing game.
55 Team Xbox
There are some redeemable moments in Reservoir Dogs, including the bullet festivals and signature moves that each of the characters possess. The rest of the experience can feel a little clunky and undercooked, with plenty of weird little mishaps that blemish the game beyond the point of salvation.
50 GamePro
Reservoir Dogs should be a game that puts you right in the middle of a gang of thugs. But instead, arguments about the meaning of Madonna lyrics and trading stories about near misses with police make it a disjointed game of multiple perspectives and confusing timeframes.
50 games(TM)
It’s too easy to get comfortable in the routines Reservoir Dogs offers and as such it feels like going through the motions. [Nov 2006, p.125]
50 1UP
Reservoir Dogs won't appeal to hardcore aficionados of the film; the almost-total omission of the original cast and likenesses will probably cause fans to attempt a bullet festival of their own.
46 GameSpot
Neither a good action game on its own merits, nor quality fan service, Reservoir Dogs is an out and out failure.
40 GameSpy
It's playable, mostly, but so uninteresting and bland that it's nearly impossible to think of a reason to.
40 G4 TV
Perhaps the biggest disappointment is the way Reservoir Dogs mangles the movie's complex story.
40 Official Xbox Magazine
Curious why you haven't heard Quentin Tarantino promoting Reservoir Dogs, considering it's the first game adapted from one of his movies? Easy: It's junk. [Holiday 2006, p.74]
35 Play Magazine
All dogs go to heaven? Not hardly. This one rots somewhere else. [Dec. 2006, p.86]
33 Gaming Age
Just another average licensed game that decided to disrespect the wrong film.
30 Armchair Empire
In attempting to capture the essence of Tarantino's first masterwork, the developers mutilate it. By not bringing the rest of the original cast into the game, they leave all the heavy lifting to Michael Madsen, with predictable results.
30 GameDaily
Who are the real con artists here -- the people stealing diamonds in the game, or the development team at Volatile that expects the gaming public to believe that Reservoir Dogs is a tolerable game?
30 IGN
Repetitive gameplay and limited replayability and difficulty settings are just the tip of the iceberg of a game that could've explored so much more of the characters from the movie, but just barely scratched the surface of the film.
30 Edge Magazine
The tactical elements are actually quite clever – grabbing enemies will bait the police into cowering submission – but it soon transpires that this is the game’s one good idea. [Nov 2006, p.87]
29 eToychest
Blurry characters and environments, rigid animation, and overdone physics all add up to a package that comes off as rushed and uncared for.