The rock/metal soundtrack fits the feel of the game, and the various sound effects do a great job of making the player feel like he's causing some real damage in combat. The animations are smooth and fluid, and the game seems to have no problems handling all of the action taking place on the screen at any given time.

The character models are sharp and well defined, and the environments have a decent amount of substance to them. It seems to me that Urban Reign is the action game that Namco had hoped Death by Degrees would have been had it been given a little bit more time in the cooking pot. Although the game's plot is watered down, the rest of its presentation is suitably impressive. And while the story does provide a decent enough explanation for why all of this fighting is taking place, it lacks any real depth to draw the player into the world. Over the course of his battles, Brad will recruit other fighters to his cause, and ultimately uncover the real culprit responsible for starting the chaos. When a citywide gang war breaks out in Green Harbor, Brad is hired to take on various gang bosses.

In Urban Reign, players take on the role of Brad Hawk, a professional street brawler. Now Namco, the company responsible for the popular Tekken and Soul Calibur franchises, is entering the fray with its new street fighting title, Urban Reign. Games like Capcom's Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance and Sega's Spikeout: Battle Street have brought the beat-'em-up arcade experience to a new generation of gamers. Old-school brawlers have seen a bit of a resurgence as of late.

Urban reign ps2 tips