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Boring combat, bland setting, and an awful script make for a pretty bad attempt at revitalizing a less than stellar franchise.

I'll admit to not being a huge Dead to Rights fan prior to playing Dead To Rights: Retribution, but this game doesn't do a thing to change my mind about the series. This entry on the Xbox 360 and PS3 offers itself up as a reboot of the franchise, which I agree it probably needs, but I don't think this is the game to do it. Retribution offers up some lackluster gunplay, boring action sequences, and just an overall tepid experience that's going to grate on your nerves worse than the laughable dialogue, plot, and animations you'll encounter over the course of eight hours or so. Overall, while the game might not be entirely awful, it just seems incredibly bland and boring, which is the exact opposite reaction you want to get when playing an action game.

The game puts you in the role of a cop (detective I believe) by the name of Jack Slate, a somewhat grumpy officer of the law in Grant City that like to shoot first and ask questions later, not exactly the best definition of Detective that I can think of. He's partnered up with a canine by the name of Shadow, which resembles less of a dog and more of a Dire Wolf from a George RR Martin novel. This partnership offers up one of the few interesting mechanics of the game, where you get to take on the role of Shadow himself and run through a few stages employing stealth game tactics, allowing you sneak up on unsuspecting foes and pounce on them in an effort to silently remove their jugular from their throat. Most of the time, however, you're in the shoes of Jack with Shadow playing shotgun, running around the environment and occasionally taking down an enemy or two while you blast everything in sight.

I found combat to be far easier when I was running around and just trying to punch or kick guys to death, or just pulling their weapon away for a quick kill. It doesn't help that Jack can't carry much in the way of ammo, a few clips and that's about it, with some guns holding little more than four to eight rounds at a time. Hand to hand combat, while better, isn't without its flaws. Jack doesn't do a great job of locking on to nearby enemies, if you're ever surrounded by three or more foes; it's really tough to keep your focus on one particular guy to pummel. You need to keep Jack's look centered on your target at all times, and the camera can be a big hindrance here as it zooms in a little too closely without auto-adjusting itself to your viewpoint if you need to quickly turn around a time or two. Also, hand to hand combat just doesn't feel that satisfying; with most of your impressive sequences being relegated to Takedown moves that pop up as a button prompt after you successfully string together a series of hits. These are generally pretty brutal (and final) animation sequences that slow down time to let you watch the sadistic side of Jack as he snaps a guy's leg at the knee and then punts him in the head to snap his neck, or some variation of this. I would have enjoyed the ability to actually pull off moves like this instead of just watching them after pressing A, and I think taking that control away from the player is a little lame. Compare the combat in this to other flawed games like Wet or Stranglehold and you'll realize that while Dead To Rights: Retribution does have some visual flair to it; it doesn't let you make your own cinematic action sequences like those two particular games did.

Finally, combine this underachieving action gameplay with a really clichéd revenge and conspiracy storyline (that you can see coming from a mile away), and you're left with a game that you really don't care to play or see through to the end. One thing to note is that the game seems to want to think it's telling you a Noir style tale, to the extent that the review copy I got came with two DLC codes, one of which changes the game to a black, white and red style of visuals to accentuate the Noir setting, but I'll be damned if I can find the actual Noir in the game. Maybe the black, white and red is a cheap send-off to something like Sin City, but as far as Noir classics go, this game doesn't come close in story or look.

Overall, I found the game to be a pretty big disappointment, especially when compared to other action games including the two that I mentioned. I have no issues with someone making the equivalent of a B style game, and let's face it, that's exactly what Dead to Rights is going for here. However, it misses the mark completely when it comes to gunplay and combat, and the sterile, boring environments that you get to endlessly shoot dudes in don't help it at all. There are some small variations to the gameplay, including the cool Shadow sequences that aren't tossed in nearly enough, but overall I think the game is something that action fans can easily pass up without missing much. Maybe give this a rental, but I don't think I'd suggest picking it up for full price anytime soon.