The two characters in Deadly Creatures, a tarantula and a scorpion, are definitely two of the more unique playable characters in recent memory. Make no mistake—these aren't cutesy, anthropomorphic versions of these creatures. You're not Sammy Scorpion set on saving Arachnid Valley from the evil grasshoppers. You're a tarantula or a scorpion, and when you come across another insect it's either kill or be killed. On the one hand, it's an odd choice, as you can't really relate to such a creature, especially when considering that if you were to see one of these beasties in real life you'd either run away or throw your shoe at them. On the other hand, it's refreshing to play a character that requires no putting aside of the obvious moral implications of say, a Gears of War type character undertaking genocide with the player's full help and consent. No sir, there ain't no morality in the desert! If you aren't sitting down to dinner, you're being served up as something else’s.

The game switches between the two characters from chapter to chapter; you're basically making your way through the world killing other animals and avoiding being killed yourself. That's not to say that the game lacks a story—it’s just not one that our many legged friends are directly involved in. As you progress through the various levels, your path will intersect with George and Wade, two men out searching the desert for Civil War gold. The unfolding of the story of this doomed pair is handled very well with you catching snippets of conversation as the two men walk overhead or spend time digging through the earth. The voicing of the men by Billy Bob Thornton and Dennis Hopper helps to give the story a little extra punch given that so much of their tale comes across only through spoken word.

When you're not overhearing the story bits, you're not exactly bored as you're constantly under threat of being eaten, stung or poisoned by the various insects, lizards and rats occupying your world. Luckily the tarantula and scorpion have a hefty arsenal of moves at their disposal to help stave off imminent insect death. There's a very distinct feel to each character. The tarantula is equipped with the ability to jump around the battlefield, darting in for quick hits and then darting away. As you defeat enemies and gain combat points, you'll unlock additional moves, including some excellent ranged attacks. The ranged pounce provides not only a fantastic way for taking enemies out at a distance, but gives a hilarious enemy-eye view of the flying arachnid instrument of their destruction.

On the flip side is the scorpion—the tank of the two. The scorpion has no jump, but can block as well as deliver devastating pincer combos capable of knocking an opponent on its back. Best of all, the scorpion has finishing moves which are completed by weakening your enemy and then pressing the C button and following the onscreen gesture commands. You haven't lived until you've seen a scorpion knock a rat's legs out from under it with a tail sweep, and then follow up with a stinger to the head. Brutal! Combat is controlled with a combination of button mashing and gesture controls and unfortunately the gesture controls don't always work as well as you'd like. Luckily, there are so many moves at your disposal that you're never at a loss for how to dispatch an enemy.

The controls aren't the only problems with combat as the camera can cause headaches as well. You have no camera control other than pressing down on the d-pad to center the camera on your arachnid of choice, however when in battle, and surrounded by a gaggle of tarantula hawk wasps, it's a bit much to dodge their various attacks, gesturing to pull off combat moves and fighting the camera. The camera also can show some flakiness during level navigation, particularly when the tarantula gains the ability to climb walls and walk along the ceiling.