![Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay [PS2 / XBOX / PC – Beta]](https://www.unseen64.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/wallpaper-normal-670x300.jpg "Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay [PS2 / XBOX / PC – Beta]")
Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay was originally planned as the direct sequel to Dead to Rights, continuing Jack Slate’s relentless fight against crime. However, Namco Japan’s abrupt shift toward outsourcing first-party titles to external developers led to its unfortunate cancellation. In its place, Namco Hometek brought in WideScreen Games to develop a completely different version of Dead to Rights 2, one that bore little resemblance to the ambitious sequel that was once in the works.
The impact was severe. Gameplay had to be scaled back, the story was rewritten—twice—and core mechanics that were meant to elevate Dead to Rights 2 were heavily downgraded to meet tight deadlines.
Initially, Hell to Pay was meant to follow Jack Slate and his loyal companion, Shadow, as they dove headfirst into a dangerous conspiracy to save Jack’s friend, Preacher Man Jones. As revealed in Game Informer’s November 2003 issue, this version promised a darker, more intense experience. But by the time Dead to Rights 2 resurfaced at E3 2004, something had changed. Jack was no longer on a mission to save his friend. Instead, the narrative mysteriously shifted to protecting a mysterious—possibly blonde—girl. His overall look was also altered.
Then, as the game neared completion, Dead to Rights 2 was no longer planned as a sequel. Instead, the game was rebranded as a prequel. Evidence of its troubled development was everywhere—unfinished combat animations, stripped-down mechanics, and missing environmental effects, all signs that Dead to Rights 2 had suffered from a troubled development cycle.
In the comments, Vincent was right to spot that Dead to Rights: Reckoning was, in essence, the remnants of Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay. It was Namco Hometek’s final attempt to salvage the original sequel’s concept and give players a glimpse of what could have been. Unfortunately, the effort fell short. Only fragments of the original vision made it into the game, while the rest was lost to time.
Below, you’ll find full images from the original Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay alongside those from the E3 2004 version shown separately, allowing you to see firsthand how the game evolved—and how much it changed—throughout development. A documentary video was also made to show you what went behind the scenes of the game’s development.
Thanks to Vicente and Evan Hanley for the contribution!
Edit: 9/2/2025
Images of the original Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay:
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- Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay write-up by Game Informer
Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay (E3 2004):
Videos:
What do you think about this unseen game? Give your vote!
(4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)
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looks like that dead to rights reckoning is hell to pay, since have the same graphics, enemy models and characters.
@Vicente:
It definitely looks like this was the basis for DtR: Reckoning, since the motel is exactly the same as Reckoning’s, Jack Slater has the same clothes from the PSP game and the girl with the schoolgirl outfit is the same that you have to rescue (and then, in some odd twist, kill) on Reckoning. But the rest is all original content, I guess (although the nightclub from image 12 reminds me of the one from the GBA version of the first game)
Good eye Lance! Thanks for the info :)
I know that I am posting this a lot later than the other comments, but oh well, here I am. I had read some time recently that originally, Dead to Rights II was supposed to be different than what had come out. I remember as far back as 2004, there was plot about Jack going after some people who abducted the daughter of Preacherman Jones, and then it was changed to a political figure, as seen in Reckoning, which someone mentioned. Of course, this was nearly two decades ago, so I can’t find any information about it.
As for anything else, I noticed that in one pictures, the model for the blonde stripper was then reused for Ruby in the final product. Ruby was Jack’s girlfriend in that game, but the model of her in the bikini was only used for a cutscene, as she wore a jacket and jeans for her subsequent appearances. I will say that I found another screenshot with that model, so I am not sure if she was supposed to be Ruby all along. Also, I noticed that the model for the female Asian gangster was used in Reckoning. So I suppose that the user who noted that Reckoning was actually Hell to Pay was right about it. Some other stuff was used in the final product, however.
The whole development story of Dead to Rights 2 gives the vibes of Splatterhouse (2010). Bottle Rocket Entertainment were busy making a great game until Bandai Namco stepped in to ruin it. Perhaps the same thing happened to Dead to Rights 2. The premise, the visuals, the weapons and the enemies looked much better than the tragically mediocre DTR2 everyone ended up with.