Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

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 & Lynch is a story about two men who both are punished to the death. They meet in a prison van on their way to the execution, there is an ambushed and they get rescued. Kane's way back crew "The7" get's in touch with him, they have is wife and daughter and if He doesn't play along...they will both die.

Kane & Lynch is a thrilling but "VERY" violent action game. Just that you have the opportunity to shoot innocent people is frightening but it's nothing i haven't seen before in a game. The game's story is very well written, the gameplay the other end is nothing special. Just shoot your way out in every map. The game isn't that fun Singleplayer but it's very fun in Co-op mode.

CO-OP The CO-OP mode is meant to be played on console in split screen, but it can be played in PC as well but you need some sort of XBOX Gamepad, i spent 300 Swedish KR on it, which is probably 40 dollars. And it was worth it i guess. It's very fun to play with a friend if you are bored.

Graphics Really impressive on this point. I was surprised how well designed the whole game was. It's not crysis but the physics in the game is close to unbelievable. But the fact that the graphics changes from lousy to SUPER in different places is just dumb, hope it gets fixed in the upcoming patch.

Multiplayer This part i haven't tried out yet though. But the Multiplayer part is called "Fragile Alliance". You and a friend or more is about to make a robbery, there is about 4 different maps to play on, where a bank is included. The goal is simply just to get your hands on much loot as possible. The loots will be shared at the end of the game, however there is a way to get away with this, if you become a "TRAITOR" you will get your money and don't have to share it with anyone. To become a traitor you just simply kill one or more of your team-mates. However if one or another team-mate finds out you are a traitor before you get time to kill them. They have a goal to kill you and will get extra score for it. If you get killed you will respawn as a SWAT , Police or security Guard. Although i haven't played this mode by myself these facts are just from gameplays and text.

As it looked before

When the news about Kane & Lynch first was released i expected something completely different, but who doesn't the game looked a hell lot of better on pictures but what game doesn't.

I'm giving this game an kind of weak 8/10. This game has a good story and all but it's feels to simple, just go around and killing people on every single mission, nothing else for a change. There is no mission in this game where you have to kill, kill and KILL. The game is very violent & has lots of gore in it. The gameplay is pretty rude itself, feels like you are in a Tarantino picture. So if you are sensitive for violent this isn't the game you should play, well if you haven't sorted that out already with the facts that the game is called "Kane & Lynch (DEAD MEN).

8/10 Not what i expected but it was still a decent shooter game.

I was struggling to decide between 3 PS3 games, Timeshift, Uncharted or Kane And Lynch.

Eventually i randomly chose kane and lynch.

Now there's something i love about this game more than any other. Mainly because it has a genuine human drama, you mostly feel this is the character Kane because of the backstory of the death of his son.

A great feature of the game is when your dying the screen goes into negative and you can hear voices of past events which is a clever addition as it builds up the emotion.

The online is massive fun, it's not just your random kill anyone game. You can choose the bank map and go inside, steal money and escape.

Overall, this game is fantastic but is slightly below the mark of my game of the year, Call of Duty 4

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.

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.