Dog-owners and fans of murder alike will find their interest peaked by Dead to Rights: Retribution, an upcoming third-person shooter starring a man and his dog. Players will take control of Jack Slate, the general caricature of a tough-as-nails cop living on the edge as he tries to clean up the crime-infested Grant City streets. Alongside his canine companion, Shadow, Jack will be popping in and out of cover Gears of War style throughout the action-packed title, making use of the Focus mode, the series’ bullet time.

Though seemingly no different from any other third-person shooter with an AI partner, Retribution distinguishes itself with its hand-to-hand combat and alternating levels. While in the first level you may play as Jack himself, running and gunning while Shadow mauls some enemies on his own, the second level might have you actually play as Shadow himself. As Shadow, players will find the world to be enveloped in a bluish tint (inspired by the idea that dogs don’t see color well) while enemies have a red outline and friends, such as Jack, have a gold outline. To get an idea of this, you’ll have to think of Batman: Arkham Asylum’s detective mode.

Shadow’s levels will consist of stealthily performing reconnaissance missions and eliminating all enemies to clear a path for Jack, who might be injured or otherwise unable to defend himself. Shadow can bark to alert enemies to his position and then sneak up behind them to take them out quickly or simply run up to an enemy before he can raise his rifle and savagely tear him apart. Developer Volatile Games claim these missions will be mixed in unexpectedly to keep the game as fresh as possible.

For the fans of games like Gears of War and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, controlling Jack will be the most appealing. The game relies on a stop-and-pop style that most third-person shooters include today, with the exception of being able to command Shadow to assist you in all the mayhem. Destructible cover seems prevalent in the gameplay as well, so players will have to keep moving and shooting to avoid being gunned down in seconds.

In terms of the good ol’ fisticuffs, Retribution does not intend to disappoint. With three buttons mapped for close-quarters combat—one for a light attack, another for heavy, and one to block—it’s definitely deeper than most shooters, which might just have you pull out a blade to dispatch an enemy or whack them with your gun. As well as getting down for a boxing match, Jack will be able to knock the enemy’s gun away, and the enemy can in turn do the same to Jack. It seems as though it’ll bare some resemblance to Metal Gear Solid’s CQC system.

Away with you!

The gunplay in specific looks as though it’ll make for a very rewarding experience. Enemies will react to being shot based on where they’re shot, and the weapons seem like they’ll be diverse enough to afford players some variety. If all else fails, though, players will find solace in the fact that they can use Focus mode to deal with overwhelming situations when they arise.

As for the story, Jack Slate is nothing like the protagonist of the original Dead to Rights series, started back in 2000. Retribution will be a complete reimagining, which may serve to make newcomers to the franchise feel a little more comfortable jumping right in. Grant city sports an almost war-torn look after being subjected to such a long time in the grip of ruthless criminals, which only serves as motivation for ex-marine Jack Slate to kick tons of ass.

Dead to Rights: Retribution seems like it’ll seek to reinvent the series as well as innovate it. Though the graphics didn’t look too good and the sections in which players control Shadow seem too derivative of Batman: Arkham Asylum’s detective mode, judgment shall respectfully be reserved for the final product. Jack Slate’s journey through Grant City is scheduled for release sometime in Q4, 2009.