Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death is a first-person shooter video game based on the Judge Dredd character from the 2000 AD comic series, developed by Rebellion Developments.
Gameplay
The game is played from a first-person perspective. The singleplayer campaign is made up of eleven levels in which the player takes the role of Judge Dredd and battles a series of criminals and undead vampires. Easy, Normal and Hard difficulty levels are available, as well as a cooperative mode.
The game features a 'law meter' which gauges the player's adherence to the laws of Mega-City One. Completing objectives and arresting criminals raises the law meter; attacking criminals without first challenging them to surrender will deplete the law meter. Attacking Judges, civilians, and criminals that have surrendered will also deplete the law meter, with a more severe penalty if they are killed. Using incendiary ammunition on humans (even if they are hostile) will severely deplete the law meter. If the law meter is fully depleted the current level will become unwinnable, and the Special Judicial Squad will arrive to execute the player. After each campaign mission, the player is awarded a ranking of Cadet, Rookie, Street Judge, Senior Judge, or Judge Dredd. Completing singleplayer levels also unlocks at least one playable multiplayer character or map, depending on the player's performance.
The game also features arcade and multiplayer mode. In the arcade mode, the player must complete various challenges, earning cheat codes for each one completed with a high rank. There are 12 arcade challenges to complete. In the multiplayer mode, players compete with up to 3 friends, and up to 12 computer-controlled players in a deathmatch game. Online play is only available in the Windows version of the game.
Plot
Mega-City One in the year 2121 during the is has a population of 800 million people, each holding the potential for criminal activity. Judge Dredd is the city's most effective law enforcer, respected by all Judges and feared by all crooks. Judge Anderson of The Psi Division has a premonition of horrible plague that will befall the city. Dredd is instructed to keep an eye out for any leads regarding Anderson's vision.
Later whilst out on patrol, Dredd encounters a pack of feral vampires attacking civilians. After dispatching them, Dredd is informed that an aircraft filled with vampires has crashed into the Nixon penitentiary, disabling all of the automated defences and causing a mass prison riot to break out. Dredd is sent to help secure the facility. In the ensuing chaos, the ethereal spirits of the Dark Judges manage to escape from their containment cells.
Without any leads to follow up on, Dredd is placed back on regular patrol whilst the Psi Division tries to locate the Dark Judges. Dredd then stumbles upon a death cult that is in the process of creating physical bodies for the Dark Judges' spirits to inhabit. By the time Dredd manages to fight through the cult, the ritual has already been completed and the Dark Judges are once again roaming the streets of Megacity One.
Dredd is then called to a nearby megamall, where a massive zombie outbreak has taken place. Whilst it is initially believed that the outbreak is the work of Judge Death, it is later determined that both the vampires and zombies that have been appearing in Megacity One are humans infected by a genetically engineered retrovirus developed by Dr. Icarus for a pet reanimation business. Dredd is sent to arrest Dr. Icarus, but Dr. Icarus injects himself with a modified version of his virus before seemingly falling to his death. Dr. Icarus' lab then begins to self-destruct, forcing Dredd to flee.
Judge Mortis is then sighted going on a killing spree at the Clooney Hospital. Dredd makes his way through the hospital and helps the patients get to safety before corralling Judge Mortis into a quarantine chamber with disinfectant. Dredd is then informed that Judge Fire has been located at a nearby smokatorium. After activating the smokatorium's fire suppression system, Dredd destroys Judge Fire's physical body. Before Judge Fire can escape, his spirit is captured by a team of Psi Division judges.
Judge Death is then discovered in Resyk, killing most of the workers inside. Dredd confronts Judge Death and manages to destroy his body, but Death flees to the undercity before his spirit can be captured. Dredd gives chase, eventually discovering Judge Fear guarding a portal to Deadworld, the home of the Dark Judges. Dredd dispatches Judge Fear and successfully captures his spirit, before heading through the portal in pursuit of Judge Death.