Gun and dog show

by ERIK LEIJON

There’s one thing that really stands out in Dead to Rights: Retribution (X360, PS3/Namco Bandai, Volatile), a quasi re-telling of the original 2002 Dead to Rights game, and it isn’t the dog. A game starring a burly-armed, vengeance-seeking cop who employs a canine partner to bite crime directly and literally in the scrotum may seem like the extreme reboot of Turner & Hooch, but it turns out Retribution is all about shooting people’s faces off, followed by corny one-liners courtesy of the game’s wooden star.

A third-person action game that uses both a generic cover system and some cartoonish hand-to-hand combat, the charmingly dated Retribution is harmless and violent enough for one light-hearted go-around. It’s your standard bad-cop-weeds-out-corruption-in-post-industrial-metropolis story, and even the long cutscenes involving his father’s death or his piecing together of the nefarious plot that wreaks havoc on the city feel like a bad movie parody.

Still, the headshot-centric shooting never fails to amuse, and the close quartered fist fights can result in some pretty funny slo-mo killing sequences. All of this is immediately improved whenever Shadow the dog is around—he’ll maul enemies to death on command and happily retrieve the fallen foe’s gun for you.

The levels where Shadow is alone involve a stale combination of isolating enemies through barking followed by sharp teeth to the groin. As for the pup’s slobbering owner, he has a much more difficult time grasping the fundamentals. Hiding behind cover and stealing an enemy’s gun are both done using the same button. This becomes an issue when you’re attempting to disarm a foe who is hiding behind cover, and instead of seizing the gun, the hero assumes the cover position himself.

Just as Retribution starts to feel too passé or humdrum to be a compelling next-gen action shooter, one blast to an enemy’s cranium can change your outlook. The aforementioned gun-stealing move is a blast when done right. If timed properly you’ll not only swipe the weapon, but deliver a fatal headshot in the process. Headshots are really the only way to kill the tougher enemies given the scarcity of ammo, but players will be treated to quips afterwards, such as “no need to read him his rights,” or a loud “fuck you!” Time slows down for a brief moment after a blood-splattering headshot kill, and given how many enemies are surrounding you, that split second is a guilty pleasure every time.

If animal abuse wasn’t enough, Retribution contains noticeable anti-communist leanings. Before turning into a doomsday weapon story, the early enemy gang is known as the Union, made up of disenfranchised dock labourers. “A blue-collar sledgehammer, out to smash every brick between the haves and have-nots” opines the cop hero. Not subtle or particularly clever, but good on this violent bloodbath of a game to adopt a needless political stance.

Indie gaming for a cause

Gamers who haven’t given indie gaming a try no longer have an excuse thanks to the Humble Indie Bundle, a terrific deal that brings together five beloved indie games in one charitable, pay what you want package.

Sticky puzzler World of Goo and underwater adventure title Aquaria headline the bundle, with proceeds going to your choice of Child’s Play (a charity that donates new and used games to children’s hospitals) or non-profit consumer rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation (or both). All five games are DRM free and can be installed on any PC or Mac. The bundle, which also includes Gish, Lugaru HD and Penumbra Overture, can be downloaded at wolfire.com/humble.