From the Franchises You Forgot Were Dead department: The dog-siccing third-person shooter Dead to Rights, which debuted on the original Xbox back in 2002 and was last heard from in a forgettable 2005 follow-up, is back, much to the delight of third-person-action fans and canine lovers everywhere.

With development reins being handed to Volatile Games (Reservoir Dogs) under the careful direction of original DTR team members, the built-for-360 reboot is taking the Batman Begins approach to success: “This is not Dead to Rights 3,” insists producer Mitch Boyer. “It’s a completely fresh start.”

Technologically speaking, he’s certainly right. The new adventure looks and feels like a modern piece of film noir, with series protagonist Jack Slate returning alongside his half-wolf, half-malamute companion Shadow to show the criminals of the Gotham-esque Grant City that it’s never a good idea to come between a man and his dog.

Where the new Dead to Rights distinguishes itself from other contemporary third-person shooters is twofold. First, its use of the nimble pooch as a companion allows for both puzzle-solving and combat aid. Using a Gears of War–style cover system, you can maneuver close to an enemy without them seeing you and then Shadow will sneak in to score a silent takedown. He’ll also watch your back while you’re in cover as you’re looking one way, by taking out enemies’ legs as they run by. In other sequences, he’s briefly playable, as you guide him through openings that are too small for Jack’s bulky recon-marine backside. For instance, he’ll dart through a hole in a fence to shut off the power so Jack can open an electronically locked door.

The other highlight is the game’s no-holds-barred brutality. As a former marine, Jack is more than capable of beating some bad-guy ass, as evidenced by some incredibly quick takedown sequences we saw. In one, he was prompted for an A-X-RT button combo. With no margin for error in the heat of battle, performing the sequence successfully let you watch Jack grab the targeted perp, snap his neck, and then twist it completely around until it was backward, Exorcist-style. You can even grapple with the grunts and throw them over railings or through windows. Did we happen to mention that this game is over-the-top violent?

Also notable is how enemies don’t politely wait their turn to get pummeled by Jack as if it were a Bruce Lee movie. No sir. Aggressive A.I. come flying at you from all angles, but handling them is easy: flick the camera in the direction of the foe jumping into the fray and you’ll stay locked onto your original target, but Jack will throw a punch or kick at the new annoyance to get him off of you, allowing you to return to the fight already in-progress. Alternatively, you can quickly flick in the other direction a second time, and the camera will swing around and you’ll lock onto the new thorn in your side.

Though what we saw was quite early in development, the basic combat mechanics and gameplay involving Shadow were already looking sharp. If the promised noir-inspired storyline holds our attention, the new Dead to Rights might just make us wonder how we went so long without it.