Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

There are feature's in this game which are before their time. I completed the story mode in about a week. Most of the achievement's for this game require you to play in multiplayer. You will get a handful for single player play. I just think this game could have done with a better cover mechanic. You have to huddle right up beside a corner for cover rather than press a button to do it for you like in other game's such as 007: Blood Stone.

Given this title is probably like five dollar's by now, go and get it. It will be interesting whether there will be a part three on the next-gen console's these day's I think it would work well and I think a lot of people would like to see it.

A man on death row is busted out of his prison transport and is thrust into a violent game of do or die. That man is Kane, his newly-appointed partner is Lynch. They are both class-A scumbags, and they have to work together despite the fact that there's no love or mutual respect for each other. What follows is a strictly linear traipse through many different environments ranging from bank vaults to Japanese night clubs. You'll kill many people and pick up lots of different guns...but how much fun will you have (if you pardon the macabre use of the world "fun")?

The answer is some, but not as much as you'd like. The weapons are all pretty much the same with a terrible targeting system. Precision targeting is almost non-existent in this game and hit detection is all over the place. The ability to take cover behind walls, pillars, etc. is very faulty and works only half the time. Some scenes are also too dark to make out what's going on.

There's plenty of swearing, and the voice acting is quite good. Jesper Kyd's gloomy score sets the tone perfectly. This is not an upbeat, cheery game. It's about ugly violence and grim revenge. For this reason alone very much earns its 18/M-rating. The presentation of this violence however is not that graphic, literally. The graphics are of PS2 quality. They may be in 1080p high-def but they look real bad.

I hear a sequel is in the works. More freedom to roam and an ability to upgrade Kane and Lynch as characters would be a welcome addition. Better graphics would be appreciated too. Above all, the guns and targeting need to be improved. Kane & Lynch makes for a decent bargain bin game, but don't pay top dollar for it.

Graphics C Sound B+ Gameplay C+ Lasting Appeal C

So the 'part 2' of Kane & Lynch came out recently, and since I didn't have the money to throw at that, I thought I would share my thoughts on the original.

Even though the game got some mixed reactions from people, I think it is entertaining if you like playing shooter games. This one isn't overly demanding to play, I passed through the game on the standard difficulty without too much trouble, but it is challenging at times, especially some of the Boss battles - I remember at one point you have to slug it out with a huge truck in a junkyard, it was quite difficult doing it with the controller since the aiming sensitivity never feels perfect no matter how much you fiddle with it in the settings. It was still satisfying when I finally got there, and I remember the batteries in my controller were going flat, so I had some extra motivation!

As others here mentioned, the game is similar to one of IO's earlier efforts - Freedom Fighters, and I think K&L DM is kind of a spiritual successor to that game. For instance, there is a similar squad-based mechanic presented that lets you command your comrade Lynch and also any followers you may have in your posse. Additionally you can swap weapons and distribute ammo with them. The controls for doing these things weren't so simple it was instinctive without sifting through the manual, but it is easy when you know how. You could almost go through the whole game without using the special squad commands since the core shooting play is quite basic and your AI controlled friends can happily go about their own business. But much like the enemies, they do stupid things sometimes like running into the line of fire.

The graphics were good, at the time I had to play in standard definition, but still the detail in the game was evidently well done - the game engine technology is the same (or close) to Hit Man Blood Money I think. Probably the standout level for me was the Japanese Rave Disco club, were you had to 'escort' someone to the roof, and you could only tell the hostile security guards from the hordes of dancers by the flashlight beams darting around amidst the disco ball lights. I remember this section took me a few tries to get through, and yes, there probably will be some 'collateral' damage along the way. The diversity in the environments is actually one of the stronger aspects of the game, and like the Hit Man series you find yourself in different parts of the globe, so things don't get so stale in that respect.

The guns in the game will be familiar, you get hand grenades & flash- bangs as well, I think probably the most interesting weapon was a tear- gas grenade launcher. The violence is over-the-top - you can rush an enemy then break his legs and neck by hand - Ouch! There isn't much opportunity for stealth in the game. However, I seem to remember a scenario in a Poppy Field though, but to be quite honest, every situation turns into a veritable blood bath. The story in the game isn't much to write home about, I didn't find myself rooting for Kane and Lynch's cause - actually, I wouldn't even call them antiheroes because there isn't much of a 'greater good' sense to things, but I can't really say more without spoiling the plot. The 'script' is filled to the brim with 'colourful' language but instead of being gritty or realistic it comes off as forced and ultimately a bit silly.

I didn't have many genuine issues with this game, there was a bug during a car chase sequence where the van you were in would hit a junked car and flip on its back meaning I couldn't get my crew to the required destination - this happened *every* time I reloaded the checkpoint, so in the end I had to replay the whole section. Annoying. Apart from that, the cover system is a little dodgy since Kane will 'snap' onto nearby objects whether you want him to or not, so that can be a bit dodgy, especially when making a mad dash to safety from a killer Helicopter or something. Overall, none of these things are damning to the game, just some quirks really.

Overall, I had a fairly good time with this game, probably those who loved Freedom Fighters or played the Hit Man games in a not-so-stealthy 'Guerilla' style will truly relish the huge body counts in K&L DM. I would recommend playing in the standard difficulty, even if you are an experienced player, since the game is suitably demanding as it is and 'hard' is perhaps leaning more towards 'masochist' sensibilities. Anyhow, I think the game can pass some pleasant evenings, so if you are interested, give it a shot!

*Review for Xbox360 Version

Kane was ready to pay for his crimes. He was done. But then the prison transport is knocked over on the way to death row, and after barely making it out alive, he's confronted by his former mercenary buddies, the surviving members of the lazily named The7 – the brothers Beardo and Baldie. They have his estranged wife and daughter... and now he has to retrieve the loot that the other duo believe he stole from them on their final, and failed, operation. He comes back out of retirement to save his family, partnered with(well, he's there to make sure you do as you're told... why is it this plot wasn't used sooner? This is like Heat the video-game(well, different story), and yes, it's as awesome as that makes it sound) the psychopathic Lynch, who murdered his better half. You follow them for a couple of the worst days of their lives, and countless of people *will* be left dead in their wake. Every "Chapter"(note that you can only start at the beginning of those if you quit; while you are in the game, you can replay from the most recent "Scene", and those are frequent so you never have to redo a lot, and it autosaves) consists of you and him(and usually a team) carrying out an attack on a building(like a bank, corporate headquarters, a dance club, etc., and situations like a robbery, a hostage exchange, a jailbreak(!) and the like), get whatever objectives you have done, and get away in one piece. This is a third-person tactical shooter, a bit like a Freedom Fighters 2.0(which, in turn, was Red Dawn interactive). You can give the orders Follow, Attack target and Defend(the latter being directional), and you can not get through this by pretending you're Rambo of the sequels(especially in MP). Using and protecting the people there with you is vital(you can take out anyone else, and this supports grand crowds, similar to what they did in Blood Money), and you can pick up additional clips from them, swap weapons with them and bring bring them back from near-death using adrenaline shots(!), and they can do the same for you(don't rely on it too much, you'll overdose; also, this is highly psychological, with flashbacks and your guilty conscience haunting you as you lay there in what may prove to be your last moments). This is intense, action-packed and exciting throughout, and it never gets to be repetitive. It is also extremely short... I completed it in about a single day(and there's only three difficulty settings and no unlockables, if two memorable endings), and that was the day I helped my brother move out of his place. There is little to no HUD, and in general this is quite minimalistic(the keys are intuitive, you can sit right down and play this). No health-bar, you can't reload(it does it on its own) or tell how many bullets are left before it's necessary to, and anything not being "used" fades into invisibility. It is also pretty streamlined, and while I find this to be a troublesome current trend in this medium, this gets away with it impeccably well. Why, and am I being a massive hypocrite? Because the risk isn't gone, and it doesn't take control out of your hands(well, the rappelling, if cool, kind of is)... and no, silly person(why would you even ask that?). Yes, it's linear(let's be honest, that's a typical approach), still, it comes off as if you are set free in a regular, real-life location. The environment interaction is nifty, with cars blowing up and glass having remarkably poor lead-stopping abilities. There are rail-shooter levels, where you're in a car. You really get a sense that no one can trust anyone else(they second-guess each other constantly, and somehow it doesn't get to be irritating) in this world. The characters(with a cast mostly consisting of anti-heroes) have personality and backstories, though you don't remember them all. Still, this is genuinely emotionally engaging and affecting. The cinematography is great, and this is cinematic and visual, with fantastic graphics(all cut-scenes are in-engine or pre-rendered, and look amazing), gorgeous lighting, and beautiful gas, smoke, fire FX. This has a bad-ass score(all of the audio(including acting!) is marvelous) by Jesper Kyd. I have not tried multi-player(as I could not get it working... one time I tried it temporarily deleted my DVD-drive! There's supposedly a 2-player mode... I'm not sure it works for the PC, it asked me to connect an X-Box joystick...?), but the rule set definitely sounds excellent. You can double-cross your friends, and the idea is to get away with as much of the loot from a bank robbery as possible. Yeah, matches are probably short. Up to 8 players, and close to proper co-op. It's not terribly surprising, coming from IO Interactive, home of awesome, unique(-ish) concepts for games. You carry one gun and one sidearm, as well as two kinds of grenades(pineapple and "distraction" kind), and you use SMGs, shotguns, machinegun, assault rifles, pistols and a sniper(your enemies can use all the same ones, and that last-mentioned is one of the several stand-out challenging occurrences). You can also mêlée kill(anytime you're right by them, there's no "fighting"), with a blade in your hand that comes out between two fingers. This has one of the best cover systems I've tried, so easy and instantaneous to enter/exit, blind-fire and aimed(hold down right mouse button anytime), and such a wide use of the view(without leaving the safety) is possible, meaning you will hardly ever be caught with your pants down(I'm scowling at you, The Godfather: The Game! And Enter the Matrix! And many others). You can wound others, and then finish them off, like Contracts. There is a lot of brutal, disturbing content, bloody violence and strong language(no sexuality or nudity) in this. I recommend this to any fan of the genre and the concept(if you want to play a Michael Mann movie, this is one of the better ones). 8/10

One of the fewest time killers i had with friends at home was playing co- op with this game, a lot. This is one of the few points Kane & Lynch has at a fun value, with a title like this and a concept like that, it does really feel like an old-school game meant to be played with co-op (like an arcade game whose name i forgot, but consisted in one driving a car and the passenger seat shooting the bad guys at front)

Anyways, the story follows at a psychological drama emotional vibe, and certain strong elements that would put the player in enough stress if it isn't by the story's way of f'ing up the characters lives, and although it doesn't grab enough interest on it's character development it does at least satisfy you with those individual personalities of each that makes a credible duo that are not precisely role models, but personifies our GTA player inside us.

The Sound is decent, although i noticed some of the same music/soundtracks are a bit over-exploited, voice acting is convincing enough to put you on stress through the characters.

Gameplay-wise is pretty Kinetic and non-stop, shootings are exciting whenever you control it (although a bit stiff with recoil when trying to shoot enemies) and blood-packed enough for those who find this satisfying (AKA: Me) And although it can get repetitive at times, there's no stop sign to show at you by the constant number of henchmen coming at you. There is another command system that plays out in a strategic way where you can command NPC's to kill X enemy or take cover somewhere else, i personally found it under-exploited, because i was doing all the killing and shooting to sum up... ._.

Also, level design is sort of simple, some of the maps are pretty short and it could get repetitive to miss out or going all the way around the map in some missions, but also it has a decent amount of variety on it's missions that also offers another level on the "old-school" game vibe that you could really have a grip on.

And although there is also a 2-way ending that has some flaws in it (since one is cannon to the supposedly disappointing sequel and the other is not, and both endings do have some of the same annoying conclusion, it does still have replay value through both campaign co-op and multiplayer.

In conclusion, Kane and Lynch: Dead Man is a Flawed, but Kinetic Shoot 'Em Up Game with Lots of Shooting, Co-op Replay Value and Potential for a Franchise that makes this starter of a series (that i hope doesn't die and deliver us a Better and more submersive K&L3) a kick-ass of a time killer.