Dead to Rights: Retribution GAC Pack DLC Hands-On

Released in late April, Dead to Rights: Retribution was a reimagining of 2002's original Dead to Rights for the Xbox and PlayStation 2. Retribution didn't exactly bowl over critics, but that hasn't stopped Namco and developer Volatile Games from working on downloadable content for the game. Last week, Namco reps came by to give us a look at the upcoming GAC Pack DLC, which will be available for download on June 1 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. There are two main elements to the GAC Pack, a side adventure known as "Assault on the 87th Precinct" and a new arcade kill-'em-all mode known as Riot mode. The DLC will also include alternate costumes for Retribution's main character, Jack Slate, and his canine companion, Shadow.

Slate and Shadow do not appear in the Assault on the 87th Precinct mission; instead, you'll play as GAC (Grant City Anti-Crime) soldiers who need to take control of the titular precinct. The mission occurs somewhere near the ninth chapter of the main Retribution plot, and you start off the mission playing as a GAC sniper known as Copperhead. As a helicopter circles the precinct, the roof of the building begins to swarm with Grant City police. Your first goal is to clear the roof of as many police as possible with your sniper rifle.

Once on the roof, Copperhead meets up with additional police resistance, and you can use melee attacks, your sniper rifle, or a pistol at your disposal to take them out. Because the GAC forces aren't looking to kill police, the goal is to use nonlethal means--though you can still kick people over the side of a roof (which is our favorite move when playing as Jack Slate). If you kill too many cops, however, you'll fail the mission.

After Copperhead takes out a couple of generators in the precinct and heads back up to the roof for extraction, he's cornered by a gaggle of police. Things don't look good for Copperhead, but at the last moment, he's joined by his cohort, known as Kodiak. Unlike the lithe and quick Copperhead, Kodiak is a bruiser and wears a set of power armor that boosts his strength, making him a pure melee fighter. Playing as Kodiak, you'll be able to defeat cops with straight-ahead melee attacks (though he does also have a handgun available). Your goal is to capture police captains throughout the precinct within a certain time limit. Once you've completed the Copperhead and Kodiak sub-missions, you'll get access to a near-indestructible tank trooper you can use to wreak havoc on the 87th precinct.

Elsewhere in the GAC Pack, there's Riot mode, which is essentially Retribution's version of Horde mode. With Shadow at your side, you'll play as Jack Slate as he tries to survive wave after wave of GAC troops. There are six rounds and a couple of bosses to punch, shoot, and neck-break your way through. Keeping your kills varied will fill up a retribution meter; once it's full, Jack's hands will catch on fire, which will make him faster and stronger when it comes to carving his way through GAC goons. The longer you keep up the variety, the longer you'll keep your retribution meter filled. At the end of a Riot mode session, you'll earn awards for performing multiple hand-to-hand kills, killing multiple enemies at the same time, electrocuting enemies, and the like.

The Assault on 87th Precinct seems ideal for people who loved Retribution's storyline and are looking for more of the same. Those of you who, like us, didn't finish the game, might enjoy Riot mode for its pick-up-and-play ease and its outrageous violence. Regardless of your preference, Namco is pricing the GAC Pack aggressively--$5 when it's released on June 1.