Dead To Rights: Retribution

If you enjoyed the old side scrollers (streets of rage/double dragon/golden axe etc) this game is a must!

Not too difficult and the simplicity of it is a refreshing break. Well designed levels with a smooth combat system makes for hours of enjoyment.

I liked the first Dead to Rights game so when this came out I thought I would try it out, its basically a remake and a pretty good one at that!Your dog Shadow is way more involving now - you take control of him in some level sections enabling you to shred your enemies or creep up on them and take them out stealthily and when playing as Jack you can command shadow to attack or pick up weapons for you.
The gunplay and hand to hand combat is pretty satisfying, sure its nothing we havnt seen before but its done better than most offerings!

Having played both previous games in the trilogy I approached this game with both pessimism and optimism. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this game is a gem.

You will be glad to know that Dead to Rights Retribution is a reboot of the franchise. Due to the poor reception of the second game the developers have for obvious reasons decided to take the story back to its roots and start over taking full advantage of the next generation hardware. Gone are the throwing of canisters and fire extinguishers in order to create explosions. Gone too are convoluted plots. Gone are the messy camera angles and in its place is full on gunplay fisticuffs greater interactivity between Jack Slate and his Dog Shadow and a great deal more playability for the title as a whole.

Its obvious that the developers spent a great attention to detail and it shows. The levels are well designed and the storyline is well paced. You never find yourself out of your depth but always feel like you are up against the odds. Jack Slate is nicely detailed and credit to the developers for first rate cinematics and making sure that the scenarios he faces equate to a game that plays out like an action movie. There is always a fire fight always something happening.

It is fiendishly hard to explain the game without giving too much of the story away but you play the part of Jack Slate. Those of you accustomed to action shooters like Stranglehold and Wet will probably already know the score; Tough cop tries to clean up dark city. As cop Jack Slate is up against the odds but what makes Dead to Rights different is the fact that you have Shadow; a canine companion of the part rabid wolf variety that you can call in to attack enemies on your behalf and retrieve guns for you to use.

Being a dog lover I really liked the level of attention that was paid to Shadow. He has a really good AI and will get stuck in whenever you are in danger and at risk of sounding mad almost has a personality. Like the first game you get to control Shadow quite a number of times but now Shadow has his own missions and you can utilise his stealth mode which is quite similar to Arkham Asylums Detective mode. In this view you can see your enemies heartbeat and whether they are armed or alert to your presence. He has his own gory quick kills and you can use his bark to lure soldiers away from the others in order to take them down.

Gunplay is swift but possibly could do with some refinement. After a while though it becomes second nature. However this game is not all about guns. Jack is impressive with his fists too and I was surprised to find quite a decent combat engine which enabled me to switch between guns and fists very quickly each with their own set of takedown and quick kills. At Jacks dispense you can disarm enemies order shadow to take them down take them hostage use them for cover or throw them over ledges and this is just a small example of the moves he has available. All of this though means that there is a bewildering set of buttons to use. In some sense this is great because it keeps the game play from becoming repetitive but other times it can be bit of a nightmare and results in you doing things you dont necessarily want to do. Thankfully it doesnt take too long to get used to but at times it is a nightmare. Another short fall is that old chestnut camera angles sometimes you are in a fight, backed in to a corner and just cannot see enough of what is happening this results in you needlessly getting hit shot or spotted. Not good.

However regardless of its faults I really love this game it has. It makes a pleasant change and is immense fun to play. It also has lots of nice touches. Definitely worth checking out.

Not for those who are looking for the a replacement to the likes of GTA, MGS or COD. You would be way off.
However, for a basic game to play when bored, look no further.
The game has an acceptable standard of graphics and the violence will definitely make you smile (especially Shadow the Dog).
It does for when you've just completed that big game you spent a lot of money on and now you need something else to play, while waiting on the next big thing.

Don't pay much attention to the review score, it isn't your GTA's or your MGS's but if all you want is aload of mindless fun while popping heads in slow-mo this is for you.

I can't tell you how many times I laughed at some of the stuff you can do in this game, for example, when you play as your dog 'Shadow' you can perform these savage moves where you can go for the enemies privates which is called a 'Scrotality' (thats one PS trophie already) if you don't find this funny then chances are you won't like the game. But for times when you just want to turn off your brain for a couple of hours, there really is no alternative.

Graphics are actually really good in places and the sound adds that bit more atmosphere, it's a great way to rack up on Trophies aswell, buy it and enjoy.