[img width=189 height=266]http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n481/hoiberg/deathrow1.jpg[/img]
(Actually the European cover which represents the game better)
Deathrow is a game that I stumbled upon this year as a game that was only mentioned on one website and one that I had to try out.
Deathrow was released for the Xbox on October 22, 2002, about 1 year after the release of the Xbox console. It never sold very well most likely due to little to no marketing, but was highly praised from various game review sites.
[img width=321 height=215]http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n481/hoiberg/deathrowgameplay2.jpg[/img][img width=320 height=215]http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n481/hoiberg/deathrowgameplay1.jpg[/img]
Deathrow is geared toward a mature audience since throughout the game, many of the characters' taunts toward the other team use vulgar language and many of the fighting moves made characters bleed and bruise. The game is essentially a mix between basketball, ultimate frisbee, and MMA. Winning is accomplished by scoring the most goals in four timed rounds or knocking out all the players on the opposing team.
[img width=320 height=212]http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n481/hoiberg/deathrowinjured.jpg[/img]
While this game sounds kind of slow and a mess, but it is a blast to play. This is especially true if you have a couple of buddies and one of your friends beats up the competition for you while you score at will against the an AI which puts up a great fight even though sometimes you can still blow them out. The game never had Xbox Live support which would be a great addition to the game even today if the game was available for digital distribution over the Xbox Live Marketplace. All in all this is a fun game that is even better with other people.
[img width=157 height=224]http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n481/hoiberg/deathrow2-1.jpg[/img]
(The US release box art)